Tourism and Discourses of Peace About the UAE in the Israeli Media

Abstract

By focusing on the recently established diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE in the aftermath of the 2020 Abraham Peace Accords, this paper critically assesses the emerging narratives of peace and tolerance underpinning the tourism promotional material circulating in the Israeli media between September 2020 (in the aftermath of the Abraham Accords) and August 2023 (before the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023). The study employs a variant of critical discourse analysis known as Cultural Critical Discourse Analysis (CCDA) to unravel the cultural nuances embedded within this discourse. Based on this analysis, a dynamic model is presented to highlight two discourse strategies—cosmopolitanism and softening—underpinning the emerging discourse. Overall, this article represents a significant contribution in this specific moment of crisis as it aims to propel peace discourses through tourism in a region characterised by political instability.