A blast of warmth from Dubai: On site report from a newly welcoming land
As an Israeli journalist, I traveled to Dubai to get a sense of what Israelis and Jews can really expect after the two countries’ reconciliation, once the cameras are turned off and the top brass finish their peace dealing.
Emerging from the plane felt like entering a sauna. It was over 107 degrees when we landed in Dubai, following a flight from Israel to Kiev, a six-hour stopover that included a clash with Ukrainian soldiers who suspected I was a potential infiltrator to Uman, and another six-hour flight to Dubai — and here we were, at the destination many more Israelis will likely visit in the coming weeks.
Walking toward passport control, the anxiety mounted a bit. After all, peace treaty or not, this was still the United Arab Emirates. I pulled out my French passport, which stated “Israel” as my birthplace. It’s amazing how many scenarios can run though one’s head just while walking up to the passport counter.
On the way, I submitted my negative coronavirus test results to the clerk standing before the passport area. He was wearing a kondora and a kaffiyeh, the traditional garb specific to the Gulf State nations. (Until then, I just called lumped all those ankle-length clothes into one category: jalabiya.) The border officer didn’t even ask questions. He glanced at the passport, told me to lower my mask for a moment for identification, and let me go. At luggage control all went smoothly as well, which meant I could shelve my contingency plans in case I got stuck without my suitcase in a Muslim Gulf State.
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