Over 1 million Israelis visit UAE in 3 years; bilateral trade reaches Dh20.55 billion

News Network
September 17, 2023

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Dubai, Sept 17: The number of Israeli tourists visiting the UAE surpassed the one million mark since the signing of the Abraham Accord three years ago.

According to data released by the UAE Embassy in Israel, the number of flights increased from zero to 106 per week in three years, reflecting growing economic relations.

The UAE and Israel signed the Abraham Accord in September 2020, establishing economic and political relations. Since then, the two countries have signed numerous agreements to give fillip to trade, travel, tourism and other industries, especially new-age technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The UAE also signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) with Israel. It was the first free trade agreement of Israel with a Gulf country, giving greater market access for UAE products entering the Israeli market, covering more than 96 per cent of tariff lines and 99 per cent value of trade with Israel.

"The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the UAE and Israel will serve as a major engine to strengthen economic and commercial ties between the UAE and Israel. We expect the agreement to produce significant mutual economic benefits,” said Mohamed Al Khaja, the UAE ambassador to Israel, at the signing of the customs agreement recently.

Dh20.55 billion

According to the latest figures released by the UAE Embassy in Israel on X (formerly Twitter), bilateral trade between the UAE and Israel reached $5.6 billion (Dh20.55 billion) in three years since the signing of the Abraham Accord.

The trade of goods – excluding software – between the UAE and Israel reached $ 1.29 billion in the first five months of 2023 as compared to $912.5 million in the same period last year, up more than 41 per cent.

Trade of goods between the two countries during the January-May 2023 period exceeded all trade between them in 2021, said the Embassy of Israel in the UAE.

While the number of Israeli companies operating in the UAE has surpassed 70, signing more than 120 agreements and memorandum of understanding with local entities.

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News Network
November 24,2025

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Israel has launched a new act of aggression on a residential neighborhood in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, killing and injuring about two dozen civilians.

The Israeli regime's military said in a statement that its forces carried out a so-called precise strike in a residential apartment in Dahiyeh in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday.

The aggression targeted residential areas, killing at least five people and injuring more than 28 people, Lebanon's Health Ministry said. 

Hezbollah announced the martyrdom of senior Hezbollah commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai and four resistance fighters.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun condemned the airstrike, calling it a clear demonstration of Tel Aviv’s disregard for repeated international calls to halt violations on Lebanese soil.

“Israel refuses to implement international resolutions and all efforts aimed at ending the escalation and restoring stability,” Aoun said, urging the international community to take action to prevent further aggression.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement also condemned the attack, holding the international community accountable. 

“The international community bears responsibility and continues to provide cover for these attacks as long as it does not restrain the occupiers,” said Ali Abu Shahin, a member of the group’s political bureau.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the Israeli army carried out a strike “in the heart of Beirut."

Netanyahu reportedly approved the operation following recommendations from top Israeli security officials.

Two senior US officials commented on the Israeli strike.

The first official said that Israel did not notify Americans in advance about the attack. "We were informed immediately after the strike was carried out."

The second senior official said that the "US knew for several days that Israel was planning to escalate its strikes in Lebanon, but did not know in advance the timing, location, or target of the strike."

Speaking from the site of the Israeli strike, Lebanese MP Ali Ammar condemned the attack as part of a broader campaign of aggression that has targeted "all of Lebanon since the Washington-sponsored ceasefire."

He stated that "any attack on Lebanon is a violation of red lines; this aggression is part and parcel of the entity that targets Lebanon's dignity, sovereignty, and security of citizens."

Ammar went on to say the resistance is responding with "utmost wisdom, patience, and will confront the enemy at the appropriate time."

"Unfortunately, the enemy is emboldened to commit its aggression by voices within Lebanon that have turned themselves into tools that support its aggression," he added.

The Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital is the latest blatant violation of the ceasefire Israel signed with Hezbollah in November 2024, which was intended to end hostilities that had escalated into full-scale war.

An Israeli strike on the Ain al-Hilweh camp near Sidon in southern Lebanon late Tuesday killed at least 14 people. It wounded several others, including young students, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

The military claimed the attack targeted “a Hamas training compound” used to plan and carry out attacks against the regime -- a claim that has frequently been made without evidence.

Hamas rejected the allegations as “a blatant lie aimed at justifying the massacre,” stating it had “no military installations in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon” and that the targeted site was merely “an open sports field.”

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 4,000 people and displaced more than 1.2 million residents across the country since October 2023.

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