13 November 2023; MEMO: The exhibition stands of Israeli arms manufacturers Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems were empty at the start of the opening day of the week-long Dubai Air Show on Monday, amid the ongoing Israeli war against the Palestinians in Gaza.
It was not immediately clear why there were no staff at either exhibition stand, which were located close to the pavilion of UAE state arms maker EDGE. IAI and EDGE signed joint development programmes at the last Dubai Air Show in 2021.
IAI and Rafael did not respond immediately to emailed requests from Reuters for comment on their participation. The IAI exhibition stand was blocked off with red rope.
An exhibition stand for the locally registered company of Israel’s Elbit Systems was staffed, although one staff member declined to answer press questions on their participation.
Arab and Muslim nations over the weekend called for a halt in arms sales to Israel as the mounting death toll from Israel’s invasion of Gaza has provoked outrage in Arab capitals.
Elbit System established the UAE-registered company in 2021 with the stated aim of establishing long-term cooperation with the Emirati military. The Israeli parent company has in recent weeks publicly stated its support for Israel and its military.
A man wearing traditional Emirati clothing was offering Arab coffee to those visiting the Elbit Systems stand, also near UAE’s EDGE platform.
Israeli companies have only openly participated in UAE exhibitions and conferences since 2020, when the Gulf Arab power and Israel established ties under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. The UAE intends to maintain those diplomatic ties despite the international outcry over the mounting toll of the war in Gaza, sources familiar with UAE government policy have told Reuters.
The UAE became the most prominent Arab nation to establish diplomatic ties with Israel in 30 years. That deal broke with decades of pan-Arab policy that called for a Palestinian state before normalisation and paved the way for other Arab states to build ties with Israel.
UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, a brother of President Sheikh Mohamed, attended the extraordinary joint meeting of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) states that called for the arms embargo on Israel.
