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Israel Announces Partnership With U.A.E. to Fight the Coronavirus Israel Announces Partnership With U.A.E., Which Throws Cold Water On It
(about 4 hours later)
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel announced a new partnership with the United Arab Emirates on Thursday to cooperate in the fight against the coronavirus, the latest advance in the Jewish state’s efforts to build stronger ties with Arab states. TEL AVIV, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel announced a new partnership with the United Arab Emirates on Thursday to cooperate in the fight against the coronavirus, portraying it as the latest advance in the Jewish state’s efforts to build stronger ties with Arab states.
The partnership, announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at an air force base near Tel Aviv, would represent a significant step toward normalization between two key United States allies in the Middle East. But Mr. Netanyahu’s ebullient description was contradicted a few hours later when the Emirates issued a much more muted statement, announcing what it described as an agreement between two private Emirati companies and two Israeli companies to develop technology to fight the virus.
The Emirati statement took the wind out of what Mr. Netanyahu had touted as a diplomatic coup, suggesting that despite the deepening ties, the two countries were still at odds over Mr. Netanyahu’s vow to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
Addressing graduates at an air force base near Tel Aviv, Mr. Netanyahu spoke in grand terms of what he described as a new partnership that could benefit the broader Middle East.
“Our ability to work against the corona pandemic can also serve the entire region,” he said. “It creates opportunities for us for open cooperation that we have not known so far with certain countries.”“Our ability to work against the corona pandemic can also serve the entire region,” he said. “It creates opportunities for us for open cooperation that we have not known so far with certain countries.”
Hours after the announcement, Emirati officials had still not confirmed an agreement. The partnership would include cooperation in research and development between the Israeli and Emirati health ministries in medical projects related to the coronavirus, he said.
The agreement, if confirmed, would fall well short of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations. It comes at a time when Israel is drawing up plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, a move that Arab countries, including the Emirates, have said would thwart the improved relationships. To seal the deal, he said, the two ministries would announce the agreement “in a few moments.”
Mr. Netanyahu has vowed to annex up to 30 percent of the occupied West Bank as soon as July 1, a move that much of the world views as a violation of international law and a new barrier to the establishment of a future Palestinian state. But it was unclear why the Emirates would agree to take such a public step at a time when Israel was drawing up plans to annex parts of the West Bank, a move that Arab countries, including the Emirates, have repeatedly denounced.
As recently as two weeks ago, the Emirates’ ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, wrote a landmark article in a leading Israeli newspaper warning Israelis directly that “annexation will definitely, and immediately, reverse all of the Israeli aspirations for improved security, economic and cultural ties with the Arab world and the United Arab Emirates.” And four hours later, as Israeli officials stewed, the answer came in a Twitter posting from an Emirati Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.
“In light of strengthening international cooperation in the fields of research, development & technology in service of humanity, two private companies in U.A.E. sign an agreement with two companies in Israel to develop research technology to fight Covid-19,” wrote Hend al-Otaiba, the spokeswoman.
There was no mention of a state-to-state partnership between the two countries, which do not have diplomatic relations but whose ties have improved in recent years, and nothing about their health ministries.
It was unclear on Thursday whether the two countries had privately reached an agreement that came apart as it was coming to light, or what caused the daylight between the two announcements. But it seemed that Mr. Netanyahu’s annexation plans had made Emirati officials uncomfortable with such a public step toward Israel.
Barbara A. Leaf, a former United States ambassador to the Emirates and a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said it appeared that Mr. Netanyahu’s statement had pushed the Emirates into making a statement it was not ready to make.
If stronger state-to-state contacts were in the works, it was clear that the Emirates did not want to make them public.
“They are not on the same page at a point in time when the Israeli government is openly discussing not whether but how much of the West Bank to annex,” Ms. Leaf said.
Mr. Netanyahu has vowed to annex up to 30 percent of the West Bank as soon as July 1, a move that much of the world views as a violation of international law and a new barrier to the establishment of a future Palestinian state.
Just two weeks ago, the Emirates’ ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, wrote a landmark article in a leading Israeli newspaper warning Israelis directly that “annexation will definitely, and immediately, reverse all of the Israeli aspirations for improved security, economic and cultural ties with the Arab world and the United Arab Emirates.”
“It’s Either Annexation or Normalization,” the headline said.“It’s Either Annexation or Normalization,” the headline said.
Mr. al-Otaiba did not respond to a request for comment.Mr. al-Otaiba did not respond to a request for comment.
The announcement of the new cooperation agreement on Thursday — without any public concession from Mr. Netanyahu on annexation — could indicate that Emirati leaders have decided to forge ahead with increased ties anyway. But it was unclear whether the Emirates had softened its position on annexation, or if it would scuttle the joint anti-virus program if Israel went ahead with annexation. A public partnership with the Emirates would have been a political windfall for Mr. Netanyahu, who has sought to build ties with Arab countries without making progress on a peace accord with the Palestinians. While some Arab leaders reject the possibility of any ties with Israel, others have long considered an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement a prerequisite for any warming of ties.
If confirmed by the Emirates, the public partnership would be a political coup for Mr. Netanyahu, who has sought to build ties with Arab countries without making progress on a peace accord with the Palestinians. While some Arab leaders reject the possibility of any ties with Israel, others have long considered an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement a prerequisite for any warming of ties. In recent years, Persian Gulf monarchies have shifted away from seeing Israel as the oppressor in its conflict with the Palestinians and instead view it as a valuable partner in trade, security and their rivalry with Iran.
Persian Gulf monarchies have shifted away from seeing Israel as the oppressor in its conflict with the Palestinians and instead view it as a valuable partner in trade, security and their rivalry with Iran. Shimrit Meir, and Israeli analyst of the Arab world, said that the announcements on Thursday were still significant, despite the apparent miscues.
The new partnership will include formal cooperation in research and development between the Israeli and Emirati health ministries in medical projects related to Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and other health issues in the Middle East, Mr. Netanyahu said. “Saying we have two private companies cooperating with Israeli companies on Covid: In the language of the Middle East, this is almost unheard-of,” she said.
The extent of that cooperation was not immediately clear, but the agreement appeared to formalize collaboration that had already begun covertly in recent months, when the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, quietly acquired some equipment Israel needed to fight the coronavirus from Gulf states, according to European news media reports. Noting that the two countries had previously worked together secretly, she said, “I think the outing of this is both important and bold.”
Israel’s warming ties with the Emirates mark a broader erosion of the longstanding Arab antipathy toward Israel and support for the Palestinians. The two countries had collaborated covertly on combating the virus recently, when the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, quietly acquired some equipment Israel needed to fight the coronavirus from Gulf states, according to European news media reports.
After the Jewish State was founded in 1948, Arab countries waged repeated wars that failed to wipe it off the map and refused to establish diplomatic and trade ties, viewing Israel as a usurper of Arab lands.
Egypt was the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, followed by Jordan 1994, but relations with other Arab countries remained cold and no other countries followed suit.
More modest efforts to establish Israeli trade offices in some Arab countries collapsed more than a decade ago because of Arab outrage over Israel’s efforts to crush Palestinian uprisings against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
While Israel remains deeply unpopular across much of the Arab world, the Palestinian cause has diminished in importance to the region as Arab states have turned inward to deal with economic crises, popular uprisings and the rise of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State.While Israel remains deeply unpopular across much of the Arab world, the Palestinian cause has diminished in importance to the region as Arab states have turned inward to deal with economic crises, popular uprisings and the rise of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State.
Persian Gulf countries such as the Emirates and Saudi Arabia have come to see Iran as a primary threat to regional stability and recognized Israel as a potential partner in confronting it.Persian Gulf countries such as the Emirates and Saudi Arabia have come to see Iran as a primary threat to regional stability and recognized Israel as a potential partner in confronting it.
“The U.A.E. has changed its approach to relations with Israel only in light of the Iranian danger, which they also perceived as threatening to them,” said Eli Avidar, who ran an Israeli mission in Qatar in 1999-2001 is now a member of the Israeli parliament.“The U.A.E. has changed its approach to relations with Israel only in light of the Iranian danger, which they also perceived as threatening to them,” said Eli Avidar, who ran an Israeli mission in Qatar in 1999-2001 is now a member of the Israeli parliament.
That led to a gradual ramping up of covert dealings with Israel among Gulf States on issues including security, technology, agriculture and most recently health.That led to a gradual ramping up of covert dealings with Israel among Gulf States on issues including security, technology, agriculture and most recently health.
Ronen Bergman reported from Tel Aviv, and Ben Hubbard from Beirut, Lebanon. David M. Halbfinger contributed reporting from Jerusalem.Ronen Bergman reported from Tel Aviv, and Ben Hubbard from Beirut, Lebanon. David M. Halbfinger contributed reporting from Jerusalem.