DECEMBER 2020 THE ANGLO-ISRAEL ASSOCIATION C CONTENTS WHO WE ARE CONTENTS FOUNDER EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CONTENTS THE LATE BRIGADIER CHAIRMAN GENERAL THE LORD BEW SIR WYNDHAM DEEDES, CMG, DSO VICE-CHAIRMAN MR. R. BOLCHOVER HON. PRESIDENT CONTENTS CONTENTS HE THE AMBASSADOR OF ISRAEL COMMITTEE MRS. J. ATKIN HON. VICE-PRESIDENTS: MISS. B. DINGLE MR. M. GREEN PROF. D. HOCHHAUSER MRS. L. HOCHHAUSER CBE MR. D. KESSLER MR. J. MARSHALL MRS. O. POLIZZI LADY SAINSBURY MR. A. REEVE CONTENTS MRS. F. SAUNDERSON CONTENTS HON. TREASURER MR. B. STREATHER MRS. D. BETH MRS. E. TARLING COUNCIL MR. T. VINCE CHAIRMAN LADY SAINSBURY DINNER COMMITTEE CONTENTS LADY ANDERSON MS. E. EMANUEL SIR ANDREW BURNS, KCMG MR. A. REEVE THE EARL OF BALFOUR MRS. F. SAUNDERSON DAME VIVIEN DUFFIELD, DBE MR. B. STREATHER MR. JM GREENWOOD MRS. E. TARLING 5 CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE THE MARQUESS OF READING MR. D. SUMBERG EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 6 ABU DHABI’S ETIHAD TO START DIRECT FLIGHTS TO ISRAEL NEXT YEAR THE RT HON. THE LORD WOOLF, PC MRS R SAUNDERS MR. A. YABLON 8 INSS DELEGATION VISITED ABI DHABI 9 HEBREW LANGUAGE AND ISRAELI CULTURE INSTITUTE OPENS IN UAE 10 ISRAEL-ARAB PEACE ACCORDS FUELS HOPE FOR SURGE IN SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATION FOLLOW THE ANGLO-ISRAEL ASSOCIATION ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER AT: 14 SAPIR COLLEGE: THE CHALLENGE OF ACADEMIA IN THE WESTERN NEGEV 16 THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE 23 REMEMBERING ELIZABETH COROB... facebook.com/AngloIsraelAssoc/ @AngloIsraelAssn 24 THE CHANGING FACE OF ISRAEL 26 LIKE A PRAYER: THE POETRY OF YEHUDA AMICHAI ANGLO-ISRAEL ASSOCIATION 32 HOW TO TALK OF HOPE WHEN COVID REALITY BRINGS SO MUCH DESPAIR PO Box 47819, London NW11 7WD T: 020 8458 1284 F. 020 8458 3484 E: [email protected] 36 NERVOUS TIMES www.angloisraelassociation.com 42 CAMBRIDGE MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA FORUM Registered Charity No. 313523 44 INNOVATIONS FROM ISRAEL The articles in this magazine reflect the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the Anglo-Israel Association. If you have a comment on any of the articles or on the magazine in general, we would be pleased 66 ISRAEL PREPARES TO SEND ITS SECOND ASTRONAUT TO SPACE to hear from you. Letters or emails should be addressed to the Editor and sent to email: 68 MIDDLE EAST IN THE CORONAVIRUS ERA [email protected] or The AIA, PO Box 47819, London NW11 7WD 72 HIDDEN GEMS OF JERUSALEM Editorial Team: Ruth Saunders (Editor), Grace Reginiano 78 AIA EDUCATIONAL TRUSTS Design by WEARECAPRI.com 3 CHAIRMAN’S CHAIRMAN’S CHAIRMAN’S CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE Despite all the pandemic difficulties, this year has been a very significant year of development for the A.I.A. Covid has made it a difficult year for the A.I.A. as for so many organisations. It has not been possible to hold some of our traditional meetings in the old style. We have had to adapt like others and employ Zoom for our webinars. But this has permitted some important interventions. We have forged a new relationship with the U.K.I.B. (U.K./Israel Business). The A.I.A. has always been interested in trade and business as well as politics but this will greatly strengthen our activity in this area. We believe the new relationship will be more than the sum of its parts and add a new vitality to NJD Charitable Trust our work. As we go to press, we have had one truly remarkable meeting: CHARITY NO. 1109146 For the first time ever the U.K. ambassadors of U.A.E., Bahrain and Israel held a joint meeting in London to celebrate the new relationship between the three states embodied in the Abraham Accords. The meeting was chaired superbly by Lord Daniel Finkelstein. All three ambassadors answered questions Is pleased to be supporting the both from Daniel and an A.I.A. audience as to the meaning of Anglo- Israel Association the new ‘paradigm shift’ in policy which had brought the three countries together. It was a heartening event. In particular, it was clear that this new relationship went beyond a sensible desire to enhance trade and business but also included a new level of mutual respect. Of particular interest was the comments of the three ambassadors on the incoming Biden presidency. Of course not everything has changed. There are still bad actors in the region. Israeli politics still has its intense divisions. The most difficult question of all – Israeli/Palestinian relations – still remains as fraught as ever. But the assumption of sterility – that Israel’s relationship with Arab states could not change for the better – has been destroyed. Lord Bew Chairman of the Executive Committee 5 FLIGHTS WILL START MARCH 28 2021. “ETIHAD IS DELIGHTED” ABOUT THE “DIRECT LINK BETWEEN THESE IMPORTANT CITIES,” - Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operation Officer of Ethiad Aviation Group. ABU DHABI’S ETIHAD TO START DIRECT FLIGHTS TO ISRAEL NEXT YEAR bu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways said it would announcement of scheduled flights “is a historic sized carrier focusing on carrying passengers El Al, Israir and Arkia will start Tel Aviv-Dubai start daily flights to Tel Aviv in March moment [for us] as an airline, and cements to and from Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital. services in December. after the United Arab Emirates and Ethiad’s commitment to growing opportunities AIsrael established formal ties this year. for trade and tourism, not just between the Abu Dhabi does not allow non-residents to Etihad, flydubai and El Al have operated charter two countries but also within the region and enter the emirate at its airport, and has not said services between the UAE and Israel in recent Flights will start March 28 and will be timed to beyond,” he added. when that coronavirus-related restriction would months. connect with Etihad services to and from China, be lifted. Thailand, India and Australia, the state-owned The announcement comes as the aviation carrier said in a statement.”Etihad is delighted” industry faces its worst-ever crisis because of Neighbouring Dubai allows foreign visitors about the “direct link between these important the coronavirus pandemic, which has wrecked to enter, however. State-owned flydubai will cities,” said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief air travel demand. Etihad has slashed jobs and launch direct flights to Tel Aviv this month, while Operation Officer of Ethiad Aviation Group. This pushed forward with plans to shrink into a mid- Dubai’s airport operator has said that Israel’s 7 irst-of-its-kind school opening in 4 locations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for businesspeople interested in Israeli Fconversation, culture and cuisine. Here’s an item you never would have read in the United Arab Emirates’ Khaleej Times until quite recently: “First Hebrew institute to open in UAE in January.” Josh Samet, director of the forthcoming Educational Hebrew Institute, told Khaleej Times that the Abraham Accords signed by Israel and the UAE “have fueled curiosity for knowledge and education centered around INSS DELEGATION VISITED ABU DHABI the Hebrew language.” Indeed, as was reported recently, AND SIGNED A MOU WITH LEADING businesspeople and government officials from the UAE and Bahrain are signing up UAE THINK TANK to learn conversational Hebrew online with Israeli-based language schools. BY ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN But now, Emirati authorities have confirmed delegation from Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) that EHI, the first Hebrew language and traveled to UAE capital Abu Dhabi for a three-day visit at the invitation Israeli culture institute in the UAE, will open of the Emirates Policy Center (EPC) in order to advance cooperation in January. between the institutions and between countries. The members of the HEBREW A In-person classes taught by Israelis delegation included Executive Director of the INSS Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin, Vice Chairman of the INSS Board of Directors Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, Managing in Dubai and Abu Dhabi will acquaint Director of the INSS Brig. Gen. (ret.) Udi Dekel, Deputy Director of the INSS Brig. LANGUAGE local businesspeople with Israeli-style Gen. (ret.) Itai Brun, and several additional researchers. communication and cuisine in “a fun and interactive way.” The meetings between the two organizations focused on: the trends in the Middle AND ISRAELI East which undermine regional stability; the Iranian threat and how it ought to be EHI is offering a variety of formats — dealt with; potential implications of the U.S. elections; and the Palestinian issue. morning, afternoon and evening classes, The visit culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) private instruction and gender-segregated by INSS Director Amos Yadlin and President of the EPC Dr. Ebtesam Al Ketbi. CULTURE classes in English-Hebrew and English- The MOU directs cooperation between the institutes, which will include joint Arabic for beginner, intermediate and conferences, as well as strategic research on issues related to national security. advanced students at four locations or INSTITUTE onsite at corporate or government offices. In addition, the delegation met with UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs HE Anwar Gargash who spoke in great detail about the conditions which led to the normalization of relations between the two countries which was soon followed by additional Arab states. He expressed optimism that the relationship would OPENS capitalize on the opportunities that stand before it at the present time. The visit to the UAE and the signing of the MOU were done in parallel to the IN UAE establishment of a tripartite strategic partnership, including INSS, EPC, and the U.S.-based Atlantic Council, as announced last month. That partnership is a direct result of the Abraham Accords, which were signed at the White House in September and is intended to serve as a hub for members of the global think tank community who seek to contribute to the U.S.-UAE relationship as well as regional peace and prosperity.