Despite the UAE had officially denounced and criticized the presence of far-right politicians in Israel new government, newly released reports say that the Persian Gulf state is now acting and saying otherwise.
Last month on December 2nd, several far-right Israeli politicians, including Itamar Ben Gvir, were invited to join the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reception in “Tel Aviv” in celebration of the UAE’s National Day.
There, Ben-Gvir, who is best known for calling to kill Palestinians, openly and clearly announced his intention of dominating all the West Bank as soon as the new government in Israel is set in motion.
According to a report published by jgtm on December 25, the celebration party was held in a grand at the UAE embassy in the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv, when Ben-Gvir, the leader of the Religious Zionist Party of Israel, said that he aspires to have the administration of the West Bank and Jerusalem exclusively in the hands of Israel.
He stated his position explicitly before the Emirati ambassador, adding that he is trying, through his participation in the next government, to dissolve the Palestinian Authority and replace it with a full control of Israel over the entire West Bank.
To make matters worse, it was on November 25th that the Likud party, led by Netanyahu, announced that it signed its first coalition agreement with Ben-Gvir, granting him the office of the police minister in Israel and a seat in Israel’s security cabinet. It is worth mentioning that Ben Gvir is one of the fiercest enemies of the Arabs in the occupied territories.
The UAE, the master of playing double standards
The UAE’s invitation of Ben Gvir and other far-right politicians of Israel was shocking as previously, Abu Dhabi had warned that Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the religious party, could jeopardize the normalization process between “Israel” and the UAE if they are to have a seat in the new government’s cabinet in Israel.
But the even more jaw-dropping news was the position of the Emirati ambassador in the meeting after Ben Gvir said of his intention of a full control of Israel over the entire West Bank.
After Ben Gvir finished his controversial words, the Emirati ambassador, Mohammed Al Khaja, said: “The security file for the West Bank and Jerusalem must be in the hands of the Israeli authority because in the eyes of us, it is a domestic issue for Israel”.
Confirming that Israel knows best how to manage the affairs of Arabs and Jews, Al Khaja asserted that “we do not want to interfere in this matter.”
To complete the contradictions, the UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Saturday congratulated Netanyahu on assuming office and through a phone call with Netanyahu, said he was looking forward to “strengthening ties between the two countries in all fields and advancing partnership between the two sides”.
But this much of counting on ties with the new government in Israel for the UAE leaders seem to be very naïve and hasty as many experts believe that the new government, with its incongruous structure full of extremists, far-rights, and ultra-religious figures, can only produce more violence and more division among both Israeli people and elites.
