As Israelis Flock To UAE, They See A New Precedent: Peace Deals Without Giving Ground

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Israeli tourists walk through the Deira district near Dubai’s grand souk in December.

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Israeli Tourism Ministry Warns Against Discussing Sensitive Topics With UAE Citizens

«We Israelis are very noisy, and they understand us … Here I feel good! bellowed tour guide Lihi Ziv, wearing a sequined shirt and a blue scarf around her strawberry-red hair, seeing no reason to maintain a low profile as she wandered Dubai’s gold market last month.

«We are wanted, said elementary school teacher Ilanit Zighelboim, as she toured the nearby spice market with friends.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates have promoted their U.S.-brokered deal for diplomatic relations as an historic peace deal, after decades in which Israel was isolated from many Arab nations. It’s the bear-hug that Israelis have always wanted from their Arab neighbors, leading many Israelis to redefine the very notion of peace and reconsider whether they need make any painful sacrifices to achieve it.

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Israeli tourist Ilanit Zighelboim looks at jewelry in Dubai’s gold souk last month.

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As Thousands Of Israeli Tourists Visit Dubai, A Small Jewish Community Gets A Boost

«This is what peace for peace looks like! Netanyahu has tweeted nearly a dozen times — including when the first Israeli commercial jet carrying tourists landed in Dubai last month, and when Abu Dhabi’s government investment fund announced it would open an office in Israel.

Emiratis have won over Israelis with gestures including a display of Israeli produce in a Dubai supermarket and an Emirati businessman’s offer to buy 50% of a major Israeli soccer team.

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Israeli tour guide Lihi Ziv (center) walks through the Deira district near the Grand Souq in Dubai.

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Israeli tourists, including elementary schoolteacher Ilanit Zighelboim, walk through the grand souk in Dubai last month.

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Mohammed Baharoon, who runs the Emirati think tank B’Huth.

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An Emirati man walks past an Israeli tourist at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, last month.

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Water taxis in the Dubai Creek last month.

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Lobna Zobeidat in the desert outside Dubai. She is a Palestinian Arab citizen of Israel who was able to visit a part of the Arab world that had previously been off limits to her as an Israeli passport holder. «It was a dream, an impossible dream, Zobeidat said.

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Lobna Zobeidat in the desert outside Dubai. She is a Palestinian Arab citizen of Israel who was able to visit a part of the Arab world that had previously been off limits to her as an Israeli passport holder. «It was a dream, an impossible dream, Zobeidat said.

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«Don’t generalize, a Jewish passenger shouted.

The quarreling passengers did not make amends or apologies. Forced to sit together, they spent the 3 1/2-hour flight back to Israel in a cold peace — and went their separate ways.