As Israel expands its war to Lebanon and is threatening Iran as well, there are important signs that Arab states in the region are finally stepping in to prevent a broader regional war. Will the Biden administration listen?
Netanyahu’s plans to turn Israel into a regional transportation hub connecting Asia with Europe has just suffered a major setback. The reason is the maritime and land blockade against Israel in response to its genocide in Gaza.
Unholy alliances: DP World, a company from the UAE, handed out suspensions to workers who honored a picket line and refused to unload an Israeli boat in Prince Rupert, Canada. They aided the Israeli Zim shipping company in trying to squash grassroots support for Palestine in that remote northern British Columbia town, whose port is under the jurisdiction of Canada’s Minister of Transport, Arab-Canadian Omar Alghabra. A scenario that even the most creative writer could not possibly make up.
Neera Tanden’s high-level nomination to OMB under Joe Biden is in trouble — partly because her think tank the center for American Progress received UAE millions and then may have toned down its criticism, including of the Saudi murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
The normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is based in the mutual interests of both country’s elites, but this doesn’t mean Israel is closer to being accepted in the region.
The Israel-UAE deal stems from the colossal failure of Trump-Netanyahu’s “Peace plan.” They could not get annexation off the ground. Annexation actually brought on the possibility of sanctions from Europe, and global isolation, and Israel found an exit ramp from the failed plan by dragging a quiet Arab partner into the light, Sam Bahour says.
In the wake of the normalization agreement between Israel and the UAE, Palestinians have taken to the streets across the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip to denounce the deal, which they have described as the ultimate “betrayal” and a “stab in the back.”
The UAE had a clear goal in signing a deal with Israel: gaining support and arms from the U.S. This reflects a long pattern of foreign leaders from Egypt to India to Russia being friendly with Israel so as to gain access to Washington. But our press ignores the trend.
The Israel-UAE deal is an exchange of veils. Israel’s Apartheid is veiled again, in return for the veil on UAE Israeli cooperation being removed. And the UAE sells out its commitment to Palestinian freedom.
The normalization of relations between the UAE and Israel, facilitated by the U.S., serves to prop up three repressive leaders — Trump, Netanyahu, and bin Zayed — and will cause further harm to Palestinians. It is both a shame and a sham.