The $3 billion Secret Security Deals Between Israel and Abu Dhabi

The Ministry of Defense has approved – sometimes exceptionally – a series of arms deals between Israeli defense industries and the Abu Dhabi

Behind the scenes of the historic agreement: Abu Dhabi government and the Israeli Ministry of Defense have signed a series of arms deals worth about $ 3 billion in the past year and a half, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

Emirates has pledged: We will not pass on systems and knowledge to other parties.

Transactions included intelligence gathering systems, optical systems, cyber, monitoring (cameras, etc.), and border protection systems. Most of the deals made are of defensive weapon systems but not only – some have been overshadowed as a result.

In the Ministry of Defense, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there is a committee that can exclude arms deals as in this case. In exchange for a signature and commitment from the emirates not to transfer the systems and knowledge to third parties – it was decided to approve the deals.

In a statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the announcement of the establishment of relations with the Emirates, Netanyahu promised that this was a “new breakthrough – peace for peace.”

The Prime Minister added: “Establishing true peace is our desire – a peace that maintains security and the most valuable assets of our people, a peace that keeps the war away and does not bring it closer.”

This morning, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that as part of a covert clause in the peace agreement, the UAE will receive tens of billions of dollars worth of F-35s and UAVs from the United States. It was also reported that the deal has been frozen so far due to Israeli opposition – and now the US administration is about to thaw it. It should be noted, however, that this is a rather old request from the UAE that has not yet been approved by the US Congress.

Netanyahu insist that there has been no change in Israel’s opposition to the sale of tie-breaking weapons to any Mideast nation.

Under understandings, Washington has refrained from Middle East arms sales that may blunt Israel’s “qualitative military edge” (QME).

Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen denied the publication, saying that “there is no change in the policy that opposes the sale of advanced weapons to Arab countries that could reduce Israel’s military superiority.” Cohen added in an interview here on Net B: “Israel has not given its consent to change the arrangement.”

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