www.womanthismonth.com February 2021 45 PEOPLE | interview COMMERCIAL EXCHANGE She explains: “In principle, I want to encourage tourism. I am also the founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council which laid the infrastructure for the two countries to do business together. People here have an interest in doing business with Israel, but the question is how? “We have done it successfully in the UAE – with an online platform that already has thousands of members. We know what people are interested in because that’s what we ask when they join. I think we can do something similar here, which is what I’m hoping to explore. “I don't think we're talking about investment as much as we're talking about joint ventures and the purchasing of technology. I tell the Israelis all the time, ‘nobody is waiting for you with open cheques here, but if you have a technology that's going to make an existing Bahraini company more efficient, then they'll buy that from you’. And I think that's what we're looking at. Again, the collaboration of tourism and culture, academic collaboration, research collaboration, putting all that in terms of business, I see much more the exchange of know-how technologies. In Bahrain, people build and plan well, while in Israel, we have good technology solving mutual challenges; agritech, water tech, that type of thing.” LONG-TERM PEACE In terms of how this could affect the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations, she adds: “I believe these accords might encourage the Israelis and Palestinians to sit down and talk together after a long period of intransigence. I believe in self-determination for the Palestinian people whether that is in the form of a two-state solution or not depends on the final negotiated settlement.” “Most people want prosperity, good lives and opportunities for their children; that’s certainly what my Arab friends in Israel want for themselves, as well as some sort of self-determination of government. Everyone deserves that. Let’s see. “I want the best arrangement possible for the Palestinian people. Self-determination is a wide word which can be interpreted many ways. The point is, they should be able to govern themselves. Whether that should be as part of two states or one state , subject to negotiation, depends on the outcome.” EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES Having studied law and practiced as a barrister in London, Ms. Hassan-Nahoum had been living in Israel for several years before she became involved in politics, running for the Jerusalem City Council in a bid to address issues of inequality and opportunity across religious and ethnic divides. During the 2018 municipal elections, her candidacy drew some opposition and the local Jerusalem branch of Likud [the major centreright political party in Israel] called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to retract his support of Zeev Elkin for Mayor when she was included on his electoral list! She says: “I actually think local politics is a Ms. Fleur at a dinner hosted by Bahrain Journalists Association President, Ahdeya Ahmed, on the occasion of her visit to Bahrain.
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