Israel’s Quiet Momentum In A Noisy World: From Saudi Screens To German Arms Deals, The Region Opens Its Doors.
From Riyadh to Abu Dhabi to Berlin, Israel deepens alliances and drives innovation, even amid conflict.
- You Don’t Hear This Enough: Israel Is Expanding Arab-Muslim Ties
The news cycle remains dominated by gloomy predictions and dire analyses surrounding the Gaza war. But Israel is quietly and diligently expanding ties in the region, even as diplomatic and security challenges persist.
- Israeli Influencer In Riyadh: An Israeli social media influencer visited Riyadh and was hosted by a Saudi TV station. The Arab-Israeli Muslim influencer Nuseir Yassin – known as Nas Daily – appeared last week on Al Arabiya English in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Calling himself “a proud Arab, a proud Israeli,” Yassin, a Muslim Israeli, has introduced his Jewish Israeli girlfriend Aija Mayrock to his Arab audience, promoting coexistence. He thanked Al Arabiya for hosting him and showcasing an Israeli voice in the heart of the Arab world. See him on the Saudi screen here.
An Israeli social media influencer invited to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 2025. Source: @nasdaily
- Israel & Saudi Arabia Remain ‘Close’ – Israeli Diplomat Confirms: Two years after Hamas’s invasion and massacre inside Israel, an Israeli diplomat revealed that he was in Riyadh on the eve of the attack on a “diplomatic visit.” Waleed Gadban, Political Counselor at Israel’s Mission at United Nations in Geneva was in Riyadh on October 6 and says that “October 7 did not divide us. It brought us closer.” Lots of nuances to unpack in Gadban’s thoughtful post on X.
Israeli diplomat’s interesting post about Israel-Saudi relations. This is a cropped version. See the full post here: @GadbanWaleed
- Bahrain Receives New Israeli Ambassador, First After October 7: Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani has received Shmuel Revel, welcoming him as Israel’s new Ambassador in the Gulf Kingdom. This would be a routine diplomatic story if not for the fact that it signifies that Arab-Israeli ties remain on track despite Gaza war. Bahrain’s King Hamad was the first Arab and Muslim leader to condemn Hamas’s October 7 attack.
Bahrain state media published this photo of the Bahraini Foreign Minister receiving the new Israeli Ambassador. Source: Bahrain News Agency
- Israeli Tech Lands in Abu Dhabi In $30 Million Venture: Israeli defense company Controp Precision Technologies has received government approval to establish a new subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates. The branch – Controp (UAE) Limited – will be fully owned by the Israeli parent and based in Abu Dhabi’s Global Market Free Zone [the capital of United Arab Emirates (UAE)], enabling local production and marketing of Controp’s advanced electro-optical surveillance systems across the Gulf for the first time.
- In next-door Dubai, the Dubai-Israel Business Council (DIBC) has marked its first anniversary this month, recording growing UAE-Israel business and trade exchanges, including growing Israeli business participation at international UAE industry events—despite the war. An example of this is Wi-Charge, an Israeli pioneer in long-range wireless power, that participated in last week’s GITEX GLOBAL event in Dubai, the largest tech and startup show in the world.
Israeli company Wi-Charge’s pavilion at an industry fare in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in October 2025. Here with a company representative is Liron Zaslansky, Consul General of Israel in Dubai. Source: Liron Zaslansky on LinkedIn
- More Details Emerge On Arab & Muslim Helping Israel Stabilize Gaza: Some of these states plan to send military officers to a CENTCOM Opens Civil-Military Coordination Center inside Israel, to work alongside the Israeli military. Three non-Arab Muslim states Indonesia, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan are likely to send soldiers into Gaza, while Egypt, UAE, and Qatar will send officers to the coordination center in Israel.
2. Big Year For Israeli Innovation
- Fewer Deals But Bigger Wins: Israel’s tech scene is showing strength where it counts. While the number of startup deals dropped this year, overall investment rose to $11.9 billion, and mergers and acquisitions surged to $71 billion – five times 2024’s total. The biggest gains came in cybersecurity, where Israeli firms continued to attract global buyers. See this detailed report.
- Germany Bets Big on Israeli Defense Tech: Germany has signed a $2.2 billion agreement to purchase Spike anti-tank missiles from Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The deal – one of Israel’s largest ever in Europe – highlights Europe’s enduring trust in Israeli technology and battlefield expertise. When it comes to security, Israel remains one of the world’s most reliable innovators.
- Nvidia’s Massive Israel Expansion: The semiconductor giant and world’s most valuable company is tripling the size of its Be’er Sheva R&D hub as it continues investing in the Start-Up Nation. The company will move to a new 3,000-square-meter site in Be’er Sheva in 2026, creating hundreds of jobs in Israel’s southern tech hub.
- Says the C2C Journal explaining Nvidia’s decision: “A good portion of the world runs on Israeli technology, including cutting-edge chips designed for the likes of NVIDIA, Apple and Intel. This isn’t just a tech success story – it underscores Israel’s role as a global engine of innovation and resilience, powering the digital infrastructure that modern economies rely on.”
Left: the headquarters of AI powerhouse NVIDIA Israel in Tel Aviv. Right: Michael, Kagan, NVIDIA Chief Technology Offier. Source: @c2journal
