The Israeli delegation in Abu Dhabi returned to Israel on Tuesday, again flying over Saudi airspace in another historical flight – the first direct passenger flight from Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv.

During the groundbreaking visit, the Emirati and Israeli officials engaged in talks about many possible collaborative projects between the two countries, including space exploration, aviation, finance, health, tourism, culture, and foreign policy. An official normalization agreement is expected to be signed in Washington D.C. later this month.

A joint space mission was even discussed as part of a broader discussion on scientific cooperation.

“As part of the scientific collaborations examined between Israeli and UAE delegations, the representatives discussed the possibility of launching an astronaut or astronauts into space together,” Kan correspondent Amichai Stein wrote on Twitter.

“The Israeli science delegation led by Shai Lee Spiegelman, Director-General of the Ministry of Science and Technology, discussed the issue with the head of the UAE space agency. In addition, the parties discussed scientific and technological cooperation in launching satellites.”

“In 2017, the Emirates launched a space program. The country recently launched a spacecraft to Mars called ‘Mars’ Hope Mission’ and is scheduled to reach the Red Star next year. Last year, an astronaut from the country was also sent to the ISS for the first time,” Stein concluded.

Regarding health and the medical field, the Israeli and Emirati officials agreed to cooperate on various issues, including the battle against the coronavirus, pediatrics, student exchange programs, medical training programs and especially obesity, which is a special concern of the UAE, Ynet reported.

The Israeli health officials, led by Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Chezy Levy agreed with their Emirati counterparts that Israeli doctors would work in UAE hospitals after the normalization accord is signed.

Dr. Asher Salmon, director of the International Relations Department for the Health Ministry, will lead the collaborative health and medical projects between the two countries. Prof. Levy said that the Health Ministry intends to arrange a visit of senior Emirati medical experts to Israel in the near future.

Special collaborative efforts will focus on obesity in children and adults. According to WHO data, about 70% of Emiratis are overweight and 34% are obese. UAE authorities are eager to receive assistance with this issue.

In the financial realm, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on banking and finance was signed, including measures to prevent terror financing and money laundering.

The MOU calls for the formation of a joint panel to promote mutual investment as well as banking and “will create a special workgroup to create the conditions for joint investments that meet international standards, including in fighting against money laundering and terror financing,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s office said.

The statement added that additional agreements on aviation, tourism, trade and more will soon be announced.

The MOU was signed by Acting Director-General of the Prime Minister’s Office Ronen Peretz and by the governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, Abdulhamid Saeed.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)