Hend Al-Otaiba; Bin Zayed's Ambassador to France and a Close Friend of Israel

Hend Al Otaiba stood in front of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to be sworn in on July 7, 2021, as the UAE's ambassador to France.

This step represented a milestone in the career of the descendant of a family closely affiliated with the ruling circles in the Emirates, especially the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the most powerful man, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Her brother is Youssef Al-Otaiba, the UAE's ambassador to America, a controversial figure whose name has repeatedly appeared linked to thorny issues.

Hend is one of the controversial figures like her brother, but on the Arab level because of her close proximity to the occupying Israeli entity after the normalization of her country in 2020.

She issued a series of statements related to normalization and consolidating relations with Tel Aviv and developing them to reach the optimal way.

Her statements caused widespread anger, but at the same time, she gained more power and higher status.

 

Hend, the Ambassador

As she ascended to her new position, Al Otaiba posted a tweet on Twitter saying: "It is an honor and a privilege to be sworn in as the UAE's ambassador to the French Republic, in front of bin Rashid Al Maktoum."

She added, "The Emirati-French relationship is one of the strongest and the most important to us, and I will work tirelessly to strengthen it during my stay in Paris."

Hend Saeed Manea Al Otaiba was born in 1987 to the Al Otaiba family, one of the most famous Emirati families, whose origins go back to the Al Murar tribe, which was in constant contact with the sheikhs of the Emirates.

Al-Murar gained the confidence of the rulers of Abu Dhabi in the administration and governance, as Saeed Al-Otaiba, Hend's father, held the position of the first oil ambassador in the Emirates, which was one of the most sensitive positions at the time.

Hend received her initial education in the Emirates, then traveled to France, and in 2011, she obtained a master's degree from the French "Sorbonne" University, in Marketing and Communications.

Then she worked in a tourism investment company before joining the official Emirati telecom companies.

It is noteworthy that in 2019, Hend Al Otaiba obtained a master's degree in security studies from the National Defense College in the UAE.

Al-Otaiba was known for her power and strength of character, and thanks to her family influence, she quickly occupied a number of prominent sovereign positions in the UAE state.

Within a few years, she became Director of Communications at the Abu Dhabi Police, then Director of Strategic Communications for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The Emirati ambassador is interested in social communication, through her official pages on Twitter and Instagram, and broadcasts ideas that represent the state's vision and political orientations.

It has articles in this direction, which emerged during Abu Dhabi's tendencies towards normalization with the occupying state.

 

Advocate of Normalization

On August 13, 2020, the Emirati-Israeli normalization agreement, which is called the Abrahamic Agreement, took place.

With it, the UAE became the third Arab country, after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994), to sign a peace agreement with the occupation.

However, it was the first Gulf country to do so.

The role of the Al-Otaiba family appeared at this time, beginning with Youssef Al-Otaiba, who strongly promoted peace with Israel, and even called him "the godfather of normalization."

Hend Al-Otaiba followed her brother's footsteps, and heralded peace with Israel, on September 19, 2020.

She gave an interview to the Hebrew newspaper "The Times of Israel,” and stated that "the Emirati people feel excitement and joy about the normalization of relations with Israel."

"This historic step is a reflection of our country's forward-thinking leadership and vision for the region," she added.

She claimed that "the youth of this region will reap the largest share of the economic, cultural and scientific rewards."

Al-Otaiba sent a welcome message to the Israelis to flock to the UAE, and invited them to participate in the "Expo Dubai" in October 2021.

Hend went even further when she published an article for the Hebrew newspaper, Haaretz, on September 14, 2020, in which she invited Emirati students to study in Israel.

She said: "Israeli students who are curious to know more about the UAE and the Gulf region deserve to study in our universities."

She added, "Emirati students should also sit in Israeli classes and learn with their counterparts in the Middle East."

The Emirati official also saw that real peace with Israel would be possible if its people wanted change.

Which, she claims, requires that there be parents who hope that their grandchildren will enjoy a more optimistic future than their grandparents did.

She added, "The UAE's position is unequivocal. We seek to achieve a warm peace with Israel that includes meaningful relations, frequent engagements, and mutually beneficial opportunities."

Hend Al-Otaiba's article came after two articles published by her brother Yousef, who also wrote for the Hebrew newspaper "Yediot Aharonot,” raising the slogan of the necessity of the UAE-Israel alliance.

On August 12, 2020, he also wrote an article entitled "Shalom.. Peace be upon you,” to promote normalization between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.

 

Her Role Model

With the doctrine of normalization that Hend Al Otaiba held, her family became one of the largest and most prominent Emirati families identified with Israel.

They topped the forum of missionaries with political, social and cultural engagement with the occupation.

Especially since Yousef Al-Otaiba, who is considered her role model, and the one who opened the doors for her ascension, is very close to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.

What prompted public opinion to criticize Al-Otaiba and accuse him of Zionism, extremism, hatred of Islam and love and service of Israel in implementation of the orders and policies of Ibn Zayed.

Otaiba was preaching the transformation of his country into a secular state, while his government was preparing a handful of shocking laws.

These laws came with the aim of bringing about a societal and cultural change in form and content, away from the basic Islamic values, which have long distinguished the people of the Emirates.

On April 14, 2021, he revealed that his country's orientations are towards more liberation and secularism, and said, "The path to the future includes separating religion from the state, and this is what we are doing in the Emirates, and what we believe in."

It is the same thought as Hend Al-Otaiba, who took it from her brother, and stated it on September 14, 2020, when she spoke about the openness of the UAE and its reception of all religions.

She said, "Last year, after the historic visit of the Pope to the Emirates and his meeting with the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, we announced the establishment of (the Ibrahim family house) in Abu Dhabi, a mosque, a church and a synagogue adjacent to it."

She added, "Our hotel restaurants will offer kosher (Jewish) food to our guests."

She pointed out "Within the framework of the normalization relations between us (the UAE - Israel), our athletes will compete without political disturbance."

On June 16, 2021, Emirati officials revealed the near completion of the construction of the "Abrahami family" house, a complex in Abu Dhabi that is scheduled to include a synagogue.

The Abu Dhabi government also announced that the synagogue on the site will be called the "Musa bin Maimon Synagogue.”

The politicians of the Emirates, including the family of Al-Otaiba Yousef and his sister Hend, encourage the Israelis to come to the synagogue and pray in it, as part of the complete normalization strategy they call for in every forum.