UAE, Israel economic deal to benefit Palestinian areas: Minister

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Abi Dhabi - Between $300 million and $550 million worth of businesses will emerge as part of the deal.

By Wam

Published: Thu 17 Sep 2020, 4:11 PM

Last updated: Thu 17 Sep 2020, 6:23 PM

The United Arab Emirates and Israel are in talks about including some Palestinian areas in their bilateral economic engagements, so Palestinians benefit too, a top UAE official has revealed.
"We have discussed this today with my Israeli counterpart and we are working on something," Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, said at an online event organised by the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan organisation in the US on Wednesday.
The minister said this in response to a question from Amjad Ahmad, Director, empowerME, Rafik Hariri Centre for the Middle East, Atlantic Council, who moderated the event. Asked for more details, Al Marri said, "We are in talks and that is part of my agenda as well," without elaborating further.

#UAE, #Israel talk about including some #Palestinian areas in their bilateral economic engagements, therefore Palestinians also get benefits, says UAE Minister of Economy@Economyae #UaeIsrael #AbrahamAccords #WamNews https://t.co/v1ADzTMYSo pic.twitter.com/XBSJfRKWaO
- WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) September 17, 2020

About some Israeli officials putting $500 million as the potential value of the UAE-Israeli economic engagements, he said, "We are in calculation. I don't have figures with me; we will announce it very soon."
However, he estimates that between $300 million and $550 million worth of businesses will emerge as part of the deal. "An exact figure will come later," the minister added.
The deal between both countries will not cause any competition but complement each other's economic interests, he explained.
Regarding potential accelerators for post-Covid economic recovery in the UAE, Al Marri said research and development, and technology sectors would play that role. Reducing tariff on trade will also help the UAE economy's recovery, he added.