Times have drastically changed in the Middle East in particular. In other words, the situation is vastly different now in this region from the way it was in the past. The Israeli president is underscoring the need for adequate security of the United Arab Emirates is a strong case in point. During his visit to the emirates recently, he said his country supports the United Arab Emirates security needs and seeks stronger regional ties.

The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed US-brokered normalization agreements with Israel, dubbed the “Abraham Accords”, in 2020. It is important to note that two Gulf states and Israel share concerns about Iran and its allied forces in the region. The ‘enemy of my enemy is my friend’ is an ancient proverb which suggests that two parties can or should work together against a common enemy. But Iran wasn’t UAE’s enemy per se. Allying itself with Israel is not a wise UAE move because of a variety of issues. The UAE is not Bahrain or even Egypt. Abu Dhabi’s partnership with Tel Aviv is strongly skewed in favour of the latter.

Ramazan Bakhtiar (Islamabad)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022