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 Israel has no diplomatic relations with Gulf Arab countries, but
common concerns over Iran's regional influence have led to a limited
thaw in ties.
Last month, a senior United Arab Emirates (UAE) official said the
countries could possibly cooperate in the fight against COVID-19 and
on technology.
State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) [ISRAI.UL], which has
civilian as well as defence operations, said on Friday the agreement
was reached in a video call with Group 42, which deals in artificial
intelligence and cloud computing.
The partnership focuses on artificial intelligence, sensors and
lasers, IAI said in a statement.
"COVID-19 does not distinguish between continents, peoples, and
religions," said Yoav Turgeman, CEO of IAI subsidiary Elta, calling
it "the first step in what may become future joint work by the two
countries".
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Israel's state-owned Rafael, which has been developing technologies to combat
the pandemic, will also partner with Group 42, a company spokesman said.
Group 42 CEO Peng Xiao said his company was "privileged to follow the lead and
share resources and expertise with Rafael and IAI for such a significant cause,"
according to a statement published late on Thursday by the UAE’s state-run news
agency WAM.
(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch with additional reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing
by Tova Cohen and Mark Potter)
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