A tough sell: In Dubai amid clash, Israel promotes tourism

Israel is promoting tourism in Dubai even amid a surge of airstrikes on Gaza City that killed at least 42 people in just the last day

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- As violence flares within Israel and on a day in which Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City killed at least 42 people, it was business as usual for a senior Israeli tourism official in Dubai as she promoted the country as a must-see destination for Muslim visitors. It might seem an odd proposition at an odd time given that major airlines have suspended flights to Israel amid the flare-up in violence and while the spread of coronavirus remains a threat. But at Dubai's Arabian Travel Market on Sunday, billed as the first travel and tourism event to happen in person since the global coronavirus outbreak, a small Israeli booth — tucked behind Slovenia's — marketed the country as the “Land of Creation.” Promotional videos advertised Israel's vegan culinary scene, its beaches and urged: “Book Your Trip Now” to Tel Aviv. And the devastating airstrikes on Gaza leading the world's television news?