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Mizrahi Israelis hope normalization with Gulf will bring regional peace

For Israelis of Mizrahi origin, normalization with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain has great significance; it reconnects them to the Arab world, with its history and heritage.
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Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum was one of the first local-politics figures in Israel to ride the normalization wave with the United Arab Emirates. Quickly after the August announcement by President Donald Trump on the normalization, she joined other Israelis and Emiratis in establishing the UAE-Israel Business Council. On Oct. 19, she went to Dubai and met with investors and decision-makers to advance the joint venture.

On Dec. 6, Hassan-Nahoum was part of yet another initiative, partnering the Heritage Center for Middle East and North Africa Jewry with the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum in Dubai. It was an especially moving moment for Hassan-Nahoum. She was born in London and grew up in Gibraltar, but both her parents are of Moroccan origin. "For the first time, we have pledged to focus on what unites Jews and Arabs and to turn the Middle East into a center of cooperation between peoples,’’ she posted on her Facebook page.

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