United with Israel to Attend Media Influencers Mission in Dubai

A mission of young Israeli social media influencers will participate in a three-day workshop in Dubai, forging relationships between ‘real’ people and breaking cultural barriers.

By United with Israel Staff

On August 13, 2020, former US President Donald Trump surprised the world with his announcement that the governments of Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to sign a peace treaty that would include diplomatic relations and full normalization.

A month later, on September 15, about 700 people attended the Abraham Accords signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. They witnessed history being made when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE Foreign Minister Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan established peace between their countries. By this point, the Kingdom of Bahrain had already joined the Abraham Accords, soon to be followed by Sudan and Morocco.

Seven months have passed since the signing ceremony. Diplomatic ties have been established, ambassadors were exchanged, and commercial relations are blooming rapidly. But the next step is crucial.

In the next few days, an Israeli mission, consisting of young leaders, will participate in a three-day workshop in Dubai, where they plan to make some new friends. The goal? To make the peace signed by Netanyahu and Al Nahyan tangible and strong enough to last for generations by bringing ‘real’ people together and overcoming cultural barriers.

The conference was organized by ISRAEL-is, an NGO created to build bridges between young Israelis and their counterparts around the world.

Eyal Biran a former IDF officer and CEO of ISRAEL-is, explained the goal of the conference – titled “Cousins Meetup” – which is to “build a bridge, for the first time in history, between Emirati and Israeli social media Influencers.”

“We hope that the bond created between all those participating in this “Cousins Meetup” will spread through social media and reach the peoples of Israel and the United Arab Emirates. We believe this is a unique way to cement peace and build a bridge between real people,” Biran said.

“This conference – or, as we call it, “Cousins meetup” – will bring together, physically and finally away from Zoom, Israeli and Emirati influencers for the first time in history. Foodies, singers, entrepreneurs, content creators, artists, and designers, will all enjoy three days of a unique, informal, authentic and interpersonal experience. Our hope is to tell our story and speak of peace for many generations to come,” said Rotem Sharon, International Collaborations VP at ISRAELis.

United with Israel’s director of the Portuguese Desk, David Aghiarian, was invited to take part in this amazing project. In Dubai, he will share his experience through our social media platforms.

“As a F1 and motor sport fan, I always dreamed of traveling to the UAE or Bahrain but believed that for an Israeli citizen, this day would never come. Now with peace between our nations, not only can I attend a conference in the UAE, but I also hope to make some new friends in the Emirates. I believe small things, like mutual interests, can bring people together. I thank ISRAELis for the invitation and opportunity to be a part of these amazing dream of peace,” said Aghiarian.

The conference has the support of Israel´s Ministry of Strategic Affairs, the government of the United Arab Emirates, Israir Airlines, PassportCard, and Israeli NGO Concert.