@Monopole and @funbelievable:You read it first on HotCopper!...

@Monopole and @funbelievable:

You read it first on HotCopper! Great find guys, can't believe there's been no company announcement. For the first time since, well, seems like forever, I can generate some excitement about our Fluence.

"Israeli water treatment technology is being sought after in theUnited Arab Emirates inthe wake of the Abraham Accords.

Thani al-Shirawi,deputy managing director of Oasis Investments, says that “after normalization,with Israel being advanced in the water filtration business, it was ano-brainer to look for a partner in Israel to use the know-how they haveachieved instead of reinventing the wheel.”

A new memorandum of understanding was agreed tothis month between the Israeli company and Oasis.

Shirawi’s Oasis Investment already had acquired acompany in water filtration which was growing slowly. Israeli technology couldbenefit the UAE and the company there.

In Israel, Fluence, a company that focuses ondecentralized wastewater treatment solutions, had success with a uniquetechnology they had developed.

The UAE is also a hub for the region, which can bea bonus for companies.

“Fluence is a company that wants to grow,” Shirawisays. “Our water filtration company wants to grow and not reinvent the wheel,so we both have the same goal. The reach in the UAE in comparison to Israel isthat we are a logistics hub; after a few years, we believe we can go outsidethe UAE and tap the region. It is a win-win situation for both of us.”

The UAE-IsraelBusiness Council (UIBC), which has been pioneering partnerships in theGulf, helped fosterthis new relationship.

“I am thrilled that the UAE-Israel Business Councilwas able to bring together this significant venture,” says Fleur Hassan-Nahoum,deputy mayor of Jerusalem and council co-founder. “We are working on a varietyof partnerships in different verticals, and this deal represents the best ofIsraeli water tech, sustainability and impact business that is good for theregion and the planet.”

DORIAN BARAK, the Israeli-American investor andUIBC co-founder, says that he was familiar with the Israeli company and saw theregion opening up after the peace accords. That would mean Israeli companiescould openly work in the Gulf.

“The Al-Shirawi Group, which is a diversified Dubaibased industrial group, wanted to grow their water business and access leadingIsraeli tech,” he says.

“Based on my strong relationships and trust withboth sides, in the UAE and Israel, we were able to bring these two amazinggroups together and to bridge what I hope will be a really promisingrelationship,” Barak says. “This is what our business council seeks to achieve– and I hope the MOU signed between Fluence and Al-Shirawi Clear Water will berepeated many times. This is one I’m very proud of.”

Shirawi is excited. As a promoter of peace andnormalization, he sees it as cementing ties.

“It’s a model for the future, this synergy of huband start-up. We can help start-ups to ‘scale up,’” he says.

He points out that the existing Fluence footprintmeshes well with the UAE, which is close to India. With a flight to Mumbaitaking only an hour and 40 minutes, the Emirates is well placed as a hub.

“Mumbai is a commercial center. We are the closestto Indian cities, and the east coast of Africa and UAE have been tradingpartners to Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia and Kenya. And while Israel mighthave a reach, UAE has stronger ties in these countries,” Shirawi says.

“They will need water filtration. Even in a countryas developed as South Africa, water filtration is a must,” he says. “If we cantap the African market and Indian market with their population, that isenough.”

The new memorandum relating to water technology isonly one of many new partnerships and deals being discussed between Israelicompanies and counterparts in the Gulf. At the recent, massive GITEX technologyevent in the UAE, there were more than 130 Israeli exhibitors out of 1,200 whocame from all over the world.

From organic foodto medical technology, Israeli technology is creating a buzz in Dubai andaround the Gulf. Investors from the region see many opportunities, as the watertreatment memorandum indicates.