At this moment, I am boarding a flight back to Israel ending four days of a very intensive visit to the United Arab Emirates - to Dubai and Abu Dhabi," MK Tal said.
The visit was held at the invitation of senior officials in the Emirati government, led by the Chairman of the Emirates Foreign, Security and Interior Committe, H.E Dr. Ali Al Noaimi. The visit started on the evening of Holocaust Memorial Day with a moving ceremony held at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Dubai.
This is actually the first time in history that an official delegation from the Knesset and the government in Israel participates in such an event on the soil of the Emirates.
The purpose of the trip was to strengthen the Emiratis' direct acquaintance with the coalition and the new government in Israel, not just through the media.
I was joined by MK Moshe Salomon, Eli Epstein from the USA as well as other parties involved in the Abraham Accords and the relationship between Israel and the Emirates.
The Emirates are very committed to the Abrahamic accord agreements. In their eyes, these agreements are truly a one way street. I heard this from all the people I met - senior government officials, ministers, members of parliament, businessmen, representatives of the Jewish community and also from ordinary people on the street. But they are worried about Israel's intentions going forward.
The Emirates is an amazing and impressive place without a doubt, not only because of the strength and beauty of the construction or the impressive cleanliness of the streets. There is something special here that in all my travels around the world, I have not encountered anywhere else.
Three unique elements stand out in particular - brave leadership, a big and long-term vision and a deep connection to their roots.
Leadership - The Emiratis adore their leaders, and the leadership, for its part, sets itself one main goal - concern for the people, their prosperity and well-being. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed is a brave leader, his decision to promote the Abraham Accords despite all the prices he might have to pay in the Arab region is leadership on a scale that is difficult to even explain.
Vision - This country is driven by a great vision in every field and every topic. They think and build plans for the next 50 years. Yes yes, you read that correctly, this is not an exaggeration. All their systems are geared towards this type of thinking and work teams are already working in the field on endless such projects.
Roots - The Emiratis are very attached to their heritage and culture, they are very proud off it. Tolerance and acceptance of others are an essential part of it. We as Israelis, disappointed by failed peace processes in the past, tend to look at everything with suspicion We should all understand that the decision made by the Emirates to promote the Abraham Accords is not based only on security, economic or other interests - but on a deep worldview of accepting others and their desire to promote regional well-being and prosperity which are deeply rooted in the local culture. This was evident in every encounter we had with projects and initiatives that began long before the Abraham accords to promote inter-religious tolerance, rescue Jews from danger all around the world and more. The understanding that this is a deep cultural belief and not just momentary interests is something that all of us in Israel should recognize and cherish.
This visit was an opening designed to strengthen cooperation between the countries. During the meetings I had with senior government officials, many proposals for the establishment of an investment fund, as well as a huge infrastructure project in Israel with investments that have not yet been seen, came up. I expressed our deep and unreserved commitment - of all of us, on the right and on the left - to strengthening the alliance with them and the responsibility that rests on our shoulders in this matter.
I believe with all my heart, that as much as we act in this direction, we will be able to profoundly change the reality not only in Israel and the region, but also in the whole world. We are committed to this. We are committed to this.
MK Ohad Tal serves in the Knesset as a representative of the Religious Zionism party.