Israel national security college 'to have first UAE officer student'

Israel national security college 'to have first UAE officer student'
The unnamed high-level officer, who is said to be a colonel, has received permission from the UAE authorities to attend the military school, an Israeli state broadcaster reported.
2 min read
28 June, 2022
The UAE agreed to normalise ties with Israel in 2020 [Getty-file photo]

Israel's National Security College is set to have a UAE military officer as a student for the first time ever, according to reports.

The unnamed high-level officer, who is said to be a colonel, has received permission from the UAE authorities to attend, Israeli state broadcaster Kan reported on Monday, according to the Arabic Post.

The news is yet another sign of deepening ties between the UAE and Israel since their widely criticised 2020 agreement to normalise relations.

The New Arab cannot independently verify the reports.

The inclusion of a UAE colonel, who is a pilot, at Israel's National Security College is not only symbolic but has significance for defence and regional ties, a security source was cited by Kan as saying.

The colonel will also be the first officer from an Arab state to attend the institution, The New Arab's Arabic sister service, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, said.

The pilot has previously studied at the UAE's defence college, which follows a US curriculum.

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The Israeli National Security College's programme runs for approximately 10 months and every year teaches around 10 overseas students from countries such as the UK, US and Italy.

The institution is for high-level Israeli military members.

News that the Emirati officer is to study in Israel comes amid joint talks held on Monday between representatives of the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt, Israel and the US.

The discussions, the first follow-up meeting since the controversial Negev Summit in Israel in March, were held in Bahrain.

The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco agreed to normalise ties with Israel in 2020, in deals brokered by then-US President Donald Trump's administration.

Egypt has had an official relationship with its neighbour since 1980.