Under the title “We Remember“, Dubai’s Crossroads of Civilization private museum hosts a Holocaust Memorial Exhibition, sparking controversy over the UAE’s growing normalization ties with Israel.
The exhibition, the first of its kind in the Arab world, includes a solemn hymn of Jewish prayer in Arabic.
Speaking to Euronews, Rabbi Levi Duchman, Rabbi to the UAE, said it is key to helping build the foundations of the Jewish Community in Dubai.
“The fact this museum has put on a holocaust memorial display is something fundamental. It’s a place where we can bring our children. We could bring schools from different communities to come to see the history of the Jewish people and what they went through in Europe.” he added.
Top Israeli officials attended the opening ceremony in Dubai.
“What we see here is the exact opposite of what we see in Gaza… What we see here in the whole normalization process is a departure from the past,” Israeli Ambassador to the UAE Eitan Na’eh said.
The event came as part of the Emirati attempts to boost normalization with Israel.
However, the exhibition was opened only a few weeks after a ceasefire ending Israel’s 11-day offensive on Gaza.
253 Palestinians, including 66 children, were killed during the attacks.
Last year, the UAE and Israel reached a deal to normalize relations. A step was strongly condemned by the Palestinian Authority and widely welcomed by world powers.
