Israeli and Emirati cooperation has placed the two countries at the forefront of space exploration, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said on Monday in a speech at the International Abu Dhabi Space Debate.
“Our two countries are boldly leading our region toward new frontiers in space and leaving our mark on history,” he said.
As an example, he pointed to a joint Israeli-Emirati research project to analyze data from the Venus environmental monitoring satellite.
“We must work together to harness the power of advanced space technologies to address the urgent climate crisis in the Middle East and Mediterranean. Our cooperation can turn our beautiful region into a global hub of climate solutions,” he said.
Israel, he added, is very impressed by the United Arab Emirates’ space program, particularly its mission to Mars.
“It is a perfect match with Israel, a world leader in technologies for miniature satellites, high resolution and remote sensing capabilities, and cybersecurity in space.”
Herzog spoke during a two-day visit to the Gulf to advance the Abraham Accords, under whose auspices Israel normalized ties with four Arab countries including the UAE.
Joint scientific, economic and medical ventures including cooperation with space exploration have helped to cement that relationship. To that end, a delegation of leading business people traveled with Herzog.
During his visit, Herzog spoke of the importance Gulf countries played for Israel in helping expand ties with other important economic partners outside the region such as China and India, the latter of which had a delegation at the space conference.
He also spoke about the issue at the Bahrain Economic Development Board on Sunday night.
A senior official traveling with the president said the UAE viewed both Israel and India as its partners in developing its space exploration.