Dubai Climate Conference: Israeli delegation will be significantly reduced, PM and ministers will not attend

The Israeli delegation to the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai later this month will be significantly reduced due to Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas. The delegation was supposed to have been Israel’s largest delegation ever, including the Prime Minister and other cabinet members, who will no longer be participating. The planned business delegation will also be canceled but the government will still establish and operate a national pavilion at the conference, albeit on a significantly smaller scale. The conference, scheduled to open in Dubai on November 30, had generated great interest in the government and at least 11 ministers had planned to participate.

The Dubai Museum of the Future.

Hamas’ October 7 attack and the subsequent war has forced them to cancel their plans not only due to more pressing matters at home, but also because of the limited ability to secure the delegation at the conference. The Minister of Environmental Protection, Idit Silman, told Calcalist that she does not plan to travel to the conference at this time. In place of ministers, professionals from various ministries will attend, but they too will have a significantly reduced presence. For example, dozens of employees from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had planned to attend, but now only five are expected to.

An Israeli pavilion costing 9 million NIS ($2.3 million) at the conference for two weeks, will also be significantly downsized. Minister Silman chose not to respond to Calcalist's question regarding the cost of the pavilion and said that, "following the events of the recent weeks, a joint decision was made by the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection not to establish a wide pavilion but a more modest one in the spirit of the times, focusing on climate solutions through companies and startups, mainly from the southern region, which was affected by the war. The companies and startups will be able to present their solutions and establish business connections with potential investors. The government representatives in the delegation are mainly those relevant to the ongoing negotiations. As the date approaches, a decision will be made on high-level representation at the leaders' summit."

The Innovation Authority will also significantly reduce its presence at the conference, since many Israeli tech companies who had planned to attend will no longer be doing so. The Innovation Authority says that as a result, “it is not possible to send the delegation of Israeli tech companies. Therefore, their exhibition at the pavilion will be canceled."

Israel’s war against Hamas broke out on October 7 when thousands of Hamas terrorists broke through Israel’s border with Gaza, massacring scores of Israeli civilians inside Israeli territory. At least 1,200 Israelis were murdered, mainly civilians including children, women, and the elderly, with tactics reminiscent of ISIS. Thousands more were injured and about 240 people including women, children, babies, the elderly, and soldiers were abducted by Hamas into Gaza. In response, the IDF has been attacking Hamas infrastructure in Gaza for over a month in an attempt to dismantle its rule.