The governments of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel have signed an agreement paving the way for full of relations. This agreement brings into the open the聽numerous and growing clandestine links between the two nations. The formal between the two countries are the logical and open culmination of a decades-long bilateral relationship, previously undertaken in a secretive manner.
Dubbed the 鈥淎braham Accords鈥, in reference to the founder of the three main monotheistic faiths, the cultivation of relations between the Emiratis (and the other Gulf nations) and Israel have been disguised as the promotion of Muslim-Jewish interfaith cooperation. This cannot disguise the naked and brazen economic and geopolitical interests motivating both parties.
For instance, back in , then-Israeli Minister for Culture and Sport, Miri Regev, visited the UAE to oversee Israeli participation in a sporting tournament. This visit, as a bridge between Jews and Muslims, was great public relations. However, Regev, a former Brigadier-General in the Israeli army, has previously described African migrants to Israel as a 鈥溾, and called for violent repression of the Palestinians.
United States President Donald Trump took credit for , gloating that he had facilitated a 鈥渉istoric breakthrough鈥. For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a vague and non-binding to halt the annexation of the West Bank, though he was quick to point out that the postponement of annexing Palestinian territories was temporary.
The US and Israeli governments are portraying this accord as an enormous breakthrough and a triumph, shoring up the electoral prospects of both incumbents. The Palestinians have denounced this deal as a betrayal, and condemned the Emiratis for their willingness to acquiesce in Israel鈥檚 ongoing occupation of Palestinian land. During mid-August, Israeli warplanes struck in the Gaza Strip, indicating that the Emirati鈥揑sraeli accord will not bring peace to the Palestinians.
Numerous Palestinian activist groups, human rights advocates and US Jewish organisations have the Emirati-Israeli accord, stating that it is a betrayal of the Palestinian struggle and is nothing to celebrate. US Congresswoman , herself of Palestinian origin, tweeted that no-one should be fooled by the declarations of peace in this accord. Creeping are part of the daily life of Palestinians until today.
The Gulf nations, including the Emiratis, have a long track record of conducting secret diplomacy with the Israeli state. Rationalising their latest manoeuvre, the UAE claims that they will , and an independent Palestinian state, with their Israeli counterparts. However, even a cursory examination of the UAE鈥檚 policies in the region expose the falsity of this 鈥渃onstructive diplomacy鈥 claim.
Senior political analyst at Al Jazeera, Marwan Bishara, that the Emiratis 鈥 like their Saudi big-brother partner 鈥 are the most pro-war country in the Gulf. It is no secret that the Emirates have actively participated in the Saudi-led invasion of Yemen. Sending thousands of troops, the UAE in that war, and only the prospect of a full-scale military defeat led the Emiratis to withdraw the bulk of their soldiers.
The Emiratis have pursued an in Libya, taking advantage of the ongoing chaos in that Arab nation to prop up its own proxies. The goal is to establish a friendly regime in Libya to exploit that country鈥檚 extensive oil reserves. The UAE鈥檚 role has the civil war in Libya, ongoing since the 2011 NATO war for regime change.
After supporting various Islamist militias in Syria鈥檚 civil war and initially welcoming the overthrow of the Syrian government in 2011, the in 2019 and wished that current Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remain in power. This shift was cemented by the realisation that the Syrian Islamist rebels would fail to achieve military victory.
Amer Zahr, Palestinian American and president of New Generation for Palestine, summed up the in this accord:
鈥淲hen you normalise relationships with Israel or any Zionist organisation 鈥 and normalisation means interaction without centering the Palestinian problem 鈥 then you are basically excusing and accepting everything that Israel has done to us for the past 72 years.鈥
Exactly.