The Abu Dhabi conference was surely a significant indicator of an increasingly positive view on engagement with Jewry on the part of religious and political authorities in the region.
The Mumbai attacks sent shock waves around the world. But in New York, where our own 9/11 experience had already traumatised us in much the same way that the Mumbai attacks did now, the events of 26/11—as the day became known—were terrible reminders of our own vulnerabilities.
A pattern of improved relations with almost all the Gulf states is emerging, backed by occasional statements by senior officials and a much livelier debate than ever in the local media about the legitimacy of Israel's presence as a player in the region.