A leaked official document accessed by Emirati Leaks revealed that a United Arab Emirates (UAE) government proposal to utilise its bases at the Red Sea to send direct military, intelligence and logistical support to Israel for its war on Gaza.
The document unveiled an unprecedented amount of direct Emirati military involvement with Israel.
The letter, dated October 2023, was written by Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the Chairman of the UAE Red Crescent Authority, and addressed to the Joint Operations Command of the UAE Armed Forces.
The letter explicitly says that the given document outlines all the preparations and arrangements made to “support and reinforce the State of Israel in its war against terrorists in Palestine” from their bases in the southern Red Sea through Yemen, Eritrea and Somalia.
It also criticised Qatar’s supposed involvement in supporting Hamas, saying, “This support has contributed to creating problems and conflicts between Qatar and the opposing parties.”
“Our investigations confirmed the necessity of including Kuwait among the parties hostile to us, as it does not fall within the group of countries hostile to Qatar,” it added.
The document alleged that Kuwait provided “massive financial support” to militant groups in Palestine, which, according to their investigations, was a clear violation of agreements made between Kuwait and the UAE.
UAE’s ‘obligation’ to assist Israel
“It is worth mentioning the previous ties with the State of Israel, which obligate us to cooperate with and assist them in times of both adversity and prosperity,” the report stated, which “intensified” after 2020.
The document further called for continuation of “community initiatives” to improve the “social cohesion between the two states.”
It pushed for a “close, cohesive and integrated” cooperation in counterterrorism, military technology and intelligence, as it confirmed “the provision of intelligence equipment and devices to Israel worth one billion dollars.”
The UAE had agreed to normalise its diplomatic ties with Israel through the 2020 Abraham Accords, facilitated by the United States.
After the normalisation, solid ties were established between the two countries, including the exchange of ambassadors, with the UAE recently purchasing land in Israel to build a permanent embassy, marking the first time an Arab country had purchased land inside Israel for diplomatic facilities.
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began, Abu Dhabi has become Israel’s leading Arab trade partner, while continuing to deepen its strategic military relationship with Tel Aviv.
UAE was additionally believed to be the “mystery” client behind the USD 2.3 billion deal with Israeli military technology company Elbit Systems, according to a French report, with Israeli media also echoing the claim.
