Graham’s comments came before he was due to visit the UAE on 17 February, following a trip to Tel Aviv.
Speaking in Israel ahead of his departure to the UAE, Graham said, “This trip is a special trip to me. It’s putting a fine point on something I have been working on for over two years. I leave from here to go to the UAE. Bibi wanted me to tell the press that he’s ‘amazed’ by the level of cooperation and the significance of the partnership between the UAE and Israel.”
“MbZ has done everything asked of him, and then some,” Graham added, relaying Netanyahu’s message.
“They’ve been a stalwart partner, a reliable partner, under difficult circumstances. I’m gonna go there … and acknowledge MbZ’s leadership and suggest that America improve his capability to defend the UAE and the region,” he went on to say.
The UAE officially normalized ties with Israel in 2020, when the US-brokered Abraham Accords were signed.
Since the genocide in Gaza began, Abu Dhabi – now Israel’s top Arab trade partner – has continued to pursue a strategic military relationship with Tel Aviv.
The UAE’s state-owned defense giant EDGE holds shares in top Israeli arms manufacturers, including Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The Gulf state has exported millions-worth of weapons to Israel that were directly involved in attacks on Gaza.
According to a report from last month, the close ties between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv were fostered in part by the late convicted pedophile, sex trafficker, and Israeli intelligence asset Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein enjoyed close ties to former DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who was recently replaced as head of the major Emirati port logistics firm following the release of an email exchange showing he sent a “torture video” to the sex offender.
Drop Site News said in January that Epstein used his intimate friendship with Bin Sulayem to serve as an informal diplomatic bridge between Israel and the UAE.
Also, that month, a leaked document revealed an Emirati government proposal calling for the use of UAE bases in the Red Sea to provide direct military, intelligence, and logistical support to Israel during its genocide in Gaza.
The document explicitly calls for the UAE to “strengthen Israel in its war on the terrorists in Palestine,” and for that support to continue “until the terrorists are defeated.”
In the years that followed the start of the Saudi-led war on Yemen in 2015, the UAE military established a widespread occupation of Yemeni ports, islands, and waterways – carried out in coordination with Israel.
The UAE has also established military bases along the coast of Somalia.
No comments:
Post a Comment