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UAE offers jobs to Israel doctors amid strikes over judicial reform 

A dog stands on a stretcher with a doll symbolising the state of Israel as people protest against the judicial reform [Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images]
A dog stands on a stretcher with a doll symbolising the state of Israel as people protest against the judicial reform [Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images]

The UAE is looking to attract Israeli doctors to the country according to a report by the Times of Israel today. Against the backdrop of popular protests and strikes across Israel over the initial passing of controversial judicial reforms, "thousands of doctors" are said to have joined a Whatsapp group chat seeking advice on how to relocate overseas, with some having already received lucrative offers to move to the Gulf state, the report said, citing Channel 12.

The group chat started after the Knesset passed a law to limit court oversight of the government last week, attracting at least 3,000 physicians.

The offers reportedly came from official sources in the UAE, as well as Bahrain – both countries were among the first two Arab states to sign the US-brokered Abraham Accords with Israel in 2020, followed by Morocco and Sudan. In June, the UAE and Israel entered into a strategic partnership, involving Israel's Sheba Medical Centre and PureHealth, the largest healthcare platform in the Middle East, based in Abu Dhabi.

The report noted that the terms of the offers for the UAE include a salary "three times higher than the standard in Israel" in addition to education opportunities for the physicians' children and a "golden visa" allowing for long-term residency and other benefits.

Last week, doctors across Israel staged a one-day general strike to protest the parliament's approval of the bill which abolishes the "reasonableness" clause that allows Israel's Supreme Court to overrule government decisions. The previous week also saw credit rating agency Moody's warning of "significant risk" in the country over the judicial overhaul, "with negative consequences for Israel's economy and security situation."

READ: Netanyahu slams Biden over criticism of judicial overhaul

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