An Israeli official has openly boasted about the so-called “strategic alliance” between Tel Aviv and the UAE following his visit to Abu Dhabi to coordinate efforts with the Emirati regime on regional collaboration aimed at enforcing normalization and combating resistance forces.
Yair Golan, head of Israel’s Labor Party, former Knesset member for the Meretz Party, and former Deputy Chief of the Israeli Army, revealed his visit to the UAE and his meeting with the Emirati Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
In a post on Platform X (formerly Twitter), monitored by Emirates Leaks, Golan stated, “There was an excellent dialogue about regional strategy, the end of the war, and, of course, the importance of returning all the abducted individuals,” referring to the Israeli captives held in Gaza.
He added, “After the tragedy of October 7 (the 2023 Palestinian resistance attack), it is essential to establish a strategic alliance capable of striking at the head of the octopus as well,” in a clear reference to Iran.
UAE’s Role in Normalization and Regional Criticism
The International Crisis Group has previously stated that the UAE has become an outcast state due to its open alliance and normalization with Israel while ignoring the massacres committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In a detailed analysis titled “The UAE and Israel: A Test of Influence,” the group highlighted that since the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the UAE’s image across the region has significantly deteriorated due to its steadfast commitment to normalization with Tel Aviv.
The analysis underscored that the UAE signed the Abraham Accords in 2020, seeking strategic benefits. However, during the Gaza war, the costs of these agreements became apparent. While Abu Dhabi has shown no signs of reevaluating normalization, it may consider minor steps to register discontent with Israel’s campaign, according to the report.
Abraham Accords: Benefits and Challenges
In 2020, the UAE normalized ties with Israel, becoming, alongside Bahrain, one of the first Arab nations to establish formal diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv since Egypt and Jordan signed peace treaties with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively.
The Abraham Accords, as the 2020 normalization agreements are known, positioned the UAE as a close partner to Israel, leveraging its proximity, new communication channels, and goodwill to influence the Israeli government.
Emirati leaders initially claimed the accords would enable them to push for a fair resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, this was never the primary motivation for Abu Dhabi, nor has it resulted in any tangible change in Israeli policies toward Palestinians.
While the accords brought political capital to the UAE in Washington, improved its image in the West, and increased trade and arms supplies, they also raised the costs of normalization, especially during the Gaza war.
Domestic and Regional Backlash
The accords now pose a dilemma for Emirati leaders. They face growing anger across the Middle East—manifesting in harassment of Emirati citizens traveling within the region—and discontent within the UAE itself over the government’s silence regarding the destruction and human rights violations in Gaza while maintaining ties with Israel.
The escalation of tensions in the Middle East due to the war undermines the UAE’s stated goal of fostering peace and regional interconnectedness.
Although the Abraham Accords grant the UAE leverage to signal dissatisfaction with Israel’s Gaza policies and increase the costs of its military operations, there is no indication that Abu Dhabi intends to suspend normalization. Bahrain, for example, temporarily halted trade with Israel, signaling a possible path for Emirati action. However, the UAE has remained committed, believing the strategic benefits of the accords outweigh the mounting costs.
Widening Economic and Security Cooperation
Since 2020, UAE-Israel relations have expanded significantly across diverse sectors, raising questions about whether Abu Dhabi holds greater influence over Israel and how it might leverage this.
The UAE is now considered Israel’s main gateway to the Arab world. Emirates Airlines is one of the few regional carriers offering direct flights to Tel Aviv, and Abu Dhabi has established a land route connecting the UAE to Israel to mitigate trade losses caused by Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.
The two nations have rapidly expanded collaboration in areas such as finance, agriculture, energy, and technology. The UAE has become Israel’s second-largest trading partner in the Middle East after Turkey.
In 2023, there were over 1,000 Israeli companies operating in the UAE. The largest trade deal to date saw the UAE’s sovereign wealth fund purchase a 22% stake in Israel’s Tamar gas field for $1 billion. Additionally, UAE-based tech companies, including G42, have heavily invested in Israel’s technology sector.
This burgeoning economic relationship has proven vital during the Gaza war, as Israel’s economy has contracted by nearly 20% in the final quarter of 2023.
Challenges to UAE’s Regional Ambitions
The ongoing violence in Gaza and its regional spillovers pose significant challenges to the UAE’s ambitions of enhancing regional connectivity and stability. The conflict threatens Abu Dhabi’s goal of positioning itself as a logistics and trade hub linking Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
The UAE has traditionally relied on its ability to manage domestic dissent without democratic representation. However, with the war escalating, pressure is mounting on the leadership to align more closely with public sentiment, which demands stronger action against Israel.
While Emirati leaders defend their ties with Israel as a means of offering humanitarian aid, critics argue that the accords have done little to curb Israeli aggression or improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. For example, despite the UAE sending medical supplies and millions of dollars in aid to Gaza, an Israeli attack on a UAE-linked humanitarian organization’s central kitchen in Gaza on April 2, 2023, underscored the limits of its influence.
The UAE insists that normalization provides a platform for long-term conflict resolution, with its leaders emphasizing that the country’s participation in Gaza’s post-war reconstruction is contingent on a viable two-state solution.
Conclusion
The UAE’s deepening ties with Israel, while yielding strategic and economic benefits, have come at a growing political and social cost. The war in Gaza has amplified regional backlash and placed Abu Dhabi’s leadership under scrutiny, both domestically and internationally. As the conflict drags on, the UAE must navigate an increasingly delicate balance between maintaining its relationship with Israel and responding to mounting public discontent.
