Iran maintains a hardline policy against any fraternization between its citizens and Israelis, including in international events.
By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News
In the latest sign of strengthening ties after the historic Abraham Accords peace agreement, Israeli doctors were invited to a medical conference in the United Arab Emirates for the first time.
The conference, hosted by the Emirates Plastic Surgery Society, will take place the last week of January.
Industry-leading plastic surgeons from the United States, Belgium, Turkey and Italy are slated to speak at the conference.
Dr. Meir Cohen, chairman of the Israeli Association of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery said in a statement, “Our participation in the conference will contribute to strengthening the field in the two countries, will lead to the exchange of knowledge, research and experience and may even contribute to creating opportunities for extensive training abroad…the Emirates also do breast augmentation, liposuction, facelifts and injections.”
Some 70,000 Israelis undergo plastic surgery in the Jewish state each year, according to the Israeli Association of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery.
“At the conference, we will host a few of the most brilliant minds in the world in the field of plastic surgery, all coming to share, present, and debate in the latest developments,” said Dr. Zuhair Al Fardan, president of The Emirates Plastic Surgery Society.
The Islamic Republic of Iran will also send representatives to Dubai, who will participate in the conference alongside doctors from the Jewish State. This marks the first time that both Iranian and Israeli doctors have participated in the same conference.
Iran maintains a hardline policy against any fraternization between its citizens and Israelis, including in international events.
In widely publicized incidents, Iranian judokas and chess players have been forced to forfeit or withdraw from matches to avoid competing against Israelis.
The Emirati medical conference, in which both nations’ representatives will participate, may be a sign that Tehran is softening on the policy.