UAE and Israel: Uniting to Oppose Common Enemies

Introduction

Why has the UAE determined that now is a good time to formalize relations with Israel? One reason for the timing is that Iran has been growing its power and support network for years, backing groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, which the UAE sees as a threat to peace. The UAE does not support these groups and has condemned others, like the Muslim Brotherhood, for being corrupt and murderous. The UAE seeks to develop its state economically, establish a stable region that is good for trade and tourism, and put past grievances in their place. The key to moving forward and establishing a lasting peace in the Middle East is to develop win-win relationships with other states, and that is why it has determined to normalize its relationship with Israel. With Iran looking to develop nuclear capabilities, Hezbollah spreading its influence as far as Yemen, and Hamas still engaging in attacks on Israel while doing little to help the Palestinian people, the UAE has seen now as the time to turn a new page and work more closely with the one state that has been targeted by Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas for yearsIsrael.

Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood

The UAE and Israel have developed very close ties since celebrating the Abraham Accords in 2020. In 2021, they are looking to collaborate more closely still in order to safeguard themselves against their enemies in the region. Part of doing so depends upon each honoring the culture and legacy of the other. That is why Israels top diplomat to the United Arab Emirates attended a ceremony in Dubai on the grounds of the Arabian Peninsulas first permanent exhibition to commemorate the Holocaust. Hours earlier, hed attended an event establishing a joint venture between an Israeli and Emirati company (Batrawy, 2021). This sign of brotherhood and solidarity is all the more significant given that Israel and Hamas have been engaged in conflict recently and that the UAE, since formalizing relations with Israel has shown more support for its new partner than it has in the past. According to Israeli Ambassador Eitan Naeh, What we see here is the exact opposite of what we see in Gaza... What we see here in the whole normalization process is a departure from the past (Batrawy, 2021).

The recent conflict between Hamas and Israel took place during Ramadan, which is considered the holiest month of the year for Muslims. Because of this, many Arabs voiced support for Palestine and Hamas against Israelbut not the UAE. While the UAE government did express concern about the violence it saw and did lead to a rebuke of Israeli security forces for storming a mosque, the relationship between the UAE and Israel has not been derailed. The recent opening of the permanent Holocaust exhibit in the UAE shows that the UAE is committed to strengthening ties between itself and Israel for the future.

The UAE is intent on walking a fine line between showing support for Muslims while also showing support for Israel. For instance, when Hamas fired rockets into Israel, the UAE did not celebrate this assault but rather called for a cease-fire in order to promote the peace. The UAE also sees Hamas as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which the UAE has seen as a threat to peace for many years (Batrawy, 2021). The UAE would like to see the Arab world designate Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations (Sisodia, 2021). This insistence by the UAE over the rest of the Arab world to sever ties with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood indicates the strength of the new relationship brought about by the Abraham Accords. UAE and Israel can both agree that the Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood organizations represent a threat to peace and stability in the Middle East. The two states, since having formalized their relationship, are now focusing on improving economic conditions and enhancing their regional security. Thus, even in the face of conflict between Israel and Palestine, the UAE is focusing on calling for a truce while admonishing the groups that both it and Israel see as enemies to peace.

By coming together to celebrate the cultures of one another, the UAE and Israel are showing the rest of the Middle East that the tide has turned in Arab-Israeli relations. Violent groups like Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood will continue to be branded as terrorists by both the UAE and Israel, and pressure will be put on other Gulf States to reject these organizations for the sake of common prosperity and stability throughout the Middle East. That is one of the most important facets of geopolitical change to emerge from the recently signed Abraham Accords.

The UAE has made no secret about its opposition to Hamas in the past, however. The UAE has not stopped supporting the Palestinian peoplebut it does refuse to support Hamas as well as the Palestinian Authority: according to one UAE lawmaker, the anger directed towards UAE is explained this way: Now the anger towards the UAE, from both the PA and Hamas, has been created because we have stopped paying. We want to pay and we will pay the people. Not Hamas and the PA (Chemla, 2020). Al Falasi, a member of the UAE Federal Council has stated unequivocally that the United Arab Emirates is committed to the Palestinian people, not to Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, which are both corrupt and murderers (Chemla, 2020). The UAE continues to seek reconciliation between Israel and Palestinebut it does not do so by supporting Hamas. Nor does it approve of Qatars funding of Hamas (Chemla, 2020). Al Falasi states that Qata has been funding the terrorist organization for so long that it cannot stop. This will be a problem for Qatar going forward, Al Falasi states: You have in Qatar now the leadership of Hamas, the leadership of the Taliban, and the most dangerous - the Muslim Brotherhood - whose leadership sits there. Hamas is the armed arm of both the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards. Turkey is there, too. This cocktail is dangerous (Chemla, 2020). To confront this danger, the UAE is joining with Israel in a show of solidarity and peace, encouraging other Gulf States to follow suit.

Iran and the Nuclear Agreement under Obama

Another enemy that the UAE and Israel both have agreed represents a threat is Iran. The Obama Administration made an effort to strike a deal with Iran that would empower the states nuclear capabilities. Both the UAE...

…he is hopeful the Accords will lead to a positive rather than a disastrous effect: Maybe this will convince the Palestinians that its time for them to do whatever Jordan and Egypt, now the UAE are willing to do. To see Israelis not as enemies but as friends, as assets to their well being, technology, security. We are very hopeful that maybe Palestinian leaders will now join forces with other Arab leaders and come back, negotiate with us (Ng, 2020). The UAE is certainly of this opinion as well.

That is why the time is ripe for the UAE and Israel to join forces on a number of levelssocially, politically, economically, diplomatically, and, if necessary, militarilyto oppose the growing threat represented by their common enemies. It is important to note, however, that the UAE is not turning its support from Palestine or any other Arab communities. What it is doing is denying the leaders of their communities their legitimacy. The UAE sees Palestines leaders as inauthentic and corrupt. It sees Hamas as a terror organization. It sees Hezbollah as the same. It wants to put a stop to their growing power, and it wants to prevent Iran from developing nuclear capabilities that might be used to create weapons of mass destruction. If Iran were to obtain these capabilities, the UAE and Israel both would see it as a major red line that would have to be defended for the good of their own security.

With the Trump Administration, the UAE saw the opportunity to move forward on this enterprise. Trump had viewed the Obama negotiations with Iran as a betrayal of Americas allies in the Middle East. He was adamant that the deal should be revoked. This showed to the UAE that the White House under Trump would represent a good base of support for formalizing relations with Israel. Under Trump, the US saw the potential for Iran to develop nuclear capabilities as a problemjust like UAE and Israel did. Thus, the stars came into alignment and it made sense for the UAE to move forward with its desire to create a new and open friendship with the state of Israel. To be sure, the two states had collaborated informally over the yearsbut the Accords were a clear show that now the friendship would be maintained in the open and would be supported both by words and actions to the mutual benefit of both parties.

Conclusion

For the UAE, the Abraham Accords came about at a decisive time in Middle East history. So long as Hamas, Hezbolla, Palestine and the Muslim Brotherhood continued to build their own support networks and increase their strength and influence in the region, no states would be safe. Israel and the UAE recognized this problem together, and with Trump in the White House they saw a better friend than what was there during the Obama Administration. By moving forward with the Accords, the two states thought to cement in history a new beginning that would further their aims and lead to an environment wherein other Gulf States and Arab communities saw that a better and brighter future lay ahead and could be achieved through mutual respect, collaboration, and win-win negotiations. Relying on terror tactics, violence, murder, and subterfuge would no longer be tolerated. That was the…