Israel, UAE space agencies sign agreements on space exploration

The UAE and Israel's space agencies have signed agreements to enhance cooperation in scientific research, space exploration and knowledge transfer during Dubai Expo 2020's Space Week.

The UAE's Minister of State for Advanced Technology Sarah Al-Amiri met with her Israeli counterpart Orit Farkash-Hacohen to sign the first agreement of its kind, to "accelerate economic growth" and "human progress", the Emirates News Agency WAM report.

The UAE will work on Israel's second lunar landing attempt - the Beresheet 2 mission - as part of the deal, by developing scientific instruments to land a spacecraft on the moon by 2024, after the 2019 Beresheet 1 lander crashed before achieving it's goal.

"Sharing knowledge and expertise is a key part of the UAE’s vision... if you look at the most successful global space programmes in history, the common denominator is collaboration," Al-Amiri said.

MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Outer space was signed today between the #UAE and #Israel. The MoU was signed by HE @sarahamiri1 and HE @FarkashOrit. #UAEinIsrael pic.twitter.com/RiosduKX66

— UAE Embassy in Israel (@UAEinIsrael) October 20, 2021

"Israel has a globally recognised space industry and developing bilateral and multilateral partnerships has never been so important as we embrace a new era of space exploration," Al-Amiri continued.

The agreement, which lays the framework for a mutually beneficial strategic partnership set to strengthen efforts to gather and analyse scientific space data, will also allow for Emirati and Israeli universities to launch research collaborations together.

Israel and the UAE agreed to normalise relations in 2020, under the US-sponsored Abraham Accords, alongside Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

Palestinians have condemned the accords, stating they reward Israel while it continues to occupy the West Bank and besiege the Gaza Strip. Opinion surveys have also shown overwhelming public disapproval in Arab countries.