 organized by the Emirates Space Agency is going to be discussing some of the industry's most pressing issues, including sustainability, access to space, and reducing space threats. Speakers are also expected to highlight the rise of mega-constellations, the weaponization of space assets, and the role of space systems in defense and intelligence gathering during this two-day debate. Now for more on this, we are joined in studio by Jonathan Rega of our Defense Correspondent, who is going to be explaining a little bit about the defense systems and of course the defense aspect of space that we're seeing right now. There's a space race going on right now in the Middle East. We've seen Iran trying to get more and more satellites up and being met by major setbacks one at a time, but not always. We know they've been developing anti-space weapons systems as well, and that's going to be a very major debate on the defense arena today. But simultaneously we're seeing the Abrahamic Coordinations start to work together, and Israel is really a leader in regional space defense tech. What are we seeing in the space-based systems and the anti-space-based systems getting deployed in the region? First, let's understand. If a missile is being sent from Iran into Israel and Israeli sending its arrow missile to intercept it, that interception happens way up in space. I mean, these missiles, they do not fly low inside the orbit, but way, way above the orbit. These are things that are important to understand space. That's the next frontier, the next battlefield, if you want it. There are not a lot of countries in the world. I'm going to interrupt right now because Isaac Herzog is taking the stage to begin speaking. In the United Arab Emirates, our good friend, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Excellency, our good friend, Foreign Minister of Bahrain, which I just came from and my good host, Abdul Latif Azayani, our friend, the minister from the Prime Minister's office in India, dear friends, ladies and gentlemen from all over the world. I'm very happy to be here and take part in this timely debate under the auspices of my dear friend, President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. I have arrived from Bahrain with my wife, Mikhal, where we held the first state visit of an Israeli president in the kingdom of Bahrain, and I'm extremely grateful to his majesty, the king of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa al-Halifa. Dear friends, we stand here 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 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 prospects of new scientific questions we didn't even know we might be able to 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 out on their countries. On the second day, they point out their continents, and by the third day, they are aware only of one Earth. Borders 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's 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'm proud of Israel's close cooperation with NASA, with the European Space Agency, and our counterparts in France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Austria, and many other countries. But I'm especially proud of our evolving space partnership with the United Arab Emirates. Our two countries are boldly leading our region towards new frontiers in space and leaving our mark on history. So in this aspiring 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 and forests, dropland 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 therefore critical that we deepen and expand such transnational partnerships for the benefit of our planet and our region. And here comes India with its immense technology capabilities, with the wisdom of its people, and its extremely impressive space program. As we look forward towards the International World Climate Conference, known as COP28, which will be held in the UAE in a few months down, we must work together to harness the power of advanced space technologies to address the urgent climate crisis in the Middle East and in the Mediterranean. Our cooperation can turn our beautiful region into a global hub of climate solutions. And I believe that the UAE in Israel and India can lead the way for the entire region together with our friends and partners. We're all deeply impressed by the accomplishments of the UAE 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 cyber security in space. So dear friends, this is a wonderful opportunity. And there is another area. Besides cutting-edge technologies where investment remains critical, space education for the younger generation is the future. Our greatest natural resource is the curiosity of our next generation, our children. And as I've seen in their eyes, sparkles like star dust when they learn about space. So in Israel, we've introduced the TEVEL program, which is already working with high school students from all across the country, Jews and Arabs alike. They are building, testing and launching nano-satellites 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. And I would like to invite all of you to partake in this incredible venture. Finally, I would like to thank once again our host, President Mohamed Ben-Zaid and of course, the Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah Ben-Zaid. You are truly visionary rural leaders. And thank you 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 a lower limit. In the words of the great poet, Abu Al-Tayyib al-Muttanabi, as he said, if you ventured in pursuit of glory, don't be satisfied with less than the stars. Adha jamaratafi sharafin marumi falatakna bimaduna al-nujumi. Thank you all very, very much. And that was Israel's president speaking. We're just waiting for President Sheikh Mohamed Ben-Zaid on the on. Now, Jonathan, we're going to turn back to you for a few minutes first, though. A rather dry speech from Herzog, given the immensity of what they're discussing here, which is almost a regional space cooperation moving forward. What can we really expect to come of that, given that he didn't really say too much of note? Yeah, they did not say too much, but again, the words said are perhaps not the most important thing. The important thing is the cooperation between these two countries. You know, two and a half years ago, you would tell someone Israel and the United Arab Emirates would cooperate in space. They would think you're crazy, and they would be right to do so. Who thought there would be even some kind of a peace between Israel and the UAE, not to mention embassies open in both countries, tourists. And now space exploration, it seems as if, yes, the regional interests are bringing these two countries are closer together. And yes, this is the next layer of cooperation. There's already a vast economic cooperation, a commercial cooperation, tourists and so on. And yes, space the next frontier when it comes to doing business as well. And we're talking about the different angles here. We were discussing some of the defense earlier, but the business one I think is a very interesting angle going forward, because we know that Israel is being a bigger player these days in the communication satellite game in the private intelligence satellite game. These are all major developments. What does the Emirates have to offer to make it worthwhile to cooperate from Israel's perspective? Money. Money. This space exploration is a very expensive issue, and it's not by chance that the only countries that we see are dealing with that are either the United States or Western European countries or China or Russia, which was a very rich country up until a few months ago. Now he's dealing with other issues, but there's money there. Israel is also involved in space exploration. Israel does not have the budget that the U.S. or Western European countries have. Clearly cannot allocate that much money into space exploration. Israel has to deal with very daily things. This is where the UAE can come in. Israel can bring the knowledge. The UAE can bring the money. And together they can venture into space exploration.