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MEE: relationship between Abu Dhabi and Israel is built on resilient ideological synergies

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The British website Middle East Eye considered that the normalization relations between Israel and the UAE are based on “built on resilient ideological synergies” and are carried out away from any regard to the Palestinian issue.

The author of the article, Andreas Krieg, Normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE is not conditioned to Tel Aviv’s policy regarding the Palestinian issue, especially in light of the relentless efforts made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to activate his plan to annex parts of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley.

One of the main pillars of the rapprochement between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi, which is often portrayed as a “marriage of convenience”, is their endeavor to confront a common enemy represented in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In 2009, and shortly after former US President Barack Obama took office, the Israeli and UAE governments cooperated for the first time in pressuring Washington to take a stronger stance against Iran.

“But while Abu Dhabi had invested millions into lobbying against Iran over the years, sometimes via pro-Israel think tanks in Washington, it took a U-turn in its Iran policy in 2019 after US silence on Iran’s direct attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure,” the author said.

On the other hand, the UAE-Israeli consensus also derives its strength from the intersection of visions between the two parties regarding the danger of political Islam, as the two parties strive to strike any opportunity for the success of the “Arab Spring” and the stability that it can bring to the Arab region.

“Like Abu Dhabi, Israel has long feared the Muslim Brotherhood, viewing the growing power base of Islamists after the revolutions as a major security concern.

“In a leaked US cable, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed is quoted as having strong reservations about elections in the Middle East, ‘stating that greater democracy in the region will in the short term empower the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and [Hezbollah]’ – statements I have heard repeatedly from conservative Israeli politicians and analysts.

“Israel has also been instrumental in the UAE’s rise as a regional cyber and information power.

“While commercial ties between Israel and the UAE are growing in various fields, including shipping, investment and coronavirus mitigation, it is in the field of cyber-espionage and big data analysis where Israeli companies have provided Abu Dhabi with niche capabilities to advance shared Israeli-Emirati interests.

“Thus, while the military-to-military relationship between Israel and the UAE is still limited to occasional joint exercises and intelligence sharing, Israeli military and security specialists have been hired on sabbatical or after retirement to work for Emirati private military and security companies.

“As military trainers and mercenaries, former Israeli special forces have become guns for hire to hunt down Islamists in Yemen or to assist Abu Dhabi-backed warlord Khalifa Haftar in Libya in his fight against the UN-sponsored government in Tripoli. It is hard to believe that this could happen without the consent of Israel’s tight security apparatus.
The site affirms that all this security cooperation between the two countries would not have been possible without the approval of the senior leadership of the Israeli security services.

“Thus, while Abu Dhabi could be nervous about how the domestic audience may view an endorsement of Israeli annexation, its rulers understand that a public rejection of Israeli action in Palestine may just be enough to smooth over the depth and resilience of what is more than a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience between Abu Dhabi and Israel.”

A few days ago, two Israeli companies signed an agreement with a number of Emirati companies to develop technological solutions to deal with the Coronavirus.

The Israeli Army Radio (Galatz) said that the two companies are the Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael, both are belong to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and provide the army with equipment, missiles, and military defense systems.

The radio said in a tweet that the two companies signed the agreement with 42 Emirati companies.

For its part, the UAE officially announced on June 26 last year the launch of joint projects with Israel in the medical field and the fight against COVID-19. On the same day, the Israeli media revealed that Abu Dhabi had provided Israel with 100,000 test devices for the virus.

This came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his country’s cooperation with the UAE in fighting the pandemic, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

This comes despite Israel’s announcement that it intends to annex 30% of the occupied West Bank (Jordan Valley and settlements) to its sovereignty, according to previous statements by Netanyahu.