NLCS WORLDWIDE MAGAZINE Autumn 2020 Edition Editor in Chief, Ella Davey
AFRICA
minister at Ethiopia’s ministry, Tsion Teklu, said that around 16,000 Ethiopians are thought to be held in Saudi prisons, 4000 have been repatriated since April, and a further 2000 are to be brought back to Ethiopia by mid-October.
Section edited by Anoushka Chawla Ethiopian Migrants in Saudi Arabia, By Talya Samji Many people, both legally and illegally, migrate to Saudi Arabia for the economic opportunities; approximately 6.6 million foreign workers make up 20% of the nation’s population. A large proportion of those that moved to the nation this year are Ethiopian and had initially moved to Yemen. Due to the conflict these migrants were forced out by Houthi rebels - according to Amnesty, who have played a large role in documenting the stories of those who have been released from the centres. When the Coronavirus pandemic struck, it emerged that many Ethiopian migrants were being detained in cells “reminiscent of Libya’s slave camps”, as described by The Telegraph. Thousands of people were being kept in inhumane conditions, deprived of basic facilities and treated like prisoners. Images have been released that show scars and bruises of those that were being held, along with videos of the detention centres themselves. For some, the environment has proven too tough and at least three people are known to have died because of the cruel surroundings and treatment. Saudi Arabia has been tackling the illegal migrant issue in the last couple of years and it was recorded that in 2017 there were about 500,000 undocumented immigrants from Ethiopia, and around 10,000 Ethiopians were being deported each month up until March. A
A photograph of the conditions faced by migrants
Xenophobic Violence in South Africa, By Fatema Chandoo Xenophobic violence against foreign nationals has been a widespread and ongoing issue in South Africa since the early 2000s, with attacks recently sparking up to very high rates in 2019. There are approximately 3.2 million foreign nationals living in South Africa, 70% from the neighbouring countries of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, of which many live in fear of losing their homes and livelihoods to these attackers. The Gauteng province has the highest rates of attacks against foreign migrants - 212 incidences so far - with attacks mostly happening in large cities such as Johannesburg and Pretoria. Since August 2019, at least 12 people have been killed and thousands have been displaced due to the mob violence, looting and destruction of foreign owned shops, homes and property. The source of these attacks lies in the high unemployment levels and the widespread view that foreigners are taking jobs from the locals, as well as foreigners being blamed for living conditions, economic insecurity and crimes. However, the instigators of these vicious attacks have rarely faced any penalties
due to the lack of effective policing and thorough investigations to protect these foreign nationals. In addition, investigating officers that have reportedly behaved in discriminatory ways towards foreign migrants and the South African government has often refused to acknowledge these attacks as xenophobic in nature and rather, as purely criminal. Fortunately, the South African government implemented the ‘National Action Plan’ to combat racism and xenophobia in 2019, but this is yet to have an effect on the daily lives of the many foreigners living in South Africa. In a country with one of the highest murder rates and roots in the apartheid, a long-term plan is required to combat this widespread issue.
33,000 girls being forced into early marriage daily. However, the United Nations Population Fund predicts that an additional 13 million girls could be forced into child marriage and 2 million more could undergo FGM globally between now and 2030 as the pandemic threatens global efforts to stop both practices. Schools were acting as safety nets as children were taught about the risks of FGM and teachers would be told when a girl was cut. The teachers would then report the parents to the police; this prevented parents from circumcising their daughter. However, the closure of schools has evidently stopped this and now many girls no longer have anyone to tell. One teacher explained that the government allowed her to let 28 girls stay on because they were at very high risk for FGM. But there are still huge number who are at risk and do not have the proper resources to remain safe during school closures, which shows the devastating impacts that school closures in Africa have had on young girls.
A photograph of the damage caused by looters in a shoe shop in Germiston, east of Johannesburg
School closures are risking girls’ lives, By Emma Pollet Coronavirus has spread throughout the world, impacting millions upon millions of lives. However, for girls in Africa the pandemic has closed down schools and this has led to much more deadly consequences than just being stuck at home for a few weeks. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was a serious issue prior to COVID-19 with an estimated 4.1 million girls already at risk of this globally. The closure of schools has also brought concerns of forced marriage and sexual assault. Prior to COVID, there were
Beijing’s Introduction of an Ethiopian Language at a Top University, By Isabella Giagounidis Beijing Foreign Studies University, a prestigious university in Beijing, China, has recently announced that it will now be offering a bachelor’s degree in Amharic, a language widely spoken in Ethiopia. Amharic is the working language of the Ethiopian government. It is the second most widely spoken language in Ethiopia and the second most widely spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic. Thirty students applied to study the language, with twelve having started recently. The teachers are both Ethiopian and Chinese, holding master’s degrees from a University in Ethiopia. Samuel
Fitsumberhan, the head of public diplomacy at the Ethiopian embassy in Beijing, welcomed the move. He told BBC Amharic, “The scholars of the university believe that learning the language will strengthen people to people relations and diplomatic ties between the two countries.’’ This is widely being seen as a political move aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties between Ethiopia and China. Investment by China has grown rapidly over the recent years (according to a report in 2017) at a rate of 52%. As a result of this, China has become Ethiopia’s largest source of investment and trading partner. The two countries have engaged in diplomatic activity since around 1970 and Ethiopia is now seen as a key partner in China’s ‘Belt and Road initiative’, a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government. There has been criticism of the scale of investments in the past – it has been argued that Ethiopia has become dependent on China (the country has loans of $12.1 billion from China) and has been left to no alternative other than to engage in these projects. However, this move by one of China’s best universities (a university which is widely known to train future diplomats) is generally being seen as a positive one, especially by those in Ethiopia.
Beijing Foreign Studies University, launch for Amharic language undergraduate programme
NORTH AMERICA AND OCEANIA Section edited by Sumayya Manji From RBG – ACB, who is the new Supreme Court Justice? By Anya Vaghani If she is fully confirmed, Amy Coney Barrett will be the youngest judge on the United States Supreme Court, where she will now be able to influence decisions in America for decades. Barrett is a federal judge and a legal scholar who holds highly conservative views, showing opposition to many liberal attitudes towards: abortion; education; health care; immigration policy, and gun control. Barrett is a devout Catholic, and supports the belief that ‘life begins at conception’, making her popular amongst religious conservatives, especially in the context of overturning Roe v Wade, 1973. This piece of legislation protected a woman’s liberty to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. After graduating from Notre Dame University Law School in Indiana, she clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia. She was then nominated in 2017 by Trump to the Chicago-based 7th Circuit Court of appeals. Trump introduced Barrett as ‘a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the constitution.’ Trump’s haste to appoint a Supreme Court nominee before the election on November 3rd has caused some controversy, especially as Ginsburg’s final wish was that her successor was not named until after the election. Republicans are seeking to expedite the confirmation process: Barrett will go through public hearings, then a committee vote and then a senate floor vote; this all needs to happen before election day in November to avoid it being derailed.
The outcome of the confirmation process is of great significance to the American public as the ideological tilt of the Supreme Court would fall on the political right, if Barrett is confirmed, with potential lasting implications on US abortion laws and the healthcare act. The next few weeks are a critical period for the USA, as the rights enjoyed by many hang in the balance.
Judge Amy Barret and President Donald Trump
Australia Is Flying In The Race To Be The First Zero-Carbon Country, By Sumayya Manji So far zero carbon emission targets have been adopted by 121 worldwide countries, all of which have their own implementation plans, but Australia pre-COVID had plans to be transformed into a zero-carbon country by as early as 2035. They planned to have an “all-in” approach between 2020 and 2030, in which the report called “the transformational decade”, but this was before the severity of the socioeconomic effects of COVID became apparent. According to analysis completed by the Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC), moving to a net zero emissions economy would unlock a $63bn investment for Australia in the short-term alone. Therefore, it seems as though Australia is one of the few countries to still focus on their sustainable future, even given the situation at-hand. Nearly every aspect of our lifestyles have relied on the release of carbon emissions, but for Australia, their sustainability plan seems foolproof. For buildings, improvements would
be made in terms of insulation and draught sealing, and LED lighting and solar hot water/ heating would be installed. Additionally, Australia has extensive plans for electrified public transport, electric vehicles and use of video-conferencing for business calls. Of course there would be a large shift to renewable energy, including solar, wind, hydroelectric power, as well as using biofuels for transport. Industrial environmental shifts might be Australia’s greatest challenge, with industrial emissions rising rapidly. Consequently, this effectively cancels out any reductions in drought-affected agriculture, or lack of electricity use from the COVID pandemic. To overcome this challenge, the country plans to introduce a fast-tracking circular economy, where metals, plastics and timber are recycled and reused, mines are electrified, and 3D printing plays a greater role. Finally for agriculture, certain meat products are to be substituted for plants, and waste, irrigation and fertiliser programmes will be improved. For Australia, their $63bn investment would amount to hundreds of billions of dollars within the next few decades, and clearly these investment targets are a symbol as to how the country continues to pave the way for environmental change.
Some common renewable energy sources
SOUTH AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
against those responsible for the crimes identified by the UN mission.
Section edited by Abby Wincey Venezuela: Crimes Against Humanity, By Keira Cumming Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, and his government have committed probable crimes against humanity, experts from the UN’s top body on human rights concluded. The alleged crimes include extrajudicial killings and grisly cases of torture, and, although they were carried out by security forces, reasonable grounds exist to believe that Maduro and his top ministers ordered or contributed to them. The UN Human Rights Council’s report, issued in September 2020, extensively details the violations and the role played by top ministers and the President. It is a key step towards the prosecution of senior officials in the International Criminal Court in The Hague, as well as deeming the crimes as systematic and widespread enough to breach International Law. Information, based on nearly 3,000 cases and more than 270 interviews with witnesses, victims, former officials, lawyers, confidential documents, as well as social media postings, was revealed. It is the closest UN investigators have come to establishing the chain of command leading directly to Maduro and it indicated that he ordered the national intelligence service SEBIN to detain any opponents to his regime “without judicial order”, Francisco Cox of the UN mission to a news briefing. "The violations must stop. And impunity must end,” Valiñas said, calling for other international bodies, like the International Criminal Court, to consider legal action
Nicholas Maduro photographed
How has the South American and Caribbean Region been financially affected due to COVID-19? By Neesha Murale COVID-19 has hit economies massively in South America and the Caribbean, where the pandemic heavily plummeted economic growth, resulting in one of the deepest recessions in recent history. Prior to the pandemic, significant economic stress was felt across many Latin American and Caribbean countries, with South American and Caribbean growth estimated as only 0.6% in 2019. The pandemic had induced an increase in this decline, as the domestic lockdown resulted in immense decreases in tourism, exports, and general financial spending. Many major and smaller businesses went bankrupt, whilst others had to regenerate their jobs, heavily straining the financial sector. The economic decline can be partially attributed to huge disparity between genders and the consequent employment structure, leaving women automatically at an economic disadvantage, and the economy less resilient. Furthermore, as a region, the economies are infamous for booming informal sectors, with estimates that almost 33% of workers lack any social protection, allowing these people to be hit harder by the pandemic and consequent economic crisis.
For South American and Caribbean countries, their gender inequality and lack of social security formed the groundwork for economic collapse, catalysed by the pandemic. It is now up to the relative governments to seize the opportunity to construct better protected economies with higher involvement of women, to work towards alleviating the present financial crisis. Manaus, Brazil: Is this city one of the first to reach herd immunity? By Lathikah Jeevagan Brazil currently has at least 4.81million Covid19 cases, and over 100,000 deaths, making it an epicentre for the pandemic. However, Manaus, Brazil, a city that has been devastated by the pandemic, may now have reached herd immunity. Following a recent report from medRxiv, although it has not yet been peer reviewed, correspondents have suggested that 44 to 66% of the city’s population was infected at the peak of the virus; subsequently slowing down the overall and current spread of the infection. Herd immunity can be seen as a key concept for epidemic control, stating that a certain proportion of the population must be immune from an infectious agent, (through either a vaccination, but most likely overcoming the natural infection), in order for it to prevent large outbreaks. A study conducted by the University of Sao Paulo’s Institute of Tropical Medicine in Manaus tested newly donated banked blood for antibodies to the virus, proving that its initial high infection rates have now dropped due to the possibility of herd immunity. Nevertheless, it is still early days. Signs of possible re-infection are very possible, therefore proving this possible herd immunity in Manaus may be challenging and uncertain.
ASIA Section edited by Anika Chatterjee Human Trafficking in Asia, By Mary Qurban Human trafficking has always been a prevalent issue in Asia, particularly in the Southeast, but now, along with the pandemic, the situation has been worsening. According to the 2018 Global Slavery Index, Asia and the Pacific account for 62% of the global estimate, with about 25 million people involved in modern slavery, and the government response is ranked far too low for an area plagued with the problem. North Korea is ranked number 1 in prevalence in the Global Slavery Index, both for forced labour, including state-imposed labour, and forced marriage rates. The cause of this forced labour is mostly state-imposed, in which people can be sent to labour camps both inside North Korea and its allies, such as Siberian Russia. Furthermore, many North Korean women defect into China, where they may forcefully be married off into rural Chinese households. In Southeast Asia, human trafficking mainly consists of sexual and forced labour, and is mostly transnational, though some victims may have remained within their country or region of origin. Many of these countries have what can be considered the key preconditions for human trafficking: high levels of poverty; corruption, and a weak rule of law. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, it has been harder to detect illegal activities and provide support for victims and survivors, due to lockdown and social distancing. This is exacerbated by an individual’s inability to work, as traffickers can exploit people desperately looking for jobs or in extreme poverty.
video showing many Uyghur’s being led to trains while being blindfolded. In addition, a group of Uyghur university students in Xinjiang told the BBC that they had been banned from partaking in religious activities, including fasting during Ramadan and attending mosques.
A choropleth map of the prevalence of human trafficking in East Asia and the Pacific, according to the 2018 Global Slavery Index
What is happening to Uyghur Muslims in China? By Charlotte Fox Uyghur Muslims are considered to be one of China’s 55 officially recognised minority ethnic groups, and over the past few years, it is believed that up to one million have been put into mass detention camps, called ‘reeducation camps’, in Xinjiang, northwest China. These camps have frequently been referred to as concentration camps by the media because they are thought to be a method of mass indoctrination – an attempt to change the political ideas and religious beliefs of the Uyghur people. In an interview, former prisoners told of both physical and psychological torture in the camps, with many prisoners’ families disappearing without explanation. Originally, China denied the existence of these camps, but then alleged that they were an essential measure against terrorism in Xinjiang. However, China is accused of exaggerating the violence to justify the suppression of Uyghur Muslims. During an interview, Liu Xiaoming, China's UK ambassador, told the BBC that Uyghur’s receive the same treatment under the law as other ethnic groups in China, and claimed to feign ignorance about a drone
The Chinese government has also been accused of a forced sterilisation and contraception programme against Uyghur women, in order to decrease the population of the Uyghur Muslims. A report conducted by Adrian Zenz found that Uyghur women are threatened with detainment in the ‘reeducation camps’ if they refuse to abort pregnancies after already having had two children, and that many women are involuntarily fitted with IUDs or given sterilisation surgeries. However, China denied these claims as baseless. Although, research conducted by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation shows that the population in the two largest Uyghur subdivisions of Xinjiang decreased by over 80% in five years between 2013 and 2018, whereas Liu Xiaoming claimed that the Uyghur population has more than doubled from 5 million to 11 million in the past 40 years (there are no records going back 40 years to check this claim). It is evident that these measures against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang meet the ‘genocide criteria’ described in the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In July 2020, Dominic Raab, the UK Foreign Secretary, called China out over its "gross and egregious" human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims, and warned that the UK might sanction China over them.
A photograph of the Xinjiang re-education camps
new national security law on Hong Kong, allowing activists to be sentenced for up to life in prison. This law has already been used to detain at least 24 people, some of whom are pro-democracy electoral candidates. In addition to claims of unnecessary police brutality and violence in protests, these laws are seen as a violation of basic freedom of speech.
Hong Kong Protests, By Yuval Ribak Hong Kong has been governed by a ‘one country, two systems’ arrangement since it was returned to China from Britain in 1997. While Hong Kong retains a degree of independence, they still have to abide by many Chinese laws, many of which are prejudiced and sanction unfair treatment. Violent anti-government protests first broke out in June 2019 as an extradition bill was introduced which would have allowed Hong Kong prisoners to be taken to mainland China, giving scope for these prisoners to be subjected to police brutality. While this bill was eventually shelved, recently protests have broken out again as Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, postponed scheduled elections to 2021 amidst concerns surrounding COVID 19. This was seen as an anti-democratic excuse to keep the current pro-Beijing government in power due to fears of pro-Beijing parties not doing well in the next election. Officers have recently arrested 289 people, mainly for trying to create an unauthorized assembly that opposed the current government, and for disobeying the current two-person limit on social gatherings. Others were arrested for various acts of political activism including using protest slogans promoting Hong Kong independence and even ‘using seditious words’ as per the Hong Kong police. Amidst the COVID 19 reduction of protests, Beijing has imposed a
A snapshot of some of the pro-democracy protests currently within Hong Kong
Child Marriage and Child Labour in India, By Esha Shah The coronavirus lockdown in India has had a hostile impact on children, increasing incidents of child marriage and labour. It is illegal for girls under the age of 18 to marry in India. However, according to UNICEF, the country is home to the largest number of child brides, and UNICEF estimates that at least 1.5 million girls under 18 get married each year. This year is even worse as Childline has reported a 17% increase in distress calls connected with child marriages in June and July of this year compared to 2019. This is due to the prevailing lockdown where millions of workers, who were recently made redundant were pushed into greater poverty. According to the government, more than 10 million workers returned to their hometowns as a result of loss of work. Therefore, parents who were concerned for their daughters’ safety married them off, with the intention of
ensuring their wellbeing and economic security. Normally, girls would have been able to reach out to their school for help; however, with schools closed, their options are restricted. Moreover, Action Aid has also become increasingly aware of teenage boys being forced to work in factories to support their families, although it is a criminal offense in India to employ a child for work. In 2011, 260 million children in India were child labourers. The government has enforced measures to stop trafficking by creating more severe laws and requesting State Governments to strengthen and spread awareness about child labour and child marriage during lockdown.
EUROPE
state-run institutions such as The Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk are unable to fully investigate the full extent of permafrost loss and gauge the levels of methane gas produced from organic matter. So, for those who can’t fully grasp the extent and destructive impact of climate change – here is your evidence: a clear, visible consequence of global warming.
A photograph of the thawing permafrost
Section edited by Sienna Parekh
The crisis in Moria, By Emilia Ord
Permafrost in Siberia, By Avni Tanna
Europe’s largest refugee camp is the Moria camp in Lesbos, Greece. In 2018 the UN Refugee Agency said that the camp was “at boiling point” with 8,000 residents, in 2020 the numbers reached 20,000 individuals, all living in appalling conditions. In early September fires ravaged the camp, displacing 13,000 people.
The blanket of permafrost that lies across Siberia is thawing due to one reason and one reason only: climate change. The landscape is changing drastically as soil is sucked down into the earth, and the hollows created are filled with water. This thawing of permafrost allows organic matter in the ground to release greenhouse gases into the air, greatly contributing to climate change. This results in extreme events such as wildfires, which then further multiply the rate of permafrost thawing. Hence, a destructive cycle is born, which heavily impacts the livelihoods of millions of people. Some prominent consequences include: a loss of land available for agricultural purposes; an increased risk of floods as ponds turn into lakes, and a loss of indigenous culture. Despite all of this, the government response is shocking. They are unable to offer any solutions to the problem of the permafrost or the wildfires, as it would be “too costly”. Even
An urgent police operation is underway to relocate these people to a temporary camp elsewhere on the island. Greek authorities faced hostility from the refugees as the new camp only has 700 tents. Many refugees fear that this camp could become the new Moria, and many homeless refugees were living in impromptu structures made of bamboo and tarpaulin on a roadside. Coronavirus has exacerbated the risk of living in such unhygienic conditions; before the fire there were 35 diagnosed Covid cases and a further 58 have been found since. This crisis has quickly escalated to become both a health and humanitarian issue.
The cause of the flames has not been discovered. A group of refugees from Afghanistan have been arrested on charges of lighting the holding centre on fire so they could pressure the authorities to move them off the island. A large majority of migrants end up at Moria camp because they enter the EU on boats from Turkey and remain at Moria until the long admissions process is completed to admit them into mainland Europe, and the time intensive and bureaucratic process leaves many people frustrated and desperate to leave. Another theory is that the fires started after a confrontation between Greek forces and migrants, with much of the blame falling on far-right Greeks, illustrating the ongoing tension between these groups.
movement, agreed to exchange 1,081 detainees and prisoners. Houthi rebels will free 400 people whilst the Saudi-led coalition will free around 681 Houthi rebels. The deal was seen as a step in the right direction after a weeklong discussion at peace talks in Gilon, Sweden. It was co-chaired by Griffiths’ office and the International Committee of the Red Cross. However, representatives from the Saudi-led coalition also attended. Both parties agreed to this deal in an attempt to build trust. The deal came in the midst of months of dispute between the two sides over the oil rich Marib province, which is currently being held by the government. The Houthis wanted to take control of Marib to strengthen their position in the UN mediated peace talks. The occasional release of a few prisoners over the past two years have served as acts of good faith in the hope that it would instigate what the UN has considered as the war’s ‘first official large-scale’ exchange. The officials said the swap would start on 15 October 2020. Bahrain, Israel and UAE sign historic peace treaty, By Esti Cohen
Moria refugee camp
THE MIDDLE EAST Section edited by Alina Halstenberg Yemen’s Warring Parties Agree to Exchange Over 1,000 Prisoners, By Ria Patel The war in Yemen has initiated the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, causing millions of civilians to suffer from food and medical shortages. Over 100,000 people have died as a result of the political tension. The conflict first erupted when the Houthi rebels, who were allied with Iran, seized the capital and a large portion of the country’s north in 2014. Yemen’s official government and the Ansar Allah, who were formally known as the Houthi rebels, which are a political and armed
On the 15th September 2020 a historic peace treaty, known as the ‘Abraham Accords’, was signed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bahrain foreign minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and United Arab Emirates (UAE) foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The agreement, a culmination of decades’ worth of diplomatic work by significant politicians and officials, aims to fully normalise ArabIsraeli relations. It was signed on the White House lawn and was witnessed by the US President, Donald Trump. Action outlined in the treaty includes cooperation on a variety of issues, and promises to bring mutual benefit, notably in terms of economic relations, the exchange and establishment of embassies and ambassadors,
agriculture and food insecurity, peace and stability, and tourism. In addition, the treaty acknowledges and recognises that both the Arab and Jewish peoples are descended from the patriarch Abraham and therefore, in light of their similar ancestry, should share common goals in creating a pacific, nonviolent Middle East in which people of all faiths and beliefs can live in harmony and tranquillity. The Abraham Accords is an important, advantageous step in establishing peaceful and diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE and eliminating conflict throughout the Middle East. There is great hope that other Arab states will follow in their footsteps in the future, with the ultimate goal of achieving an amicable, conflict-free Middle East.
(From left to right) Bahrain foreign minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, USA President Donald Trump, and UAE foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan signing the Abraham Accords agreement
What are the impacts of Israel’s peace deals with the UAE and Bahrain? By Lana Elkhodair Since Israel's declaration of independence in 1948, it had only signed peace deals with two other Arab countries - Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, until very recently. On September 15th, Israel signed peace agreements with the UAE and Bahrain.
One major impact of the peace deals is that Israel can engage in increased trade, increasing economic growth. The potential for trade to improve Israeli growth can be illustrated by the UAE’s recent importing of advanced weapons from America - these weapons include the F-35 stealth fighter and the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft. Israel is known as having one of the world’s most advanced high-tech sectors, and this trade corroborates this notion. Trump has said that he expects more Arab countries to sign treaties with Israel in the future, and Trump’s chief adviser, Jared Kushner, said that the deals would make the Middle East safer and represents a ‘massive change’ in the region. There are also now more opportunities for tourism within the Gulf and Israel. The Israeli communication minister Yoaz Hendel said "I congratulate the United Arab Emirates on the unblocking ... many economic opportunities will now open up and these trust-building steps are important for advancing the countries' interests." Both countries have also signed agreements recently relating to Covid19 research, showing signs of a better relationship and greater stability in the region.