When it comes to new defense technologies, there is a need for major defense exhibitions like IDEX. It appears every other country realized this – except Israel.
Two large, important events began in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, but without many of the Israeli participants who might have liked to travel. After a whirlwind embrace last year where some 130,000 Israelis went to Dubai, Israel's airport closure in January has left much to be desired as people skipped out on important events in the UAE.
Other countries, such as India, put major resources into being at both Gulfood and The International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX). Some 2,500 exhibitors from 85 countries came to Gulfood. Belarus, Egypt and many others had fancy, pretty booths and stalls. There were food workshops and discussions about how technology is changing the food industry and how to overcome challenges during the pandemic. The UAE made sure that the best health protocols were observed, according to reports. The expo took place at the Dubai World Trade Center.
Meanwhile in Abu Dhabi, the massive defense fair called IDEX opened on Sunday as well. Like Gulfood, it will run for five days. Up to forty Israeli companies were supposed to go for the first time this year. They were going to have booths at an Israeli pavilion. ISDEF, a part of Avnon Group, organized the important Israeli presence and invested in it.
But Israeli authorities prevented attendance from Israel by refusing exemptions for Israel’s airport closure. This left companies confused and unsure of what to do. Some were able to find locals to manage their booths at the last minute. Israel’s head of mission to the UAE Eitan Na’eh attended IDEX and posted a photo next to the Israeli booth for SIBAT, the International Defense Cooperation Directorate of the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD).
For instance, IAI said that it has a booth at IDEX and that those visiting can connect virtually. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems also has an impressive booth – a Spanish subsidiary called PAP is managing it. Many other companies were unable to attend. Some approached the courts in Israel to see if they could go at the last minute. This is a blow to some of the smaller companies who hoped to show off products and meet new potential customers.
MILITARY AND defense, as well as homeland security companies, have generally not seen budgets decrease yet due to COVID, because when it comes to security and defense, long-term procurement and challenges continue. For instance, recent drone threats to Saudi Arabia and rocket attacks on US forces in Iraq underpin the importance of air defense. Israel unveiled work on the Arrow-4 last week.
This shows that when it comes to all sorts of new defense technologies there is a need for major defense exhibitions like IDEX. It appears that every other country in the Middle East and neighboring regions realized this – except Israel. This is odd considering that Israel is a start-up nation and has some of the largest defense companies in the world, including IAI, Rafael and Elbit Systems.
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