Israel’s first-ever education delegation concluded an official visit to the United Arab Emirates on Friday, according to the Israeli Education Ministry.
The aim of the visit, which took place on Jan. 11-16 under Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch, was to expand cooperation in education and higher learning with the aim to strengthen the already warm ties between the countries, the statement read.
Due to security concerns, the visit was kept under censorship until the delegation returned home.
Kisch met with Emirati Education Minister Sarah Al Amiri, Chairman of the Defense, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee Ali Al Nuaimi, Chair of the Ras Al Khaimah Education Foundation Dr. Natasha Ridge and other senior officials, the ministry noted.
Discussions were held about educational challenges within Arab society and school curricula concerning the Jewish people, the State of Israel and the Holocaust.
Moreover, the sides explored opportunities to broaden academic collaboration, including promoting joint research initiatives and examining the establishment of a joint project in artificial intelligence.
The Israeli delegation further toured learning institutions such as Khalifa University, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, and a government school in Abu Dhabi. Visits to the Abrahamic Family House and Jewish educational institutions operating in the Emirates were also made.
The Israeli delegation included representatives from Israeli academia, such as Maya Lugassi Ben-Hamo, director-general of the Council for Higher Education’s Planning and Budgeting Committee; Professor Tamar Raz-Nahum, president of Azrieli College of Engineering; professor Rivka Tuval-Mashiach, vice president for international affairs at Bar-Ilan University; and professor Malachi Noked, head of the National Institute for Energy Storage at Bar-Ilan University’s Department of Chemistry.
Israel and the UAE established formal ties in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, mediated by President Donald Trump during his first tenure.
