UAE academic says most Emiratis oppose normalisation with Israel

An Emirati academic and professor of political science has revealed the result of a recent opinion poll which suggests that a large majority of his fellow UAE citizens, 71 per cent of respondents, oppose normalising relations with Israel and consider it a negative step.

“As far as I know,” said Dr Abdul Khaliq Abdullah on Twitter, “no Emirati has gone to Israel for a holiday this summer. If any did, they went secretly, ashamed and in hiding.” The “farce” of welcoming Israel to the UAE, he added, seems to have come to an end.

According to the opinion poll shared by Abdullah, as many as 35 per cent of Emiratis regard normalisation with Israel as “very negative”, while 36 per cent of respondents said it was “slightly negative”.

The Washington Institute published an opinion poll on 15 July indicating an increase in the number of Gulf Arabs who reject the Abraham Accords. Only a few faint voices accept the establishment of relations with the occupation state.

Israel and the UAE signed an agreement to normalise relations on 14 September, 2020, under the auspices of former US President Donald Trump.

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The UAE normalise ties with Israel – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]