From hummus to high-tech: Israel CEOs seek ‘friends’ in UAE

dubai — If you had asked Israeli businessman Yehonatan Ben Hamozeg earlier this year where he’d be pitching his palm tree saving technology in October, there was no chance he would have said the UAE.

But after a US-backed normalisation agreement between the UAE and Israel, the soft-spoken, grey-haired entrepreneur found himself doing just that in a Dubai hotel last week.

Ben Hamozeg is the founder and chief executive of Agrint, a company that uses seismic sensors to detect insects that eat — and destroy — palm trees from the inside.

He was one of the 13 business leaders who joined a four-day trip to the UAE organised by Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), a venture capitalist firm. “We’re learning, we’re opening our eyes, friendships and personal ties are being formed,” said JVP founder Erel Margalit, who led the Israeli delegation.

A Palestinian businessman from east Jerusalem and a desert crop expert travelled alongside the 13 CEOs, and were key players in setting up the meetings.

Mohamad Mandeel, chief operating officer of Abu Dhabi’s Royal Strategic Partners, cited a high-protein chickpea powder made by Israeli firm Innovo

Pro to illustrate the potential for regional cooperation. “If I bring a Dutch company and tell them hummus, they’d say — what the hell is this,” Mandeel, who wore the traditional white Emirati robe, said using the Arabic word for chickpeas.

Israeli firms, he said, could make strong partners because they understand the Middle East, including the quest for food security in an often challenging agricultural environment.

They could also be a bridge to peace between the nations.

“I always believe that the economy will drive politics,” he said. “So you move the economy and things will come after positively.”

InnovoPro chief executive Taly Nechushtan, whose product had caught the attention of the Emirati Mandeel, said her powder, which can be used to make foods including ice cream and vegan burgers, was attractive in a world “looking for alternatives”. Opening a UAE plant could provide the domestic market a sustainable protein, but also the opportunity to become a regional “production portal”, she said.

“We came here to make friends; business will follow,” she said. “We’re not worried.” —