As Israeli legislators from across the political spectrum sent well wishes to the United Arab Emirates on its 49th National Day yesterday, Israeli artists also congratulated their new Middle East friends. French-Israeli singer Ishtar recorded a special greeting in Arabic. Singer Eyal Golan, actor Sasson Gabai and musician Aviv Geffen sent their greetings in English. "I am so glad we are all part of one family, which is the peace family," said Geffen.

Normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is being driven first and foremost by common diplomatic, security and economic interests. Every day we hear about new economic joint ventures and delegations of business people visiting each other. Still, ties between the civil societies, universities and non-profit groups are also advancing, arguably even faster than bilateral trade.

The Abu Dhabi Film Commission, the Israel Film Fund and the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film & Television School announced two months ago they had reached an agreement for cooperation in the fields of film and television. A joint statement published less than a week after the Sept. 15 normalization ceremony at the White House read, "Under the new agreement, the film commissions will create an intercultural cooperation, creating content with the goal of promoting tolerance, education and developing a deeper cultural understanding between the Emirati and Israeli people."

The agreement establishes joint film workshops and training initiatives and lays plans for a regional film festival that would alternate between the two countries, showcasing Israeli and Emirati productions and co-productions.