Rabbi Herzog: Iran’s biggest ally

Rabbi Jacob Herzog 

His Excellency the President of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed, is actually Iran’s biggest ally, no matter how much he may claim otherwise.

The main avenue for financial and banking operations of the Islamic Republic of #Iran is the #UAE, including banks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The UAE also helps sell Iran’s oil, and Iranian banks are directly present in the UAE—this is no secret.

Just as the UAE supports Iran, it also supports the Muslim Brotherhood, and the evidence for this is clear. Firstly, the UAE’s support for the Kingdom of Jordan, whose king is an ally of the Muslim Brotherhood, includes placing them directly in his government and strengthening them. The UAE’s support for Jordan’s king and his Brotherhood-affiliated regime is no secret.

The UAE supports the Rapid Support Forces involved in massacres against the Sudanese people and opposes the Sudanese government that overthrew the Brotherhood’s rule.

The UAE has good relations with Hamas, evidenced by the fact that Ismail Haniyeh’s son publicly stated on television that he has an excellent relationship with Palestinian politician Mohammed Dahlan. Mohammed Dahlan is an advisor to the UAE President, Mohammed bin Zayed, and his personal representative on all regional matters behind closed doors. This means that the UAE also has excellent relations with Hamas, which is no secret. Compare this to the UAE’s poor relations with the Palestinian Authority under Mahmoud Abbas, which has led to zero relations between Dahlan and Abbas.

This goes further. The UAE has repeatedly protested against Israel over what it calls the “intrusion” of settlers on the Temple Mount or Al-Aqsa Mosque and what it calls “violations” against the Hashemite guardianship of Jerusalem. This has happened more than once, including at the United Nations, where the UAE stood against Israel.

Also, when the UAE proposed signing the Abraham Accords, it was on the condition that Israel would not annex the West Bank. The UAE ambassador stated, “Do not annex the West Bank, or we will not sign the peace agreement.” This means a delay in annexing the West Bank to Israel—something every Palestinian in the West Bank dreams of to be rid of the Authority. So, the UAE is neither a friend to Israel nor to the Palestinians or Arabs; the UAE is Iran’s ally, and its interests do not align with those of the Arabs.

The UAE has a clear and open relationship with Jordanian intelligence, which is responsible for directing Hamas through the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan. Jordanian intelligence is also behind the unrest in the West Bank and the chaos at the Temple Mount or Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as incitement against Israel. It controls its operatives and the Muslim Brotherhood members at Al Jazeera and other outlets, even broadcasting Brotherhood-owned Yarmouk TV and Hezbollah’s Al-Manar channel from the media city in Jordan, which is controlled by intelligence. All of this is supported by Emirati intelligence in cooperation with Jordanian intelligence. So, what does this mean? It means that the UAE is not a friend of Israel, nor is it a friend of the Arab people.

Frankly, what have we in Israel gained from our relations with the UAE? Our youth now fly to Dubai to spend a week dancing and in places no respectable person would want. We, as Jews, fear God and do not want fornication, drugs, scandals, or bad behavior. Look at the celebrations in Saudi Arabia—they are respectful, and people enjoy themselves with dignity. I only wish our youth could travel to Saudi Arabia to celebrate with respect.

As for UAE investments, where are they? Do we in Israel truly need the UAE to invest 10 or 20 billion dollars? We have our own businesspeople and funds who do not know what to do with their money. We do not need the UAE, which has neither technology, expertise, regional influence, nor anything we could benefit from. The land corridor through Dubai is something the UAE is obliged to facilitate, not doing out of kindness, and they are even charging for it, not offering it for free.

Yes, we appreciate good relations with everyone, but peace with the UAE is nothing more than PR and a fantasy. The #UAE has nothing to offer. In fact, it has taken many things from Israel, starting with publicity and PR under the pretense of being peace-loving, while secretly supporting Iran with all its strength.

#Mohammed_Dahlan ???? ????? ???? ?????—the respectable Palestinian politician—and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed think they can fool us. I say to them, we’re onto you in everything, and soon, we will return the favor.

To add more, we do not consider ourselves to have achieved anything until we realize peace with the great Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Everything else is just PR with no significant benefit, and in the UAE’s case, it brings harm.

#Rabbi_of_the_Arabian_Island #Blue_Yamama