Hebrew newspaper: Lack of declared diplomatic relations with UAE does not mean there aren’t any common interests
An Israeli investigation highlighted the significant development in the relations between Israel and the UAE’s ruling system, despite the absence of diplomatic relations announced so far.
The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz said that the lack of a diplomatic relationship public does not prevent the existence of common interests, including trade and military relations between Israel and the UAE.
The UAE has a huge deal with Israel, providing the latter with advanced intelligence capabilities, including two modern spy planes.
The deal began to take shape a decade ago, under the auspices of an Israeli businessman named Matti Kochavi.
The newspaper pointed out that this confirms the American press reports issued in recent days, which indicate the existence of “security cooperation between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, despite the absence of public diplomatic relations between the two countries.”
According to the newspaper, the deal was worth about $1 billion, part of which was paid in cash.
According to Haaretz, the deal included two spy planes, one of which was received by the UAE nearly a year ago, and the other will be handed over by Israel next year.
She said the plane received by the United Arab Emirates “has already carried out flights, in preparation for the formal delivery to the UAE army.”
The second aircraft is still under development in Britain and is making test flights east of London, Haaretz said.
The delivery of the planes would make the UAE military’s intelligence capabilities “highly advanced,” the newspaper claims. “These planes are capable of interfering with communications devices and detecting maps of Iran’s electronic systems, including radar and air defense systems that protect nuclear facilities.”
According to the investigation, the disclosure of this deal between Israel and the UAE is the involvement of the name of businessman Kochavi in a secret document leaked from a law firm in Switzerland, has arrived in a German newspaper and the International Federation of International Investigators.
The newspaper says: “If the Palestinian issue in the past made it difficult to develop these relations, it now exists, and the Palestinian issue is no longer a priority of the Gulf States.”
The revelation comes at a time when, in the last two years, the secret intelligence cooperation between Israel and the United Arab Emirates has come to light.
This included reports of visits by Israeli officials to the UAE, most recently the current Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Kats, preceded by Culture Minister Merritt Regev, as well as visits by Israeli security officials, including Mossad chief Yossi Cohen.”
The UAE and Israel are also conducting joint air exercises as well as close cooperation in Abu Dhabi buying Israeli spy devices to eavesdrop on dissidents inside and outside the country.
The growing ties between the UAE and Israel, encouraged by Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon, have encouraged Arab leaders to declare their relations with the occupying power. “Arab leaders must openly say that our cooperation is in the common interest,” he said.
This came in a special session of the Security Council related to discuss the situation in the Middle East, with the participation of Israel, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and his Polish counterpart Jakak Chabotowicz.
