Fallout from the assassination of a high-ranking Hamas official continues with Israelis barred entry into Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. While Israel only has full diplomatic relations with Egypt and Jordan in the Middle East and the Jewish state remains at war with Syria and Lebanon, Israelis were permitted into Dubai and Qatar if the travelers had dual citizenship and used their alternative passports. However, the assassination of Mabhouh has changed all that with the presumed Israeli agents using Australian and British passports to gain access to the terrorist in the heart of the Arab world and leading to international ire with Israel.
In fact, the Dubai police will user voice and face profiling to identify Israelis travelling to the country. Now, anyone suspected of holding dual citizenship with Israel will be rejected at the border. Even though Israelis come from all over the world and are often indistinguishable from Arabs or Europeans, the Dubai police chief said his staff would distinguish between Israelis and non-Israelis by “physical features and the way they speak.”