Taking off from Tel Aviv, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will make his way to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, where he is set to meet Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed to congratulate him on the historic peace deal with Israel and finalise details before the two nations ink their commitments in a peace pact.
The deal has already been embraced by many Emiratis and some have even taken to the social networks to praise their leadership for the "courageous and smart" decision.
"UAE’s courageous step through the long term vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed based on the perception of peace, tolerance & humanity will build solid bridges with Israel & [will] bring both countries closer politically, economically & culturally to achieve Middle East youth’s aspirations," one Twitter user wrote.
UAE’s courageous step through the long term vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed based on the perception of peace,tolerance&humanity will build solid bridges with Israel &brings both countries closer politically,economically & culturally to achieve Middle East youth’s aspirations. pic.twitter.com/MnDy93ZSnz
— الدرع الإماراتي Ⓜ️🇦🇪 (@Emarati_Shield) August 22, 2020
"We are extremely lucky to have HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid @HHShkMohd and to have HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed @MohamedBinZayed - the two men who made IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE !
We will remains in debt for these two individuals for centuries!" Another tweep wrote.
We are extremely lucky to have to HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid @HHShkMohd and to have HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed @MohamedBinZayed - the two men who made IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE !
— حسن سجواني 🇦🇪 Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) August 16, 2020
We will remains in debt for these two individuals for centuries !
UAE-Israel Pact as Guarantee for Security
Dr. Khalid Al Qasimi, one of the leading political analysts based in the UAE, says he could definitely relate to the mood of his countrymen, who "stick behind their leaders" and he could certainly understand the support given to the pact, especially considering the benefits such a deal would entail.
Apart from the exchange of tourists and the boost of trade, the two countries are set to cooperate in the spheres of agriculture, technology and are expected to join efforts to develop a vaccine that would contain the spread of COVID-19 that has already claimed the lives of nearly a million people.
Yet, for Al Qasimi, it is much more than that. For him, the UAE-Israel pact is a deal that's set to bring the two countries long-awaited stability.
"I have been hoping that my country would have established these relationships [with Israel] a long time ago but it finally happened now and I trust our wise leadership that knew to choose the right timing [for this deal]."
By "right timing" Al Qasimi is referring to a number of factors that have been plaguing Abu Dhabi. In its own neighbourhood, the UAE is challenged by Qatar, which is often blamed for sponsoring and supporting such militant groups as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, both of which are outlawed in the Emirates.
In the West, while throwing its support behind Egypt and the Libyan National Army, it is challenged by Turkey, which sent troops to the war-torn country, expanding its military presence in the area; and in the north it faces the threat of Iran's nuclear programme, with the UAE fearing that the weapons of mass destruction allegedly being developed by the Islamic Republic will be used against Emirati targets.
"If we don't act immediately, we will end up letting the expansionist projects of Turkey and Iran get bigger, and that means that regional stability will be at risk."
But geopolitics is not Al Qasimi's only concern and after seeing what the upheavals of 2011 did to some Middle Eastern countries; he fears that the UAE might too struggle to stay afloat if regional powers continue to make waves in the already-turbulent waters of the area.
"Since 2011, the Arab world has been living in a state of existential wars... countries like Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen have been lost as a result of foreign interventions, specifically those of Iran and Turkey. For us to avoid a similar fate, to protect the country and to deter enemies, we need to strike deals and the agreement with Israel fits well into that paradigm."
At this stage, not many in the Arab world see it in a similar light. Apart from Egypt, Oman and Bahrain, which supported the upcoming UAE-Israel deal, many Muslim and Arab states expressed their open disdain towards the Emirati leadership, accusing it of backstabbing the Palestinians and neglecting their cause.
It came to the point that Turkey, one of the main opponents of the deal, froze all its flights into the UAE and threatened to shut down its embassy in Abu Dhabi following the historic pact.
Many tweeps have also joined the chorus of condemnation, slamming the UAE for backing Israel at the expense of the Palestinians.
However, that didn't impress Al Qasimi, who regarded these comments as little more than background noise spread by "UAE dissidents backed by the country's enemies".
Saving the Palestinians?
Nor was he impressed by the dissatisfaction expressed by the Palestinians, whose leadership met in Ramallah last week to mull over steps they could take to minimise the blow dealt to them by the Emirati authorities.
Al Qasimi doesn't understand the disrespect directed towards his country, especially given the fact that the UAE, he claims, has orchestrated the move in a bid to scrap Israel's annexation plans of big chunks of the West Bank and to help the Palestinians to obtain their own independent state.
"Unfortunately, the Palestinian leadership doesn't see it this way. Over the years, they froze any peace efforts [with Israel], and preferred to hand the management of the crisis to the Arab world," said Al Qasimi, suggesting that the PA didn't take into consideration the changing reality of the Middle East.
Nor did they take into account that in the upcoming months, more Arab and Muslim states might follow the footsteps of the UAE, striking their own deals with Israel.
"I don't see any harm in establishing ties with Israel and I do think that other countries should follow suit, not only to help the Palestinian cause and stop settlements' expansion but also to make sure that the scenarios of Libya, Syria or Yemen don't unfold in our own countries."
