Over the past few months, Israel-Gulf relations have become increasingly closer and more open. While Israel has maintained covert relations with some Gulf States for more than two decades, the normalization of relations with Israel by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain at an official ceremony in Washington on September 15, 2020, where the Abraham Accords were signed, marked a new era in Israel-GCC relations. Since then, ties between the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Israel have grown even closer, and discussions on which other Arab Gulf states will normalize relations with Israel have abounded.

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This new era holds enormous opportunities for mutual cooperation between the Gulf countries and Israel. The potential for cooperation on different domains and joint economic development has already led to Emirati-Israeli investment conferences and visits by Israeli businessmen and entrepreneurs to Dubai, as well as talk of visits by Emirati and Bahraini officials to Tel Aviv.

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In December 2020, the media speculated that Saudi Arabia was exploring the possibility of signing a peace treaty with Israel in 2021. In addition, recent news about the Gulf reconciliation taking place in January of 2021, had some experts speculating about the possibility of Israeli officials visiting Doha, and exploring the possibility of Qatar and Israel entering a peace accord.  

 

As the global economy and renewed trading slowly emerge from the impact of COVID-19, the normalization of relations between Israel and the Gulf states could not be better timed, presenting opportunities for individuals, companies, and governments in the Middle East to explore the new geopolitical map ushered in by this new era.

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In this simulation, participants will: