Editor’s Note
This article explores the tangible, everyday impacts of the Abraham Accords, moving beyond high-level diplomacy to examine how normalization is reshaping life in the Gulf. The opening of a kosher restaurant in Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa serves as a potent symbol of this ongoing cultural and economic shift.
The agreement to establish diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in August last year was described as “historic.” While the intentions of the then-U.S. Trump administration were noted, the background appears to be more complex.
Standing 828 meters tall, the Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building. Within a hotel in the lower floors of this tower, which symbolizes the international city of Dubai, lies a unique establishment: Al Mannah Cafe, the UAE’s first restaurant adhering to the Jewish dietary laws of kashrut (kosher). “We are fully booked daily, with reservations made months in advance,” says the hotel’s manager happily. The clientele comes not only from the local area but from all over the world, with about 90% being Jewish.
Last summer, Israel and the UAE, long-time adversaries, abruptly opened diplomatic relations. This “historic” normalization of relations with Israel was followed by other Arab nations like Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, causing a tectonic shift in the politics and economics of the Middle East and Africa. Between the UAE and Israel, which led the way, direct commercial flights have already commenced. Although the pace isn’t rapid due to the pandemic, imports and exports of goods and the movement of businesspeople between the two countries have begun to increase. Consequently, demand for Jewish-style restaurants in the UAE is rising.
However, upon inquiry, the restaurant opened in September last year, one month after the diplomatic agreement—a seemingly well-timed move. Could they have known in advance? When asked, French chef Fabien Fayolle (43) revealed, “That’s not the case. Actually, a Jewish-French friend who already lived in the UAE had been requesting the opening for some time.” He explained that while 10% of the customers are UAE nationals and 50% are Jewish visitors from Israel, the remaining 40% are Jews from around the world, many of whom had already relocated to the UAE.
There is a crucial point here that should not be overlooked.
It is certain that the series of moves to establish diplomatic relations were directly triggered by the then-Trump administration, which desperately wanted a foreign policy achievement ahead of the U.S. presidential election. Senior Advisor Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, secretly advanced the negotiations. While aware of the electoral motives, explanations for why the UAE pushed forward with the agreement have previously pointed to: 1) shared interests with Israel in confronting the adversarial Shia state of Iran, 2) the prospect of benefiting from Israel’s advanced businesses like artificial intelligence, and 3) the ability to purchase cutting-edge stealth fighter jets like the F-35 through a deal with the U.S.
One of Dubai’s many economic free zones is the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre. At its core is the Almas Tower (“Almas” means diamond in Arabic), which houses diamond polishers, appraisers, traders, and more. In 2004, the UAE government approved the Arab world’s first diamond exchange, established within the tower completed in 2009, leading to a concentration of related businesses. Diamonds are historically known as an industry where Jewish traders excel, and this is said to have been one trigger for some of the world’s scattered Jews to migrate to Dubai.
Alex Peterfreund (54), who has an office on the 45th floor, is a Jewish diamond trader who moved from his native Belgium in 2014. A devout Jew, he even displays a portion of the Old Testament at his office entrance to signify his faith. Before Peterfreund’s move, gatherings like meals for Jews existed in Dubai, but there was no place for everyone to pray together. So, Peterfreund asked a close Jewish acquaintance, “Shall we pray together?” They started praying at that friend’s home, and as participants gradually increased, another friend appeared who offered to open part of their mansion. Thus, a “secret” synagogue that doesn’t appear on maps even via internet searches was born, now gathering 20-30 people weekly.
This was before the diplomatic agreement, but he says there was no interference from UAE authorities. It seems the authorities drew a line: Israel was NG (not good), but Jews were OK. The reason lies in the tolerance policies towards non-Islamic religions that the UAE has been implementing in recent years. In 2016, it created the post of Minister of State for Tolerance, later establishing the Ministry of Tolerance. In February 2019, Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church made his first visit to Abu Dhabi, UAE. In Abu Dhabi, a construction plan for the “Abrahamic Family House,” which will coexist a Christian church, an Islamic mosque, and a Jewish synagogue within one building, has been announced, aiming for completion in 2022.
Of the UAE’s population of approximately 10 million, nearly 90% are foreigners, with people from about 200 different nationalities living there. In recent years, as the oil money that supported the country’s development has reached its limits due to prolonged low crude oil prices, the UAE is “trying to attract people and investment from around the world by using ‘tolerance’ as soft power,” according to Badr Al-Saif, a special researcher at the Carnegie Middle East Center. It was on this cultivated ground of what could be called “strategic tolerance” that the agreement to establish diplomatic relations with Israel was reached.
Peterfreund, who is also a co-representative of the Jewish Council of the Emirates established in 2019 within the flow of tolerance policies, is receiving a succession of inquiries from Israeli companies about entering the UAE market. When asked about future prospects, he said in an excited voice:
