דברי הנשיא בכנס החלל באבו דאבי

Your Highness, President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed; Your Highness, Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Your Excellency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Excellencies, friends,

I am very happy to be here and take part in this timely debate, under the auspices of my friend, President Mohammed bin Zayed. We stand on the brink of a revolutionary new era of space exploration. The heavens are now open to a dizzying array of public and private actors, launching satellites, sensors and spacecraft into the great unknown.

This increase creates both paradigm-shifting opportunities and challenges unlike those humanity has ever known. The breathtaking images from the James Webb Telescope, for example, not only take us to the earliest reaches of our cosmos. They also raise the prospect of new scientific questions we didn’t even know we might ask. But as humanity gazes up at the stars, I wish to bring this discussion back to earth; because I believe that the greatest promise of space exploration lies not only in discoveries on distant planets, but also in rediscovering our potential for collaboration, here on the blue planet we call home.

It is often said that on international space missions, on the first day astronauts point at their countries; on the second day, they point at their continents, and by the third day, they are aware only of one Earth. Hundreds of kilometers above land, borders disappear and are replaced by an intense awareness that we all share one Earth, which we all have a common duty to preserve. And just as borders disappear when Earth is viewed from above, we must work together across these divides, to combat the climate crisis— a threat to us all.

There is no doubt that in the future, the fate of humanity will depend on outer space. But in the immediate present, the ultimate value of space technologies lies in saving the planet we already have. I am proud of Israel’s close cooperation with NASA, the European Space Agency, and our counterparts in France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and many other countries.

But I am especially proud of our evolving space partnership with the United Arab Emirates. Our two countries are boldly leading our region toward new frontiers in space. And leaving our mark on history.

For an inspiring example, look no further than the Venus satellite, a joint Israeli-French project, which is now providing data for joint Israeli-Emirati research. The Venus satellite has been circling Earth closely monitoring vegetation in forests, croplands, and nature reserves, and beaming back multi-spectral images. In their first joint venture, the Israeli and Emirati space agencies are now funding a joint analysis of this data by Israeli and Emirati scientists, which will help us better understand our global environment and collaborate on new solutions to protect our planet’s green lungs.

Today, it is critical that we deepen and expand such transnational partnerships, for the benefit of our planet and our region. As we build on COP27 in Egypt, and look ahead to COP28 in the UAE, we must work together to harness the power of advanced space technologies to address the urgent climate crisis in the Middle East and Mediterranean. Our cooperation can turn our beautiful region into a global hub of climate solutions. I believe that the UAE and Israel, can lead the way for the entire region, together with our friends and partners.

We are all deeply impressed by the accomplishments of the UAE’s space program, including the Mars Mission. It is a perfect match with Israel, a world leader in technologies for miniature satellites, high resolution and remote sensing capabilities, and cybersecurity in space.

There is another area, besides cutting-edge technologies, where investment remains critical: space education for the younger generation. Our greatest natural resource, is the curiosity of our children, and I have seen their eyes sparkle like stardust when they learn about space. In Israel, the TEVEL program is already working with high school students from across the country, Jews and Arabs. They are building, testing, and launching nanosatellites into space, and then using them to gather data and conduct experiments.

Israel invites all the countries here to work with us to expand this program regionally and internationally. Together, we will harness the collective creativity, genius and wonder of our youth.

I would like to thank once again our host, President Mohammed Bin Zayed, a truly visionary world leader, for convening this space debate. It has offered an excellent contribution to the global dialogue on space. And has helped us forge a joint pathway to a brighter future. Let us move onwards and upwards, not with the competition of a cold war, but with the cooperation of our warm peace.

Let us harness the power of space for the promise of Earth. Let us gaze at the heavens, with our sights set firmly on our planet. Together, we can take space exploration to new heights and save our planet from new depths. Today we can say – The sky is just the lower limit!

In the words of the great poet Abū al-Ṭayyib al-Mutanabbī: "If you ventured in pursuit of glory, don’t be satisfied with less than the stars".

 (إِذا غامَرتَ في شَرَفٍ مَرومٍ

فَلا تَقنَع بِما دونَ النُجومِ)

Thank you very much.