On 31^st of January, 2022, Expo 2020 will play host to the official celebration of Israel’s National Day, the pinnacle of Israel’s participation at the mega event. This is the first time Israel celebrates its EXPO National Day in the GCC region.

Since being invited to participate at Expo 2020, Israel has been forging new relationships with Arab countries across the region and showcasing both its cultural similarities as well as its innovative contributions to global issues such as desertification and climate change. Multiple first of their kind developments have occurred since the UAE extended the invitation to Israel to participate in EXPO2020 Dubai, like the signing of the Abraham Accord and the visit of the Israeli prime minister to the UAE.

The celebration is set to begin with high-level officials from Israel, arriving and being welcomed, at the Leadership Pavilion, by UAE’s most senior officials. Following this, delegation heads will participate in a ceremony at the Stage of Nations, under the Al Wasl dome. The celebration will take place at 10:15am marked by the raising of Israel’s flag and national anthem. After the official ceremony, official delegates will tour the pavilions of Israel and the UAE.

Since the signing of the Abraham accord, the UAE and Israel have seen a dramatic increase in trade agreements and MoU signings. Bilateral trade in goods alone reached nearly $500 million in 2021 – up from $125 million in 2020 – and is expected to continue growing rapidly. More than ten MoUs have been signed across; education, space, energy, technology and construction plus the two countries have signed a visa waiver which led to the increase in visits between the two countries. In 2021, approximately 500,000 Israeli tourists came to the UAE.

Elazar Cohen, Israel Pavilion Commissioner General, said: “Israel’s participation in the Expo is an important part of building the relationship between our two countries. The Expo is an opportunity for all nationalities to get to know and learn from one another. People often forget there is much more uniting us than dividing us, which is what we want to highlight at the Expo and especially throughout our celebration of Israel’s National Day. We have a truly inclusive line-up of both business and visitor events throughout the day and we are looking forward to welcoming UAE officials and EXPO visitors on the 31^st.”

Aside from the official visit and ceremony, the Israel pavilion is arranging a full day of activities for EXPO2020 Dubai visitors, these will include live performances from various artists such as Anna RF the electronic Ethnic Reggae band, a famous Israeli mentalist and a treasure hunt which will have a trip to Israel as its grand prize. This is not all visitors can experience. They can also join the drum circles at Al Forsan park as well as use the online portal to have real time conversations with people in Tel Aviv.