UAE Leads in Air Traffic Between Israel and the Gulf

Despite the suspension of many international airlines to and from Israel, the UAE is ramping up its flights to Tel Aviv to assist the estimated 150,000 Israelis stranded abroad.

Emirati Airlines is expanding its flight operations between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, positioning the UAE as a key transit hub for those seeking to return home.

The airline began its Tel Aviv-Abu Dhabi route in April 2021, roughly eight months after the “Abraham Accords,” which normalized relations between Israel and the UAE.

Emirati Airlines began its Abu Dhabi-Tel Aviv route in April 2021, around eight months after the “Abraham Accords,” which led to the normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE.

Criticism was notably directed at pro-occupation Democratic U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres, as American and international airlines halted their flights to Tel Aviv. At the same time, Emirati Airlines continued its operations with Israel.

Torres, who has received considerable contributions from the Zionist lobby in the U.S., stated, “Why is it considered too dangerous for American Airlines, Delta, and United to fly to Israel, while Emirati carriers like Etihad, Flydubai, and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi continue their flights to Tel Aviv?”

Torres criticized the decision of American Airlines to suspend their flights to the occupying state, which made traveling to Tel Aviv more difficult and expensive.

American Airlines, Delta, and United suspended their flights to Israel after October 7. Delta announced that it will extend the suspension of its flights until October 31.

While American Airlines has extended its flight suspension until March 29 of next year, United Airlines announced that it will continue its suspension indefinitely.

Torres highlighted that the Federal Aviation Administration has not issued a travel ban to Israel since October 7, unlike in 2014, when it imposed a 36-hour ban on American flights to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, official Israeli statistics revealed that trade between the UAE and Israel has surpassed one and a half billion US dollars since the start of this year, despite the ongoing violence in Gaza and the West Bank.

A recent report by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics showed growth in the trade volume between Israel and the UAE during the first half of 2024.

Reports from international media and websites, quoting figures from the Abraham Accords Peace Institute attributed to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, indicated that trade between Israel and the UAE totaled $271.9 million in June 2024.

This marks a 5% rise compared to June of the previous year, resulting in a total trade volume of $1.66 billion between the two countries for the first half of the year, a 7% increase over the same period in 2023.

The Abraham Accords Peace Institute, an American non-partisan and non-profit organization, aims to support and expand peace agreements between Israel and Arab countries. It was founded by Jared Kushner, senior advisor and son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump, in September 2021, to commemorate the first anniversary of the signing of four peace agreements between Israel and Arab nations.

The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States, are agreements for the public normalization of relations between the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel, first signed in August 2020 and later joined by Morocco.

Events since have demonstrated the UAE’s unwavering stance towards Israel, as its leaders, the “sons of Zayed,” firmly support Israel, particularly in efforts to crush Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups. Their commitment to “accomplishing the mission” is said to exceed even that of Israel itself.

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that the UAE does not shy away from directly investing in Israeli actions, noting that two significant incidents in this regard occurred just this week.

The first development is the announcement of a branch of the Israeli company “Rafael” being established in Abu Dhabi to convert “Emirates Airlines” planes into cargo planes. The second is the rescue of financially troubled Israeli businessman Patrick Drahi, through a billion-dollar direct investment in his “Sotheby’s” auction house, after Qatar refused to support him due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

It’s worth noting that Drahi owns the Israeli “HOT” channel and the “i24” news network, both of which strongly defend Israeli actions in Gaza.

Since the signing of the “Abraham Accords” in September 2020, hardly a week has passed without a new investment in or with Israel, despite a decline in announcements reflecting the growth of trade relations during the war.

The latest was the announcement by the Israeli ambassador to the UAE, Amir Hayek, in the middle of last year, that trade with Israel amounted to $1.29 billion in the first five months of 2023, excluding software trade, the size of which was not announced.

Regarding the Emirati “Gallant Knight” operation, which aims to help Gazans and has now seen three versions, neither chivalry nor gallantry can truly describe it. These qualities demand, above all, a boycott of the enemy that is oppressing the Palestinians, not direct investment in its machinery of brutality.

The aid provided by the Gulf state to the Palestinians in Gaza does not in any way compare to what is produced by the “corridor” that was opened to Israel via Saudi Arabia and Jordan, to provide Israel with everything it needs from Emirati ports after the “Ansar Allah” movement succeeded in imposing a siege on the Israeli port of Eilat in the Red Sea.

Who’s to say that these gestures aren’t part of a soft war running alongside Israel’s campaign of extermination in Gaza? They may indeed have dubious motives, ultimately serving the role the “sons of Zayed” regime might play in Gaza post-conflict.

Since this role is needed by Israel, Abu Dhabi could establish a field hospital in Gaza that remains untouched while all other Palestinian hospitals are destroyed.

Similarly, the UAE might set up bakeries in Gaza that are spared from bombing, even as every other bakery is flattened. The Emirates could also evacuate a thousand wounded from Gaza for treatment in its hospitals, leaving others who can’t escape to die.

The UAE is leading the charge in plans for managing Gaza after the war. It played a key role in facilitating aid through Cyprus, though this was halted when Israelis noticed that for the first time since the war began, Gazans might be receiving adequate food.

In all the American and Israeli proposals for Gaza’s post-war management, the UAE is prominently positioned as the “Gallant knight” fulfilling its designated role.

At present, the UAE’s assistance is limited but could grow over time, to provide an alternative to Hamas’s governance of Gaza. This includes both current aid efforts and the possibility of future oversight of the region, especially given Abu Dhabi’s strategic asset in Mohammed Dahlan and his group.

Additionally, there are domestic objectives for the UAE, as this aid might be perceived by many ordinary Emiratis as a humanitarian effort carried out on their behalf for the benefit of Palestinians. This is especially important given that the Israeli actions in Gaza have fueled growing resentment among Emiratis due to their country’s relationship with the enemy.

Thus, because Israel’s real goal is to exterminate the Palestinians in Gaza, or displace them from it, the role of the Emirati “noble knight” becomes feeding the sacrifice before it is taken to the slaughterhouse.

What the UAE can do for Israel, no one else can do, and the failure of the American sea bridge is a clear example of this.

The newspaper concluded that the UAE, being an Arabic-speaking nation, can communicate with Palestinians in Gaza and can influence them by being a primary channel for aid during the hunger crisis.

However, the Emirati role has yet to escalate to a point where it directly antagonizes the resistance, which remains focused on the delivery of even limited aid to Palestinians, regardless of its source.