Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News: UAE

Showing posts with label UAE. Show all posts

Thursday, January 09, 2025

My proposal for making the Gaza an emirate of the UAE is getting a little closer to reality

Over a year ago, I proposed a "day after" scenario in Gaza that would bring peace and prosperity to the residents there, security to Israel and a huge boon to the entire region: turn Gaza into the eighth United Arab Emirate.

The reasons it makes sense are:

* Only a Gulf country has the resources to rebuild Gaza and realize its dream of becoming a Singapore.

* Israel is at peace with the UAE and would eagerly cooperate with it in facilitating the new emirate.

* The problem of territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza would no longer be an issue.

* Gazans would become UAE citizens, get passports, and could freely move to other emirates if they want. If they prefer to hold on to the dream of an independent Palestinian state, they can move to the West Bank.

* For the first time, there would be optimism about Gaza's future that would encourage investment.

* One can foresee joint Israel-UAE economic projects that would employ thousands of Gazans.

* The UAE would not tolerate terror. There would be no rockets, no cross-border raids, no tunnels.

* It would help the Sinai prosper as well, as Egypt would be able to reap benefits of an Arab economic powerhouse next door.

What would the UAE get out of it?

* A port on the Mediterranean

* Access to natural gas and other fossil fuels off the coast

* Overland routes of trucking and shipping tying the Gulf to the Mediterranean, facilitating imports and exports

* An airport would bring an air bridge as well

* Increased influence in the region, which the UAE desires

* Gaza could become a tourist destination and a meeting hub between European and Arab political and business leaders

Now, Reuters reports that the UAE is heavily involved in "day after" proposals. Not yet as far reaching as what I proposed but it is a step in the right direction.

The United Arab Emirates has discussed with Israel and the United States participating in a provisional administration of post-war Gaza until a reformed Palestinian Authority is able to take charge, according to people familiar with the talks.

The behind-the-scenes discussions, reported by Reuters for the first time, included the possibility of the UAE and the United States, along with other nations, temporarily overseeing the governance, security and reconstruction of Gaza after the Israeli military withdraws and until a Palestinian administration is able to take over, a dozen foreign diplomats and Western officials told Reuters.

"The UAE will not participate in any plan that fails to include significant reform of the Palestinian Authority, its empowerment, and the establishment of a credible roadmap toward a Palestinian state," a UAE official told Reuters, in response to questions about the discussions.

"These elements - which are currently lacking - are essential for the success of any post-Gaza plan."

I don't know if the UAE has ambitions to take over Gaza as I outlined. But if they do, then they would say exactly what they are saying now - that it would be temporary, that they want to see a reformed PA eventually take over the sector, that it must be a step towards a Palestinian state. That's the only way they could credibly get involved in the mess that is Gaza.

But here's the thing about the Middle East: temporary arrangements tend to become permanent absent a huge upheaval like a war.

UNRWA was meant to be temporary. The 1949 armistice lines were meant to be temporary. The Palestinian Authority itself was meant to be temporary. Momentum keeps them in place.

The PA is unreformable. The EU has already invested billions on making it into a responsible, modern government and it remains a thoroughly corrupt dictatorship with little popular support.

The West likes a status quo. If the UAE gets involved with Gaza, and heavily invests in its rebuilding, then it naturally would have a larger voice than, say, Qatar or Egypt in how it gets rebuilt and what it will eventually look like.

If the UAE shares my vision on the benefits of turning Gaza into an emirate, this is what it would so to start. Let's hope that this is only the first step.

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The Palestinian Authority rejected a UAE "day after" plan for Gaza that would lead to a Palestinian state. As they always do.

Palestinian Sada News gives details on a UAE plan presented to Antony Blinken about how to unify Gaza and the West Bank under a trusted, transparent and revamped Palestinian Authority, a move that would lead to a two state solution.

Mahmoud Abbas rejected it, as he has rejected every single peace plan that has ever crossed his or his predecessor's desk.

The plan includes:

The Palestinian Authority must undertake reforms and demonstrate transparency and accountability to restore its credibility and the trust of the Palestinian people and international partners, in exchange for being recognized as the sole legitimate governing body of Gaza. This process will include the appointment of a new prime minister and the establishment of a Gaza committee through presidential decree.

It also requires that the Israeli government make concessions, on the path to progress towards a two-state solution.

The plan includes the deployment of a temporary international mission based on an official request from the Palestinian Authority, whereby the mission will be deployed to replace the Israeli military presence in Gaza, and will supervise the stability of the situation and the enforcement of the law in Gaza.

The forces could include personnel from Arab countries, including military contractors, and the Palestinians would not have a direct role in security at first, the UAE document says.

The Steering Committee of the Temporary International Mission will consist of the UAE, the United States and other regional countries, and will be tasked with ensuring progress, coordinating international funding, monitoring Palestinian Authority reforms and reconstruction efforts, and security developments.

A special committee for Gaza will be formed, consisting of Palestinians, and will be responsible for the daily management of the Strip, the rehabilitation of the economy, social services, and government institutions, and will gradually build the Palestinian Authority's presence in Gaza.

The staff and workers will include former government employees of the Palestinian Authority, as well as former government employees who served under Hamas rule, provided they are vetted by the Steering Committee members and Israel.

The plan does not seek to conclude a new agreement with Israel, but it will ensure compliance with existing security and economic arrangements (such as the Paris Protocol), and Israeli security concerns will be addressed without the need for renegotiation, the Emirati document states.

The document also states that the Palestinian Authority will bear responsibility for the reconstruction of Gaza, with financial support from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other international donors.

Efforts will focus on rebuilding infrastructure, restoring services, and re-establishing Palestinian Authority institutions.

It will also aim to complete Palestinian reconciliation, by starting a dialogue between Fatah and Hamas to achieve a consensus that ensures Hamas' acceptance of the committee and the international mission.

The document indicates a timetable for initial steps, including issuing a presidential decree to form a new Palestinian Authority government and establishing a Gaza committee.

The plan has been pushed by the UAE for months, and the US has been receptive to it. Axios says, "Israeli officials say Netanyahu liked many parts of the Emirati plan but opposes the more politically-charged aspects, particularly the involvement of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and the two-state solution vision."

But the response from the PA was a resounding "no." Not a "we'll study it," not a "it has interesting ideas that we may want to keep." Just "strong opposition" to the plan that would force them to eliminate corruption.

So what's their plan? They don't have one.

They haven't said anything except for rejecting every other idea. They don't want any responsibility for governing Gaza - or the West Bank, to be honest. They want the trappings of government without any of the hard work.

The reason is that the PA likes having Hamas in charge of Gaza. It gives them an excuse for not solving problems. It allows them to pretend to be the "good cop" in the region and be honored as a real government of a real state. They like Hamas terrorism. They tacitly supported October 7.

The PA's goals have always been to destroy Israel, and any plan that allows Israel to continue to exist and to be able to defend itself is unacceptable.

Rejectionism is much easier than governing. Especially when the entire idea of a Palestinian state has always been to eventually replace Israel, not to live side by side with it.

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Another reason Gaza should become "The Emirate of Palestine"

People keep talking about the necessity of a plan for governing Gaza, and none of the plans suggested have the slightest chance of being successful.

The Palestinian Authority cannot govern themselves, let alone Gaza. Israel has tried empowering local clans as alternate rulers for years and it has never worked out because there are too many threats from armed Islamists and no one wants to look like a puppet to Israel.

I have suggested that the world give up on an independent Palestinian run Gaza for the foreseeable future and instead turn Gaza into "The Emirate of Palestine" controlled by the UAE.

* Only a Gulf country has the resources to rebuild Gaza and realize its dream of becoming a Singapore.

* Israel is at peace with the UAE and would eagerly cooperate with it in facilitating the new emirate.

* The problem of territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza is no longer an issue.

* For the first time, there would be optimism about Gaza's future that would encourage investment.

* One can foresee joint Israel-UAE economic projects that would employ thousands of Gazans.

* The UAE would not tolerate terror. There would be no rockets, no cross-border raids, no tunnels.

What would the UAE get out of it?

* A port on the Mediterranean

* Access to natural gas and other fossil fuels off the coast

* Overland routes of trucking and shipping tying the Gulf to the Mediterranean, facilitating imports and exports

* An airport would bring an air bridge as well

* Increased influence in the region, which the UAE desires

* Gaza could become a tourist destination and a meeting hub between European and Arab political and business leaders

Additionally, this is a practical reward for the Abraham Accords, which would encourage other Arab states to make peace with Israel. Egypt would work with the UAE to develop the Sinai instead of walling it off from Gaza.

Everyone wins, except those who want to destroy Israel.

There is an additional piece of data that points to the UAE as the best and most responsible partner for running Gaza: They have helped Gazans far more than any other country during this war.

The latest COGAT report says that more truckfuls of aid have come from the UAE than any other country.

The UAE built the largest field hospital in Gaza, with 200 beds.

Beyond their Khan Younis field hospital, the UAE also opened up a floating hospital in El Arish, Egypt last that is now taking Gaza patients.

While other countries are using Gaza as an excuse to bash Israel and consider Gazans to be cannon fodder for screaming Israel is guilty of "genocide." the UAE is one of the few countries that actually appears to care about the welfare of Palestinians as human beings. Who better to be responsible for Gaza's future? And who, outside Israel itself, has more experience in building a thriving economy out of nothing?

It would not be easy, but this plan is the only one anyone has suggested that has a chance of a permanent success. Let it be debated and compared with the other plans that the supposed "experts" are advocating where a corrupt Palestinian leadership controls Gaza or a weak Palestinian leadership must be propped up by Israel.

Start by describing the plan to actual Gazans and ask whether they like the idea.

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The "Emirate of Palestine" - the UAE is the key for a lasting solution to the Gaza crisis

There are lots of articles about "the day after" in Gaza.

Most of them envision some sort of Palestinian self-rule. The US, Saudi Arabia and others are pushing a "revitalized" Palestinian Authority.

This is a recipe for disaster. Palestinians overwhelmingly support Hamas and destroying Israel, in survey after survey. If there are elections, the terror supporters will win handily, just as they did in the last elections.

No one has come up with a better plan than my suggestion two months ago to turn Gaza into an emirate of the UAE.

As I wrote then (this is slightly modified):

There is one country that could turn Gaza into a wonderful place: the UAE. Gaza should become the fifth United Arab Emirate.

The UAE is at peace with Israel. it could pour massive amounts of money into rebuilding Gaza into a paradise. It wouldn't allow Islamists to gain a toehold.

Gazans would suddenly live in a place that has a future. The UAE and Israel could work on joint business ventures and economic zones to help employment and bring Gaza up to modern standards. One could imagine luxury hotels and high tech skyscrapers being built on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Gazans would become citizens of an Arab country and could still call themselves Palestinians. The emirate itself could be called "the Emirate of Palestine." Why not? And Gaza citizens of the UAE could move to the other emirates to seek other opportunities if they prefer, with Emirati entrepreneurs moving to Gaza to take advantage of a blank slate. Which is not dissimilar to how they built the UAE to begin with.

Why would the UAE be interested? Well, a port on the Mediterranean is a pretty big carrot. Shipping lanes from and to Europe would be a huge economic boost. Working with Israel, the proposed train line from the Gulf to Israel could be extended a bit to Gaza to tie the Gulf countries closer to the sea as well.

Beyond that, there are some significant gas deposits off the coast of Gaza. No one wants to risk drilling there now, but the UAE would solve that problem.

Also, Palestinians are among the best educated Arabs. There is a competent workforce already there.

Moreover, Gaza could become a money-making tourism destination. Wealthy Europeans could rub shoulders with wealthy Arabs and make deals much closer to home.

Gazans would have huge opportunities to work and thrive. There would be no more "refugees" in Gaza. UNRWA would be gone.

Egypt would be thrilled to have such a neighbor.The entire Sinai could benefit from increased trade.

Since then, my suggestion makes even more sense.

Right now, there is competition between Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE for influence over the Levant. Talal Mohammad writes in Foreign Policy:

Israel and the United States—its most important ally—have insisted that [Hamas] can have no role in Gaza’s future administration. Instead, both have proposed the establishment of a multinational force that would include a role for Arab states—including those in the Persian Gulf. This means that Gaza could become a hot spot for geopolitical rivalries between Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Qatari influence is disastrous. They support Hamas both with direct aid and through Al Jazeera, by far the most influential source of news in the Middle East. They cannot have a role in the future of Gaza.

Saudi Arabia might want more influence, but without peace with Israel, it is highly limited in what it can do.

The UAE is the solution.

Some people responded to my idea by saying the UAE wouldn't be interested, but as the FP article notes:

The UAE, which balances relations between major powers such as Russia and the United States, has expansionist ambitions. In addition to Yemen and Sudan, Abu Dhabi also backs proxies in conflicts in the Horn of Africa and Libya.

This would be a peace dividend for the UAE - a reward for the Abraham Accords. If anything, this benefit for the UAE would pressure Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel to have its own place at the table.

The article floats the idea of Mohammed Dahlan, the former Gaza Fatah strongman who now lives in Abu Dhabi, taking a role in rebuilding Gaza . I am not sure he is the best choice - most Palestinians can't stand him. But any UAE-approved leader of the "Emirate of Palestine" would be ruthless in suppressing the Islamists in Gaza, and that ruthlessness is what is needed for any plan to work. But they would also bring in billions to rebuild Gaza into a Singapore.

There is a lot of money in the Gulf to rebuild Gaza - but no one wants to spend a dime if there is a chance that Israel will destroy the new buildings in a few years, virtually a guarantee if Hamas or a successor has a role there. But Israel would fully support the UAE's ambitions for Gaza. It will never attack an ally.

A Gaza emirate instantly converts Gaza from an enemy to a friend. Isn't that what everyone dreams of? Besides those who want to destroy Israel, that is.

Moreover, the UAE has been negotiating with an Israeli firm to build a "land bridge" of trucks from the Port of Dubai to Israeli ports to bypass the Red Sea and the Houthis for shipping to Europe. If the UAE were to build a port in Gaza, it could be on both ends of the shipping traffic.

The UAE is uniquely positioned to turn the Gaza lemons into lemonade. This is the real reward for the Abraham Accords - a port on the Mediterranean, access to gas reserves off Gaza, and the opportunity to solve the Gaza quagmire not just for a few years but forever.

It is easy to poke holes in any idea, especially one as out of the box as this one. The political obstacles are formidable. But can anyone suggest anything that is better? Or one that could be expected to last for decades?

This plan is a win for Israel, a win for the UAE, a win for Gazans, a win for Egypt, and a win for the West that wants to solve the Middle East crisis. It is a real solution, and a permanent one.

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The best solution for everyone: Turn Gaza into a new emirate for the UAE! (update)

There have been a number of articles about how to fill the vacuum that ill be left in Gaza after Israel destroys Hamas. It is a significant question: no one wants another Islamist group to take over.

The US is pushing for the Palestinian Authority to reassert control, but the PA is trying to extort a state out of it, saying it doesn't want to gain power based on Israeli actions.

But the PA is a corrupt, weak entity. Nobody likes them, least of all its citizens. It lost Gaza once and it would likely lose it again.

Egypt doesn't want Gaza. Egyptians hate everything about it. After all, it was Egypt that turned it into a virtual prison for Palestinian refugees after the 1948 war.

Israel doesn't want Gaza back. It doesn't want to govern two million hostile Arabs, not to mention take over day to day governance. Imagine the suicide bombings at every governmental office. And, of course, it would be "occupation."

So who should run Gaza the day after Hamas is eradicated?

When Israel left Gaza in 2005, optimists thought it could become a new Singapore. Palestinian incompetence and Hamas ended that fantasy. Hate for Israel was far more important than helping Palestinians live their lives.

But there is one country that could turn Gaza into a wonderful place: the UAE. Gaza should become the fifth United Arab Emirate.

The UAE is at peace with Israel. it could pour massive amounts of money into rebuilding Gaza into a paradise. It wouldn't allow Islamists to gain a toehold.

Gazans would suddenly live in a place that has a future. The UAE and Israel could work on joint business ventures and economic zones to help employment and bring Gaza up to modern standards. One could imagine luxury hotels and high tech skyscrapers being built on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Gazans would become citizens of an Arab country and could still call themselves Palestinians. The emirate itself could be called "the Emirate of Palestine." Why not? And Gaza citizens of the UAE could move to the other emirates to seek other opportunities if they prefer.

Why would the UAE be interested? Well, a port on the Mediterranean is a pretty big carrot. Shipping lanes from and to Europe would be a huge economic boost. Working with Israel, the proposed train line from the Gulf to Israel could be extended a bit to Gaza to tie the Gulf countries closer to the sea as well.

(UPDATE): Beyond that, there are some significant gas deposits off the coast of Gaza. No one wants to risk drilling there now, but the UAE would solve that problem.

Also, Palestinians are among the best educated Arabs. There is a competent workforce already there.

Moreover, Gaza could become a money-making tourism destination. Wealthy Europeans could rub shoulders with wealthy Arabs and make deals.

Gazans would have huge opportunities to work and thrive. There would be no more "refugees."

Egypt would be thrilled to have such a neighbor.The entire Sinai could benefit from increased trade.

This idea is a win for literally everyone - except those people whose entire lives are dedicated to destroying Israel.

People who truly want peace in the region would love to see this idea work. People who only want to get rid of Israel would hate this idea.

But can anyone think of any better future for Gaza than this?

Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!

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UAE Foreign Minister condemns Abbas' antisemitic statements

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with the leaders of Jewish groups at the UN today.

According to the Emirates WAM News Agency, "His Highness condemned the irresponsible statements made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas regarding the Jews and the Nazi Holocaust."

The minister also said that the UAE rejects hate speech and extremism, contempt of religions, racism, and racist discrimination in all its forms.

As far as I can tell, this is the first Arab government official to publicly condemn Abbas' antisemitic statements.

This is not a small thing. He will take some heat for saying this, and he could have avoided the topic altogether.

He deserves thanks for destroying the Arab consensus of either supporting Abbas or staying quiet.

Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!

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The UAE both helped, and tried to hurt, Israel during UNIFIL resolution debates

The UN Security Council passed a resolution extending the mandate of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon for another year.

There were some points of contention during the debates. The major issue was that the original proposed language from France copied language from last year's resolution that Hezbollah and Lebanon opposed that gives freedom of movement to UNIFIL and allows it to travel without coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces. This is of course necessary for UNIFIL to be able to restrict Hezbollah activities there. As the US UN Ambassador Linda said after the vote:

We know UNIFIL has been unable to access a range of troubling sites across the Blue Line, including illegal firing ranges, Green Without Borders sites, rocket launch sites, and tunnel sites. It is clear the main purpose of these sites is to facilitate Hizballah’s operations in southern Lebanon along the Blue Line. This constrains the Mission from fully achieving the directives set forth in the mandate and hinders the Mission’s ability to reduce the likelihood of conflict.

The political drama between China and Russia, taking Hezbollah's side, and the US and UAE taking the anti-Hezbollah side, was interesting:

A key point of contention was language introduced by resolution 2650 saying that, pursuant to the Agreement on the Status of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (SOFA), which was signed between Lebanon and the UN in 1995, “UNIFIL does not require prior authorization or permission to undertake its mandated tasks” and that it “is authorized to conduct its operation independently”.

...During the negotiations, China and Russia apparently supported Lebanon’s position and requested the removal of language introduced in resolution 2650 on UNIFIL not needing prior authorisation to undertake its tasks and demanding that the parties guarantee UNIFIL’s freedom of movement, “including by allowing announced and unannounced patrols”. These members demanded the replacement of this text with language saying that “UNIFIL shall benefit from freedom of movement in coordination with the government of Lebanon”. While recognising that coordination between UNIFIL and the LAF is a valuable factor, it seems that the penholder and several other members held the view that coordination is not a precondition for UNIFIL to carry out its mandated functions.

The draft resolution placed in blue on 29 August attempted to bridge these diverging positions. Although it retained language reaffirming that, pursuant to the SOFA, UNIFIL does not require prior authorisation to undertake its tasks and that it is authorised to conduct its operations independently, the phrase “while continuing to coordinate with the Government of Lebanon, as per the SOFA” was added and the reference to “announced and unannounced patrols” was removed. However, it seems that the UAE was particularly unhappy with these changes, apparently leading France to reinsert the language on “announced and unannounced patrols” in the revised draft resolution put in blue yesterday. The reference to coordination with the Lebanese government “as per the SOFA” still appears in the revised text.

So the UAE was more hawkish on Hezbollah than France was. Good to know.

Northern Ghajar is Syrian territory, not Lebanese, and Israel intended to withdraw but then the Syrian civil war broke out. Also the residents do not want to have their town divided again. Most are Israeli citizens.

But then the UAE turned around and tried to insert language condemning Israel for "occupying" a tiny part of southern Lebanon:

The first draft text included a new preambular reference “expressing concern at the continued occupation of northern Ghajar,” a village which straddles the Blue Line, “and an adjacent area north of the Blue Line”. This is in addition to operative language already contained in resolution 2650 urging Israel to expedite the withdrawal of its army from northern Ghajar. Although the UAE proposed “condemning” the occupation, it appears that this change was not made, while the term “occupation” was replaced by “the continued Israeli presence” to accommodate the US’ position on this issue.

Following requests by some members—including China, Russia, and the UAE—both references to northern Ghajar were changed during the negotiations to “northern Ghajar and an adjacent area north of the Blue Line, in the outskirts of the town of Al-Mari”, to reflect more closely the language preferred by Lebanon to refer to this area. While this language still appeared in the draft that was put in blue on 29 August, the reference to “the outskirts of the town of Al-Mari” was removed from the amended draft that was put in blue yesterday in a likely concession to the US, which had consistently opposed this language during the negotiations.

The UAE is pushing its weight at the Security Council.

Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!

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A surprising number of Arab youth in the UAE, Egypt and even Algeria(!) support normalization with Israel

From reading the media, the impression one gets is that while Arab governments are considering the benefits of closer relations with Israel, the populations are completely against it.

It turns out that this is not exactly true.

The 2023 Arab Youth Survey mentions that nearly 17% of Gulf citizens and 11% of North African youth now see Israel as a strong ally or somewhat of an ally of their country, and notes that "these modest approval ratings would have been unthinkable several years ago."

The most surprising results come from when Arab youth were asked how strongly they support their government's normalizing relations with Israel.

Among the Abraham Accords countries, there was strong support from the UAE youth, with 75% supporting normalization. For Morocco it was 50%, while it was only 30% in Bahrain and a mere 3% in Sudan.

More interesting were the results from other Arab countries.

An incredible 73% of Egyptian youth support normalization with Israel, which is a complete surprise for anyone who monitors Egyptian media that is virtually unanimous in opposing Israel.

47% of South Sudan youth want to see normalization, along with 39% of youth in Oman.

Even more astonishing is the attitudes of youth in other Arab countries.

Fully 31% of Algerian youth support normalization, at a time when its media is among the most antisemitic - and hugely against Morocco's relations with Israel.

Also surprising is that 19% of Syrian youth want to see normalization with Israel - and in Yemen, 19% strongly support such normalization.

These are numbers that simply would be inconceivable in years past.

Yet in Jordan, which is benefitting from ties to Israel in deals to provide the kingdom with much-needed water and natural gas, only 6% of youth want to see normalization with Israel.

And 100% of Palestinian youth never want to see normalized relations with Israel.

The survey includes this eye-opening graphic:

With the notable exception of Egypt, the countries that are the most antisemitic tend to also be the countries whose youth most reject ties with Israel.

The media has once again dropped the ball on reporting from the Arab world. There are real consequences and policy decisions that can be made based on these results, but the people whose jobs are to analyze these sorts of trends are clueless and instead parrot what "everyone knows."

Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!

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Arab media painting "land bridge" idea between the Gulf and Haifa in antisemitic terms

Last week, YNet reported:

Jerusalem and Washington are advancing a secret plan to establish a continuous land bridge connecting the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel, leading from the Persian Gulf straight to Israel's seaports. This is intended for the export of goods from the East to Europe through Israel, and later for tourist movement as well.

The land bridge will enable trucks to transport goods while significantly reducing transportation costs and time compared to the current situation.

According to a study conducted by the Foreign Ministry and the U.S. government, the time reduction is estimated to be from two to three days to several weeks, and saving up to 20% in shipping costs.

Currently, trucks leaving the United Arab Emirates reach the port of Haifa via the Allenby Bridge but face bureaucratic procedures, including driver changes, paperwork and lengthy waiting times. Another expensive option for shipping goods is via ships through the Suez Canal and then to European ports, which is also costly.

The idea is to enable the arrival of a single truck and driver from Dubai to the port of Haifa, for example, without changing drivers and trucks at border crossings between countries. The Israeli Foreign Ministry presented the plan to the U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein.

According to senior Israeli officials, the Americans were enthusiastic about the plan and began promoting it with the involved countries: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Sounds like a win-win-win. As long as proper security measures are in place, the idea of cutting shipping times from weeks to days between the Gulf and Europe will benefit everyone, and help solidify peace in the region.

So the usual haters are starting their campaign against it. And their major reason to oppose it is....classic antisemitism.

Rai al-Youm, a site run by known antisemite and terror supporter Abdel Bari Atwan, describes this plan as a nefarious plan for Jews to take over the economy of the Gulf. It headlines the story, "Israel's plan to control the wealth of the East."

Their illustration:

The article concludes that "It goes without saying that if the aforementioned plan succeeds, the entity will enjoy Arab money for free." The comments go on from there with various Jewish plots to take over the UAE and Bahrain.

It will be most enlightening to follow this plan. The economics and US enthusiasm may convince the Saudis to go along with it even without an official agreement between them and Israel. Assuming that they are on board, there is no reasonable objection to this plan except pure hate of Jews.

But if history is a guide, the "progressives" who are the bulk of modern antisemites in the West will work overtime to come up with reasons to oppose this plan that will sound reasonable to those who share their latent antisemitism. We will see objections based on "human rights" even though there is no human rights issue here. They will craft convoluted essays opposing it that will first be published in Al Jazeera, then sharpened and focused to be acceptable to The Nation, and then crafted further to be in the New York Times op-ed page.

But as the first knee-jerk reaction in Rai al-Youm shows, the real reason is hate of Jews, and the other excuses that follow will have only one purpose: to hide the nakedly antisemitic intent of that opposition.

Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!

Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.

Read all about it here!

The Saudis are emerging as the new superpower of the Middle East

The United States has left a leadership vacuum in the Middle east - and the Saudis filling it.

For decades, there has been jockeying on who would be the leader of the Muslim world. Egypt filled the role under Nasser but since then it has been a free for all.

Iran tried to position itself as that leader in the 2000s, but it could not overcome the antipathy from the Sunni majority. Turkey has been making its bid. The UAE, while tiny, has been trying to set a new direction for the Gulf states in a post-oil world.

But over the past couple of years, Saudi Arabia has emerged as the clear leader. The Saudis always wanted a leadership role as well, but until recently their main asset was Mecca, and the religious component was a necessary but not adequate prerequisite for true leadership.

Now, the Saudis are setting the agenda not just as the leaders of the Muslim world but of the entire region.

Up until now, the Saudis have been the passive recipients of US security guarantees. The Obama administration's reckless pursuit of an Iran deal and discarding Saudi concerns taught the Saudis that relying on the US for security and leadership is foolhardy and they need to create their own solutions. The ignominious US abandonment of Afghanistan showed that the days of Pax Americana are long gone.

There has been much media attention to China filling the leadership vacuum, and indeed China has ambitions there, but mostly just to keep things calm to serve their own interests. The Saudis are not being passive anymore. They have been becoming skilled diplomats and working all sides to become congruent with Saudi goals and ambitions. I see the Chinese role in brokering agreements between Riyadh and Tehran as more the Saudis using China to rein in Iran than China showing leadership.

What are the Saudi goals? I believe that the major goal is security. Letting the US, Russia, and China set the agendas for the Middle East guarantees permanent strife for the region with no benefits. The Saudi vision for the region is to reduce risk by ending pointless conflict that only benefitted outsiders.

Refreshingly, the Saudis - along with the UAE and Bahrain - seem to have abandoned the zero-sum mentality that has kept the Arab world behind for so long. They are now seeking win-win solutions that can allow everyone to prosper without the worry of war, with themselves as the leaders.

The Saudi-led rapprochement between the Arab League and Syria is a perfect example. From their perspective, Syria is an evil regime, and there is no love lost between Syria and the other Arab states. Yet nothing has been gained by a decade of shunning them. Better to embrace them and influence them in a bear hug.

To an extent, this may be the Saudi policy towards Iran as well, as the Iranian economy is in terrible shape, and the Saudis are quite publicly telling the world that they have lots of cash. Their buying major soccer stars is a message to their neighbors. The Saudis may see Iran's threats to refine uranium to levels needed for the atom bomb as a bid for influence, and the message back is that Iran can have more influence and economic independence if they join in with the Saudi vision and de-emphasize their nuclear ambitions. (I'm not saying this will work, but if Iran is closer to the Saudi orbit, then Saudi Arabia is no longer a potential nuclear target.)

The Saudi leaders have been wisely investing in a future without fossil fuels, and they are trying to position themselves as an economic powerhouse in the coming decades. The Saudis want to keep the the peace with promises of sharing the economic future, but unlike similar US promises, the Saudis have skin in the game.

In recent weeks there has been more talk of the Saudis making peace with Israel. Again, the Saudi diplomats are in the driver's seat. Instead of the US leading the way, the Saudis are using the carrot of a possible peace deal to get what they can out of the US. They see the Arab-Israeli conflict as a pointless waste of time that hasn't benefitted anyone. On the other hand, they see great potential benefits of Israeli participation in the Saudi vision of the future

In the old Arab mindset, the Palestinian issue was useful: it distracted from infighting and Arab corruption. It was used to create a false sense of Arab unity. In the new Saudi vision, those goals are better addressed by actually trying to build a modern society with transparency and a prosperous future. The Saudis still care about Palestinians but they know that there is no humanitarian disaster and that Palestinians are in no worse shape - and often better shape - than most other Arabs. They will try to leverage peace to get concessions from Israel on the issue, but the Palestinians are an afterthought in the Saudi vision for its role as the leader of the region.

The Saudis want the Middle East to be a player on the world stage in a post-superpower world, and they want to be the ones to set the agenda for the region. So far, they are doing exactly that.

Israel needs to decide on its own vision and determine how close it is to the Saudi version.

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More "Apartheid:" Israel helps free Israeli Arab anti-Zionist activist from UAE prison

From Times of Israel:

An Israeli woman was released from prison in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday night and was flown back to Israel early Sunday, after UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan granted her amnesty as a personal gesture to President Isaac Herzog.

Fidaa Kiwan was serving life in prison for drug smuggling. She was originally sentenced to death in April 2022, but the Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court canceled the punishment and sentenced her to life behind bars in July.

Kiwan, a 44-year-old Haifa resident who owns a photography studio, reportedly came to Dubai for work at the invitation of a Palestinian acquaintance. She was arrested a short while later, on March 17, 2021, after a search of her apartment turned up the drugs. She claimed that the cocaine was not hers.

World Israel News fills in some details:

Kiwan, a staunch anti-Zionist, previously made headlines in 2010 for refusing to serve a uniformed IDF soldier in a café she once owned. The café eventually closed.

According to Hebrew language media reports, her brother, a one-time employee of public broadcasting station Kan, trashed a room at his workplace in which Israeli flags were displayed.

After her Kiwan’s arrest in Dubai, she initially resisted help from Israeli officials because of her political views. However, she eventually reached out to Israeli authorities for assistance.

Her family vocally accused the Israeli government of racism, claiming in a press conference that officials weren’t doing enough to help her case because of her Arab ethnicity.

President Isaac Herzog personally asked UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan to pardon Kiwan and he agreed, according to a statement from Herzog’s office.

Kiwan’s release came on the first day of Ramadan.

The president of the Jewish state put a great deal of his own political capital on the line to save the life of an anti-Zionist Arab - because she is a citizen of Israel and that is the government's job.

(h/t iTiIL972)

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The most paranoid, antisemitic take on Dubai's "Abrahamic Family House" yet

As I've been reporting, ever since the Abraham Accords were announced, some Arab commentators have sounded the alarm, saying that this is the beginning of a new "Abrahamic" religion meant by Jews to destroy Islam.

Those fears were multiplied by the opening of the multifaith Abrahamic Family House in Dubai.

Now the head of the Egyptian Islamist Nour party is putting all the pieces together:

Sameh Bassiouni, head of the Supreme Committee of the Nour Party, said that the world order is now promoting the model of the so-called “Abrahamic House.” It is not a call for peaceful coexistence, as the supporters claim, or the deceived repeat. It is a tactical phased step to domesticate future generations through multiple and disparate devotional rituals in one complex under the deception of the unified Abrahamic creed.

In an article published by Al-Fath on its website, Bassiouni stressed that the deception of the Abrahamic religion is a prelude to dissolving the concept of Islamic faith and identity in Arab-Islamic countries, and then pushing for a federation of the alleged Abrahamic states in the region. This will dissolve the concepts of the unity and cohesion of the homeland.

Then the door opens wide to achieve the fixed strategic Zionist plans to implement the Talmudic dream of a Jewish state "from the Nile to the Euphrates" without objection from future generations in the Arab Islamic countries.

It is all so clear now!

I wish that Israel was half as strategic as the Arabs think it is.

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Here's a new one: "Jews exterminated Native Americans"

It is rare to see a completely new antisemitic libel. Most of them are retreads of older ones. But thanks to a Houthi newspaper, we can see an entirely new accusation against Jews.

The main part of the article in the news site 26Sep rails against Emirati normalization with Israel and warns that Israel will turn the UAE into a Zionist satellite nation. This is all standard antisemitic conspiracy theory stuff.

Most of the other antisemitism is nothing special, such as the assertion that "the nature of the Jewish personality does not tend to harmonize and interact with others" or that a kosher restaurant in Dubai is a sign of an impending Jewish takeover of the emirates.

But then we see something news. The author, Mahmoud Al Hashemi, compares Israel's supposed manipulation of the UAE to how Jews supposedly manipulated Ferdinand and Isabella in Spain in 1492:

Jews persuaded the Spanish Queen Isabella at that time to finance the journey of discovering America, convincing her of gold, silver and minerals in this land. Five of the Jews accompanied the trip. After the discovery of America, the Jews deliberately exterminated the original people, so that everyone would be immigrants and no one would claim that this land belongs to his ancestors. Indeed the Jews dominated America, and they considered New York as the "promised land."

Jews have been blamed for every other awful thing in history, so of course they must be responsible for the native American genocide as well.

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Some Arabs very upset by a synagogue in Abu Dhabi

Last week, to much fanfare, the Maimonides synagogue was formally opened in Abu Dhabi as part of the Abrahamic Family House interfaith project spearheaded by the UAE royal family.

Many reports say that this is the first synagogue in Abu Dhabi, but in fact there was a modest synagogue that had been operating quietly for years in a rented villa for Jewish businesspeople in the Emirates.

Most of the Arabic language articles about the new synagogue have been respectful, but many - especially from outlets sympathetic to Iran - have been upset over this.

It appears that the articles that are upset over the complex are trying to manufacture and stoke the outrage rather than report on it.

Watanserb dug through social media to find critics of the synagogue. They found a couple of prominent critics but they also sought out Tweeters with only a few dozen followers to fill out the story.

Ahmed al Khalili, the Mufti of Oman, believes that giving equal weight to Christianity and Judaism with Islam is a violation of the Quranic decree not to take Christians and Jews as allies.

Popular tweeter HureyAksa also says that the complex is "heretical" and fights against Islam. (More recently, he took video of the "Chief Rabbi of Saudi Arabia" promoting the Saudi Neom project, saying that it will be built specifically for the use of the "occupation.")

Some Saudis seem to be afraid that the UAE is trying to supplant the Kaaba as the central religious site in the world. A Yemeni site even said that the UAE is trying to change the direction of the qiblah, the prayer direction, away from Mecca.

Of course, many in Arab media are calling this house of prayer more evidence of "normalization" with Israel, citing Israeli newspapers who are reporting on the story.

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"Jewish settlers" taking over the UAE? US-based pan-Arab newspaper upset over a mezuzah

Watanserb is a popular US-based Arab news site. They have a new, breathless story based on a tweet by Israel in the Gulf showing UAE's Chabad Rabbi Levi Duchman:

The tweet prompted one of Watanserb's top stories:

In the manner of “soft settlement,” Jews residing in the United Arab Emirates continue to buy homes to live in, at a time when Israel is demolishing the homes of Palestinians in the occupied territories and the homes in Gaza.

The “Israel in the Gulf” page, the mouthpiece of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published on its Twitter account a picture of one of these houses.

Rabbi Levi Duchman appeared next to a girl carrying a paper scroll, and wrote a comment saying: "Little by little, the number of Jewish homes is growing in the Emirates , the country of tolerance."

...In the past two years, since the so-called Abraham Accords that brought an influx of Jewish and Israeli tourists and businessmen to the Emirates, the local community has grown by hundreds of people, Rabbi Levi Duchman, the chief rabbi of the United Arab Emirates, told Yedioth Ahronoth .

And the Abraham Accords between Israel and the Arab countries led to the flourishing of Jewish life in the Gulf - according to the newspaper's expression - where it became possible to walk around with the "kippah" - the hat of the Jewish extremists - without fear, celebrate at Jewish weddings, and enjoy Jewish "kosher" food , and a way of life that Israelis did not dream of in the streets and cities of the Gulf before.

Their caption on the photo was "Rabbi Levi Duchman and a scroll bearing Talmudic inscriptions."

Yup, the Jews are extremist Talmudic settlers in the UAE, ready to take over!

The article even says most of the Jews living in the UAE come from United States, Argentina, South Africa, France and England, not Israel. But they are Jews, and therefore a danger to Arabs.

At least to those who read Watanserb.

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