A former Yemeni minister has warned about the dangers of a joint UAE-Israeli project that threatens Yemen’s present and future, calling for national unity to counter Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv’s conspiracies against the country.
Saleh Al-Jabwani, former Yemeni Minister of Transport and a leader in the Shabwa National Council, stated that the UAE’s regional ambitions are essentially an extension of Israeli interests. He expressed disappointment that Yemen, a nation with a rich history of conquests and civilization, has fallen under the influence of this project.
Al-Jabwani emphasized that “the UAE’s project in the region, which is fundamentally an Israeli project, is facing significant setbacks on the ground.” He pointed to regional developments as evidence of this decline.
He noted that “the Sudanese army is on the verge of victory over the militias of Hemeti (Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo), and Haftar (Khalifa Haftar in Libya) has been frozen in Benghazi. If not for periodic Russian interventions, he would have collapsed long ago.”
He continued, drawing parallels to Syria’s deposed leadership: “Similar to the ousted Syrian regime, which in its final years sought refuge under Bin Zayed, hoping for salvation, only to face its downfall once Russia withdrew its support.”
Even in war-torn and besieged Gaza, Al-Jabwani claimed, “the UAE’s suspicious aid projects failed to serve Israel’s interests. The Palestinian resistance stood firm and ultimately forced Israel into signing a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal as equals.”
UAE’s Influence in Yemen
The former Yemeni transport minister asserted that the UAE’s project has made significant progress only in Yemen. He blamed this on Abu Dhabi’s exploitation of local factions, recruiting regional groups to form an army that has not only seized control of most southern governorates but also infiltrated the leadership of Yemen’s legitimate government. He attributed this development to “corruption, cowardice, and the opportunism of the Yemeni elite.”
Expressing his sorrow, he remarked: “Yemen, with its history of conquests, revolutions, and glory, is now a captive controlled by the slaves of the UAE-Israeli project.” He lamented that it seemed “as if Yemeni men no longer exist, leaving only those who are subservient to external powers.”
Al-Jabwani shared that in discussions with numerous Yemeni political leaders and foreign diplomats, including the U.S. ambassador in Amman months ago, one question consistently arises: “What is the solution?”
In response, he asserted that neither the Presidential Leadership Council, the government, Saudi Arabia, nor even the U.S. could resolve the crisis without restoring the balance of power in the south. “Without this balance,” he warned, “the faction aligned with the UAE will not only dictate the fate of the south but will determine the future of Yemen as a whole. The country is being fragmented today as a prelude to its division.”
He concluded with a stark warning: “Today, we lament the loss of the state. If we do not act now, tomorrow we may lose Yemen itself.”
