Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev fought back tears as the Israeli national anthem played for the first time in the United Arab Emirates – a country that does not recognize Israel – after Israeli judoka Sagi Muki won gold in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Muki, the current European champion, won the men's under-81 kilogram category in this year's Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, just as Israeli Tal Flicker did at the same event in 2017.
But unlike last year, when Israel's competitors appeared under the International Judo Federation flag rather their own, this year the Israeli competitors appeared with the Israeli flag stitched to their uniforms.
After downing his Belgian rival to win the gold medal, Muki pointed proudly to the Israeli flag on his judo uniform.
And the Israeli anthem, "Hatikvah," was played for Muki's gold win – the first ever sounding of the Israeli anthem in the Arab country.
Regev stood next to the podium as the anthem played and wept visibly while singing along. Israeli television channels broke into their regular broadcasts to show the medal ceremony live.
"We made history," Regev tweeted afterward.
Regev credited the IJF's president, Austria's Marius Vizer, for influencing the organizers to change their policy on Israeli symbols.
"I cried as the anthem was played. Marius Vizer stood next to me and also shed a tear. It was so moving to see that he was touched by our ability to express our emotions," Regev told Army Radio in a phone interview.
And Muki said, "That moment of standing on the podium and hearing 'Hatikvah,' our anthem on Abu Dhabi soil for the first time in history, was a really exciting movement.
"We are a team and a nation of warriors, and we have made it here and we are fighting for our country. This is our nature, and today, it happened for me and I am happy. Now we are on the map in Abu Dhabi. We are on the map everywhere in the world.
"This win is not just for me, it is for the country. Events like this bring everyone together, and I am so happy to make the people happy."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Muki on his win in a phone call on Sunday, telling him, "We have two great things here: an incredible gold [medal] and a lot of hope for Israeli judo. We all heard our anthem, and we were all moved. It's not just your personal achievement and the Jewish achievement of Israeli sport, but also the fact that they played the anthem in Abu Dhabi."
On Sunday, Israeli athletes Gili Cohen, Baruch Shmailov and Timna Nelson Levy all won bronze medals in their respective weight classes at the event.
On Monday, Regev posted a video to social media of another first for Israel: a visit she paid to Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
"I am here, in the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Mosque. … It is the first time that an Israel cabinet minister has visited here," she said in the video.
The video showed her standing inside the mosque, signing its guestbook and being escorted by local officials.
Israel Judo Association Chairman Moshe Ponte told Israel Hayom: "We made history, but we are already thinking about what comes next."
He said it is his great hope that an athlete from an Arab country will compete in the Grand Prix judo competition to be held in Tel Aviv in 2020.
"We are realistic and know it will be hard, but it would send a message of peace and brotherhood," he said.
This year's event was a significant change from last year, when UAE organizers singled Israel out with a ban on displaying its flag or playing its anthem during the tournament.
The International Judo Federation temporarily suspended the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam from its schedule, but it was reinstated in September after the organizers promised equal treatment for Israeli athletes.
Israeli television broadcasts said the change came amid a flurry of outreach to Persian Gulf states. An Israeli gymnastics team is currently at an event in Qatar.
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to Oman, the first time an Israeli leader has visited the sultanate in 22 years. Communications Minister Ayoob Kara is due at a conference in Abu Dhabi next week.
On Sunday, Transportation Minister Israel Katz's office said he would travel to Oman next week for an international transportation conference. Katz, who is also Israel's intelligence minister, is to present a plan to build a rail link between the Gulf states and Israel.
Israel and the Gulf Arab countries have shared concerns over Iran's activities across the region, including its nuclear program and its involvement in the civil wars in Syria and Yemen.
