Day after day, the scale of the UAE’s pivotal role in pushing new Arab states into the path of normalisation with Israel is becoming clearer — a regional project that is not just about peace or economics, as it is publicly marketed, but carries strategic goals tied to redrawing the map of political and security influence in North Africa and the Sahel. At the heart of this is the effort to surround Algeria and tighten control over key access points and resources in Sahel states, especially Mauritania.
In a move that reveals the depth of the security, economic, and political entanglement between the UAE and Israel, Arab diplomatic sources have disclosed details of a closed meeting held at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi on 28 June 2025 — just ten days after the strikes ceased between Israel and Iran.
According to the sources, three key figures attended — each signalling the scale of the project under discussion: Ronen Bar, head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service; Ali Saeed Al Shamsi, Deputy Head of the UAE State Security Service; and Hanena Ould Sidi, Mauritania’s Minister of Defence.
Normalisation Under the Cover of Investment
Leaked details of the meeting show that the arrangement was made at the direct request of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former US President Donald Trump, who still holds significant sway in decision-making circles in both Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv. As one source put it, Trump’s famous line was: “Mauritania is the next link.”
At the meeting, the doors for normalisation were thrown wide open as part of a comprehensive deal presented by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed through his security envoy. The deal includes major incentives:
- Direct UAE investments worth up to $3 billion in Mauritania.
- Support for traditional and renewable energy projects, especially the green hydrogen sector that Abu Dhabi seeks to dominate regionally.
- An Israeli-Mauritanian security partnership to train special units of the Mauritanian army.
- A propaganda campaign to present Mauritania regionally and internationally as a “moderate” actor balancing ties between the Gulf, the West, and Algeria.
Yet these incentives are not as benign as they appear. A leaked draft of the agreement reveals clauses more akin to a contract of submission, giving the UAE sweeping control over key levers of the Mauritanian state.
Ports and Security: An Intelligence Gateway for Abu Dhabi
The preliminary draft states:
- The UAE would manage 51% of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou ports — the lungs of Mauritania’s maritime trade and economy.
- Emirati companies would operate border security service points, giving Abu Dhabi a sensitive foothold in a country that borders Algeria and extends into the volatile Sahel region.
- The UAE would secure a permanent intelligence entry point into Mauritanian territory under the banner of “supporting counterterrorism efforts.”
In other words, Mauritania risks shifting from a fully sovereign state to a forward base for a broader regional project orchestrated by Abu Dhabi. By controlling ports and borders, the UAE gains hold over the main arteries of trade and transit in West Africa’s Sahel and opens the door for Israel to access rare intelligence opportunities on Algeria’s soft underbelly.
Algeria in the Crosshairs
It is no secret that Algeria remains the biggest obstacle to the “comprehensive normalisation” project championed by the UAE and Israel across the Maghreb and the Sahel.
Since the signing of the Abraham Accords, Algeria’s position has been steadfast in refusing any ties with Israel, going even further by backing Palestinian resistance movements and keeping the Palestinian cause a core pillar of its foreign policy.
Yet the UAE makes no secret of its ambition to encircle Algeria from all sides. From the west, Abu Dhabi played an active role in deepening Moroccan-Israeli normalisation despite the sensitivities surrounding Western Sahara. From the south, it is now working to turn Mauritania into a normalised ally that stands politically and security-wise in the UAE-Israel camp. Algerian diplomats have openly voiced fears that Mauritania could become a base for political and security pressure on Algeria — or even a tool for spying.
Bin Zayed Finishes What He Started in Morocco
What is unfolding in Mauritania is not isolated from a wider strategy pursued by Mohammed bin Zayed. The man now dubbed the “architect of normalisation” in the region never places his money anywhere unless there is a clear political or security return.
A well-informed Arab source on the normalisation file said: “The money that looks like a gift… is in reality a deferred submission contract. Bin Zayed is not pouring funds into Mauritania out of love for development… he’s closing what he started in Morocco, tightening Algeria’s southern flank, and locking down the Sahel — all in the name of peace.”
The source added that bin Zayed now relies on a fixed approach: “If he cannot subdue you by force… he buys you slowly, then puts the key in his pocket.”
One Step Ahead
The day after the Abu Dhabi meeting, Mauritanian Defence Minister Hanena Ould Sidi flew to Israel, where he was officially received. During the visit, discussions were held on the prospects of normalisation under bin Zayed’s plan.
So far, no detailed leaks have emerged about what was agreed, but consistent sources confirm that talks made headway and that the atmosphere in the presidential palace in Nouakchott is becoming more open to the idea — under the immense financial pressure Mauritania faces.
Mauritania is grappling with a suffocating economic crisis, making it highly vulnerable to Gulf funding temptations. But the heavy political and security price tag could turn any gains into chains.
Any move towards normalisation — especially in the current context — would place Nouakchott in direct confrontation with Algeria, its traditional ally, and with significant segments of Mauritanian society that still see Israel as an occupying entity.
In Summary
The UAE appears determined to use its financial and intelligence leverage to cement control over the African Sahel and tighten the noose around Algeria through the gateway of normalisation. What is happening in Mauritania today is just another chapter in a long series titled: “Normalisation in Exchange for Sovereignty.”
