India among countries which Israel wants to have trilateral ties with post UAE treaty

India and Israel have convergence on several issues, says Eliav Benjamin

There is much excitement in Tel Aviv over the US-brokered Abraham Accord with the UAE | Reuters There is much excitement in Tel Aviv over the US-brokered Abraham Accord with the UAE | Reuters

India is one of the leading countries that Israel is thinking of having trilateral tie ups with, once its treaty with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) gets operational.

Addressing media persons from Tel Aviv, Eliav Benjamin, director of coordination, department of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that India and Israel have convergence on several issues and that India was "way up in our list of countries with which we are thinking of trilaterals”.

There is much excitement in Tel Aviv over the US-brokered Abraham Accord with the UAE that is likely to be formalised in the White House some weeks later. It is the first treaty that Israel has forged with the Arab world since the peace treaty Jordan in 1994. Egypt is the only other country with which Israel has a peace treaty. 

Benjamin, however, said that while Jordan and Egypt pacts were very dear, they remained limited to strategic and security treaties and had failed to progress beyond that. "Unfortunately, those pacts did not translate into people-to-people ties. We don't have trade, joint investments or tourism with these countries. With the UAE, we already have people-to-people relations."

He explained that the treaty with the UAE was comprehensive, covering seven areas: diplomacy (setting up of embassies and); financial ties; investment; trade and innovation; aviation and travel; health, science and space; and cultural ties between people. 

The two countries worked hard at reaching the accord. Israel says the two warming moves from the UAE in the last few years were, firstly to let Israel open an office with its flag at the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi in 2017 and secondly to invite Israel to set up its own booth at the Dubai Expo. The expo was scheduled for this October but has been shifted to the next year because of the pandemic.

Israel hopes that this treaty will be the template for its ties across the Middle East, added Lior Hiat, ministry spokesperson. They hope that Palestine will use this opportunity to come back to the negotiating table. Benjamin noted how Suha Arafat, former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's widow, had also come out in support of the UAE, going against the leadership of the Palestine leadership.

Arafat had actually apologised to the UAE for the attacks on the Arab nation by Palestinians after the accord was announced. Significantly, on UAE's urging, Israel has shelved plans of annexation of West Bank. "We are waiting for Palestine to come back to the table," said Benjamin. 

Israel says it is warmed with the news that Saudi Arabia will allow air link with the UAE over its air space and expressed hope of an accord with Saudi Arabia, too, in the near future.

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