The Middle East Eye website, citing informed American sources, revealed that the UAE and Israel established a joint fund to acquire and develop new weapons systems, during the secret visit conducted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United Arab Emirates on March 26.
According to one of the sources, the new defense partnership includes working on “joint procurement” of weapons systems, in addition to the possibility of the UAE contributing to financing the development of technologies for Israeli air defense systems.
The source added that the two sides are also seeking to jointly acquire and develop anti-drone systems and other air defense systems.
The report indicated that the agreement regarding the defense fund was signed during Netanyahu’s visit to the UAE during the Iranian war.
“Huge sums” are allocated to the fund
Middle East Eye quoted a former American official as saying that “huge amounts of money” had been allocated to this fund, explaining that the scope of cooperation may expand in the future to include areas beyond air defense.
The website also quoted Yoel Guzansky, a researcher at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies, as saying that relations between the UAE and Israel are “the best ever,” considering that this level of cooperation is the closest that Israel has with an Arab country.
Gozansky added that establishing a joint fund to develop weapons systems represents a logical step in the path of relations between the two parties, noting that Israel possesses technology but needs financial resources, while the UAE possesses resources and needs technology.
Secret visit details
The visit, which took place in the city of Al Ain, was not officially announced until about seven weeks later, when on May 13, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement confirming that the Israeli Prime Minister secretly visited the UAE during the war on Iran, and met with the President of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Israeli statement described the visit as a “historic breakthrough” in relations between the two countries, while Abu Dhabi refrained from issuing a similar statement, and even publicly denied that the visit took place.
According to informed Israeli sources, the two sides agreed after the visit that Netanyahu’s office and the office of the UAE President would publish official statements and pictures from the meeting at a later time, provided that the announcement would be postponed due to the sensitivity of the political situation and the ongoing war at that time.
The spokesman for the former Israeli Prime Minister, Ziv Agmon, published a post on Facebook confirming that the meeting had taken place.
Agmon said that he accompanied Netanyahu during the “historic trip” that remained secret for a long time, adding that the Israeli Prime Minister was received in Abu Dhabi “with a reception worthy of kings.”
He added that Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, members of his family, and a number of prominent figures were receiving Netanyahu, noting that the UAE President personally drove the car that took Netanyahu from the plane to the palace, describing the visit as a “remarkable success” that will remain present in the memory of future generations.
