Episode 17

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Published on:

29th Oct 2020

#17 - The Abraham Accords: Shifting Regional Perceptions

Join Jewanced for an unforgettable conversation as Benny and Dan host a panel of top Middle East experts from around the region to explore how perceptions and world views are shifting as history unfolds before our very eyes.

Following the ratification of the Abraham Accords, what can we anticipate for the people of Israel, the UAE and Bahrain, as well as for the broader Middle East?

Topics covered include:

  • The contrast between Gulf vs. other Arab states' attitudes towards normalization with Israel
  • The significance of the Abraham Accords for the young generation of Arabs across the region
  • Emirati values of tolerance and how it relates to Israeli and Jewish visitors and residents in the UAE
  • Whether Israel's new Gulf partners expect it to come to their aid in a possible future military conflict with Iran
  • The Gulf Arab Doctrine - Promoting national interests of the Gulf states, countering the Iranian threat and helping the Palestinians via normalization with Israel
  • And more!

About our guests:

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum is the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem for Foreign Relations, International Economic Development, and Tourism. She is a co-founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council.

Full Bio

Dr. Najat Al Saied

Dr. Najat Al Saied is an Independent Researcher at the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She is also a columnist in both Al Ittihad (an Arabic language daily newspaper in the United Arab Emirates) and Al Hurra (an American satellite television news channel in Arabic). She specializes in political and social development communication geared to the modern and tolerant Middle East.

Full Bio

Buy Dr. Al Saied’s book, Screens of Influence: Arab Satellite Television and Social Development

Omar Al Busaidy

Omar Al Busaidy is an Optimistic Opportunist, Entrepreneur, Author, and Futurist.

He is also a very proud Emirati Global Shaper, speaker for the World Economic Forum, member of the US and UAE Public Affairs Committee, member of The Arab Youth Pioneers Program.

Full Bio

Buy Omar’s book, Just Read It

Haisam Hassanein

Haisam Hassanein is an Egyptian-American analyst, and a former fellow at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy. He is a frequent columnist writing on the Middle East in Foreign Policy, Wall Street Journal, and more.

Full Bio

 Links:

  • The official U.S. State Department website of the Abraham Accords
  • The Abraham Accords Declaration
  • Full text of The Abraham Accords Peace Agreement: Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization Between The United Arab Emirates and The State of Israel
  • Full text of The Abraham Accords: Declaration of Peace, Cooperation, and Constructive Diplomatic and Friendly Relations Between The State of Israel and The Kingdom of Bahrain
  • Watch ‘A Historic Day for Peace’, the official White House video of the Signing Ceremony of the Abraham Accords

 

For this show, we are proud to collaborate with our partners:

Be sure to watch our LIVE RECORDING of this episode on YouTube!

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About the Podcast

Jewanced
A nuanced exploration of Israel, the Jewish world and beyond
Jewanced is hosted by Dan Feferman and Benny Scholder, two guys who grew up in America and live in Israel.
They're curious. They want to discuss. They want to challenge popular conceptions, they want to think critically, examine independently, and most of all, they crave nuance.

Each episode features a different guest. All interesting and original people who strive to break boundaries. Together with Dan and Benny, take a deep dive into politics, foreign affairs, religion, science, technology, food, the arts, business – you name it. Explore the nuanced crossroads of Israel, the global Jewish experience, and beyond.

What's the goal? To create a daring platform where people share their stories, insights, creations, and visions. Jewanced has no talking points, no script, no agenda...just a deeper nuanced understanding of our existence.

Join them on a journey as they explore, think, debate and discuss …. And most of all, listen.

About your hosts

Benny Scholder

Profile picture for Benny Scholder
With over a decade of experience in Israel's tourism industry, Benny has managed sales, marketing, travel content, digital content, and the operations aspects of tour companies and travel agencies. Today, he is the Director of Sales-North America at Kenes Tours, Israel's leading provider of incoming tourism services, where he is proud to deliver transformative, custom-crafted Israel travel experiences designed to exceed expectations.
Originally from Minneapolis, Benny fell in love with Israel as a young adult, moving to the country in 2004. He has an extensive background in everything Israel-travel related, having completed Israel's intensive tour guide course in 2010. His career spans both logistical, content-related, and sales management positions with major and boutique Israeli tour companies alike. Benny lives with his amazing wife Maayan and two incredible children in the charming village of Gedera. In addition to his passion for transformative travel experiences, he's super passionate about food, modern & ancient history, politics, addictive TV, and game-changing podcasts. Contact him at Benny@jewanced.com

Dan Feferman

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Dan Feferman is a Major (res.) in the Israel Defense Forces. For almost a decade, he served as a foreign policy and national security analyst, strategist and adviser in the IDF General Staff; as a special assistant to the Deputy Chief of the General Staff; and a commander in an elite intelligence unit of AMAN's Research and Analysis Division.

He is a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, a think-tank focusing on issues of importance to Israel and the Jewish people, where he researches religious pluralism in Israel, trends in Jewish identity and Israel-Diaspora relations. He is also a political and strategic consultant and publishes and speaks widely on the Middle East and Israeli defense and political matters.

He is the author of Rising Streams: Reform and Conservative Judaism in Israel, and of a soon-to-be-published book on the changing face of American Judaism.

Dan holds a BA in International Politics and Middle East Studies from the American University in Washington DC and an MA in National Security Studies from Tel Aviv University.

Originally from Indiana, Dan moved to Israel in 2005. He is married to Elisheva, has three amazing kids, and lives in Rehovot. When taking a break, Dan stays busy with Crossfit, martial arts and cooking.