By Avi Kaner
Experts from Israel, Arab and Muslim countries, met this week in Abu Dhabi, UAE at the N7 Initiative conference. The representatives from government, civil society, academia, NGOs and the private sector focused on agriculture, water & food security. This follows a similar conference several months ago in Morocco, focusing on education and coexistence. The deepening expert-to-expert networks and resulting projects result in remarkable positive impacts for the citizens of these countries.
Israeli, Arab and Muslim experts and business people have been meeting quietly for decades on an ad-hoc basis. They would meet in European and Asian capitals, as well as academic and trade conferences. A small number would discreetly travel to Israel, Arab and Muslim capitals. The N7 Initiative formalizes this process, creating vast efficiencies, new networks and friendships. It brings the experts together in one place for a few days to set the stage, delve into details, and conceptualize projects. The conference is followed up by continued interaction, leveraging the established relationships and expanding the networks even further.
Nearly 2 billion people live in Arab and Muslim countries, while only 10 million live in Israel. Israel’s expertise however is significant across a diverse array of technology and innovation in agriculture, water & food security. Notable innovations include desert farming, drip-irrigation, solar-powered water wells, biotechnology to increase yields and harvests, reduced herbicide use, wastewater reclamation, and many more. The Arab and Muslim countries have the land, while Israel shares continuously evolving innovations.
The Abraham Accords brought together Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, along with Jordan, Egypt and Turkey who had already normalized relations. The N7 Initiative also allows experts in nations that are not yet in the Abraham Accords, such as Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Oman, to develop people-to-people contacts that will benefit their citizens.
The expression “stronger together” perfectly describes the N7 Initiative and the promises it holds for peace and prosperity across the region and beyond.
