UAE, Israel had secret relations for 20 years

In this handout image supplied by the Office of the Palestinian President, President Mahmoud Abbas (R) meets with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed on 22 September 2010 in New York. [Thaer Ganaim/Palestinian Press Office via Getty Images]

The Hebrew-language Israeli daily Maariv has revealed new details about the deep secret Israeli-Emirati relations which started about 20 years ago, Al-Khaleej Online reported yesterday.

Citing former Haarets intelligence and strategic affairs correspondent Yossi Melman, Maariv said that these relations developed due to the nature of common interests between the two sides.

The UAE has been developing its relations with Israel not as a state that has formal representation in the country, Melman said, stating that these relations are based on arms and intelligence IT deals worth billions of dollars sold by Israel to the UAE.

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He also noted that the countries’ common hostility towards the Muslim Brotherhood pushed Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed Bin Zayed to build an alliance with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.

Melman revealed that the US President Donald Trump, who has good personal relations with Bin Zayed, allows Israel to sell military technology dependent on American technology to the UAE.

The Israeli cyber company NSO sold software to Abu Dhabi, according to Melman, which enables the state to spy on the mobiles of its citizens, stressing that Tel Aviv knows about the violation of human rights in the UAE.

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