Shabbat Shalom from Abu Dhabi

Dear Friends,

So much has happened this past week that any one of these moments could have anchored a full letter. We inaugurated the Boeing Cyber Security Laboratories at BGU, a significant milestone in our long-standing partnership with global industry. We also made the difficult decision, following the return of the body of Ran Givli z”l, to dismantle the painted chairs exhibit in our Senate Hall, an act that marked both respect and closure.

But what I want to share with you this week comes from where I am writing now: Abu Dhabi.

Over the past few days, I have been participating in a three-day seminar organized by AASPIRE, the Abraham Accords Science Partnership for Innovation and Research Excellence, convened by the US National Academy of Sciences. Around the table are representatives from the United States, the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, and Israel. The premise is simple but ambitious: to use science and technology as a form of diplomacy, not as an adjunct to security arrangements, but as a foundation for long-term, productive regional relationships.

It is hard to believe that the Abraham Accords are already six years old. Listening to our hosts here in Abu Dhabi speak about their trajectory over these years, I felt more than admiration. I felt a certain envy. The UAE has positioned itself as a confident, outward-looking connector, regionally and globally. It sees openness not as a vulnerability, but as a strategic asset. As an Israeli, I could not help but reflect on our own risk of drifting toward political and cultural insularity, at precisely the moment when connectivity matters most.

What has been striking here is the warmth and respect directed toward Israeli academia. There is genuine interest in collaboration, curiosity about our work, and appreciation for our strengths. Again and again, colleagues from across the region spoke about Israeli universities as partners they want to work with, not cautiously, but enthusiastically.

I found myself proposing concrete avenues for moving forward. One example is an expansion of the Abrahamic entrepreneurship program that BGU piloted last year, this time with in-person engagement and deeper institutional commitment. Beyond that, discussions opened around joint research on regional challenges such as water, health, climate resilience, and AI. These are issues no country can solve alone, and precisely the kinds of challenges where universities should lead.

We have tried before to translate the Abraham Accords into academic cooperation, with mixed success. While the impact of the Accords in the defense and commercial spheres endured over the past three years, in the sphere of education and research, they have gone backwards. I am hopeful that this time we will do better, learning from experience, grounding ambition in execution, and building frameworks that endure beyond headlines.

This, to me, is science diplomacy at its best. Not symbolic. Not naïve. Practical, patient, and oriented toward the long term. It is also a reminder that even in a difficult regional moment, there are partners looking not backward, but forward.

I return from Abu Dhabi encouraged by what is possible when knowledge, openness, and shared interests align. And encouraged by the role Ben-Gurion University can and will play in shaping that future.

Shabbat Shalom,
Danny