Axios
Israel’s chief epidemiologist creates diplomatic incident with UAE
An observation by Israel’s chief epidemiologist suggesting that the opening of direct flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv led to the death of COVID-19 in Israel resulted in diplomatic protests from the United Arab Emirates, Israeli officials said. Why it matters: Direct flights were one of the main fruits of the peace treaty between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and about 130,000 Israeli tourists have taken advantage of flying to Dubai since December. Support smart, safe and sensible journalism. Subscribe to Axios Newsletters here. Israel’s chief epidemiologist, Dr. Sharon Elroy-Price, commented in a Zoom briefing to hospital directors earlier this week that “more Israelis died in two weeks of peace with Dubai than in 70 years of war with Dubai. “* She was essentially criticizing the Israeli government, which chose not to interrupt flights even after many Israelis tested positive after returning from Dubai. * But her comments were published on Israel’s Channel 13 and later reached Abu Dhabi. of the Emirates interpreted them as an accusation that the United Arab Emirates were responsible for Israel’s high infection rate and called the prime minister’s office to protest, according to Israeli officials. * They expressed surprise that an Israeli health officer so graduate would speak in these terms. * Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s advisers apologized for the comments and emphasized that Israel does not hold the United Arab Emirates responsible in any way for the increase in cases and deaths. The overall picture: Israeli minister ry of health wanted to interrupt flights from Dubai several weeks ago, but was rejected by Netanyahu’s office and the Ministry of Foreign Relations, who feared that such a measure would harm the new relationship with the United Arab Emirates. * Finally, all flights to Israel were interrupted, including from Dubai. * According to assessments by the Israeli Ministry of Health, more than 900 Israelis who traveled to Dubai subsequently tested positive, infecting nearly 4,000 contacts in Israel. Be smart: Subscribe for FREE to America’s most influential newsletter.