The 1st anniversary of the Abraham Accords – The Jewish Angle: A special Israel Hayom project
Part IV: Prominent voices reflect
"The phenomenon of antisemitism has declined in the region, while the influence of Iran is weakening, and we need to decide what we, as humanity, can create together as a voice of peace and future in the Middle East" – said Professor Amjad Taha, an Arab-British journalist who lives in Bahrain and is close to leading officials there, in a conversation with Israel Hayom.
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Taha, an expert on international affairs and author of the book The Deception of the Arab Spring, adds: "For the sake of the future and for peace, the region needs courageous leaders like Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and the leaders in Israel who signed the Abraham Accords."
As someone who deals a lot with the issue of modern antisemitism, among other things as part of his role as the regional director of the British Middle East Center for Studies and Research, Taha emphasizes: "Antisemitism was never felt in Bahrain or the Emirates – they were always a voice for peace and prosperity in the region and the Middle East."
In relation to the characteristics of the entire region, he explains that "the support for the Muslim Brotherhood is decreasing since these are groups or individuals who bring war, crime and bloodshed; while on the other side they are people who support the Abraham Accords or any peace treaty. They are a voice for life, for prosperity and for peace, and the people of the region prefer this voice over the voice of death."
As for the influence of the Abraham Accords on the countries of the region, Taha notes that "Iran is almost without ammunition in this regard, since it uses the case of the Palestinians as a way to be involved in the Arab countries, and at the moment it can't make use of it. We support Israel and its right to defend itself against the criminal Iranian regime.
"More countries see the impact of the agreements on business and on the real connection with Israel, and this is the only way to fight terror and to create a bright future for the two sides. The way forward is the way of peace, and we don't need to be hostages of the Palestinian Authority. At this point, Arab states prefer peace to war, and I believe that more countries will join the agreements. It may be delayed for some time, but it won't be stopped."
According to Taha, the change that is felt as a result of the Abraham Accords "allows us to see the similarity between the two civilizations and between the Jewish community and the Arab community. The Expo 2020 [which began on October 1st] will deliver an important message of what we can bring as part of humanity to the Middle East. The region needs countries like Israel with a vision of development, and of the UAE with a vision of peace, in order to develop a better future for the people."
'Everything depends on us'
The Emirati Dr. Majid Al Sarrah is the co-founder and head of the NGO Sharaka ('Partnership') that was established as a result of collaboration between Emiratis, Israelis, and Bahrainis. Al Sarrah himself was present at a virtual event that took place on the last International Holocaust Remembrance Day alongside Bahrainis, Moroccans and even Saudis. Together with them he listened, for the first time, to horrifying testimony from Auschwitz survivors, which opened a window for them onto a world that the vast majority of them did not know about.
Al Sarrah is confident about the future of the agreements. "In the long-term, the agreements will support the struggle against antisemitism and any type of hate, and we will see their fruits every year and every decade. The coming generations will be raised on it, and I am convinced that peace will be something natural for them." The dynamic which leads to this conclusion is simple, and he even jokes in relation to the issue by saying, "In Dubai we maybe hear more Hebrew than Arabic," before immediately adding in seriousness: "Even before the agreements I heard about the expanding community, now Jewish life is more visible in public, and awareness towards them has grown.
"During the past year we experienced so many gatherings and events between Muslims and Jews, Emiratis and Israelis, as well as Jews from the United States and from Europe, who feel completely comfortable – in the spirit of the tolerance of the place – to wear a kippah and a Star of David here. Restaurants and hotels offer kosher food and present their Jewishness with pride. In the past, I heard that many of them tried to hide their Jewishness. On the personal level, I have been invited to so many Shabbat dinners in Dubai, although my first time was last December in Jerusalem."
In a matter-of-fact and sober analysis, Al Sarrah adds that, "The agreements allowed the two sides to quench their tremendous thirst for knowledge of the other. In this regard, the social networks played a central role even before the agreements. The mutual similarity between the sides was felt and was clear for me with the 'people-to-people' approach and not only between governments. We waited a long time for this. This is time to make up for the time that we lost, in preparation for the future to come."
Al Sarrah identifies the importance of the Jewish community in the United States as part of the perception of peace between peoples, and the role of public opinion in these communities to provide civic backup and internal validity in the Emirates for the agreement. Against the background of this understanding, Al Sarrah visited the United States in August as part of a week-long trip for Sharaka that included meetings with senior figures in the Jewish community in New York and Miami.
"The goal was to present the organization and its civic action, to understand the public's opinion in relation to the agreements, and to present the current model of peace that is at its center – people. It's a new era and everything depends on us, the people, to make the most of the better future," Al Sarrah hopefully concludes.
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