The surprising announcement on Thursday that Israel and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) have begun discussing normalization came as no surprise to a few people. One was billionaire Haim Saban, a former Israeli now US media mogul (Power Rangers, Ninja Turtles, etc.). Reportedly, Saban, who has business interests in the UAE, has been secretly working on the deal for over a year.
Another was Mossad chief Yossi Cohen. In June, Cohen began secretly commuting to Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, to bring about the normalization talks.
This deal, called historic, allowed Netanyahu to "climb down from the annexation tree," according to veteran military analyst Ron Ben Yishai, writing in Yideot Achranot, Israel's most-read newspaper.
Ben Yishai credits Blue and White's leaders, Defense Minister and alternate PM Benny Gantz, and Foreign Minister Gaby Ashkenazi, for pushing U.S. President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner to stop Netanyahu from going ahead with his plan to annex parts of the West Bank. Kushner was at logger-heads with David Friedman, U.S.Ambassador to Israel, a staunch supporter of the Israeli settlement movement and a force pushing for annexation.
However, according to Israel Radio's Reshet Bet, neither Gantz nor Ashkenazi were informed of the deal until they heard about it when U.S. President Trump announced it on television. Israel's PM Netanyahu said that the deal was brokered with very tight security. Some pundits viewed this remark as a slap at Gantz who, during the last election, was accused by Netanyahu of being blackmailed by Iran over information gleaned by hacking his personal mobile phone. An accusation Gantz vehemently denied.
Starting in June, Mossad head Cohen began commuting to Abu Dhabi,
just when Israel's PM was still pushing hard for annexation. But, according to Saban, the negotiations
with the UAE were contingent upon Netanyahu giving up annexation. While
Netanyahu says that the annexation is still on the table Saban says, in
a report on Ynetnews, "Netanyahu is dreaming."
The UAE agreement also allowed Netanyahu to increase his standing with the Israeli public and the world. The agreement "...substantially improves Israel's international and strategic standing, opens promising economic and scientific possibilities and advances its regional legitimacy among Muslim Arab nation in the heart of the Muslim Middle East," wrote Ben Yishai.
One of the reasons for the breakthrough, Ben Yishai wrote, was a vacuum caused by US troop withdrawals from the Middle East. "As Trump keeps pushing to reduce military presence in
the Middle East, the UAE finds Israel to be a powerful ally in their
battle against Iran's imperialist aspirations..."
However, Ben Yishai warns, "...when signed, the agreement will have two distinct opponents attempting to undermine it in any way possible, including terror and cyber attacks." He writes that Iran needs Abu Dhabi's port for secret oil trade and international commerce. That's one enemy. The other is the Palestinians, who have called the agreement a 'stab in the back.' According to Ben Yishai, the Palestinians "...will be trying to block more Muslim nations from joining the initiative by any means at their disposal."
According to the Times of Israel, PA President Mahmoud Abbas called an emergency meeting in response to the agreement, while the PA recalled its ambassador to the UAE in protest over the deal.“The Palestinian leadership rejects the actions of the Emirati government, considering it to be a betrayal of the Palestinian people and Jerusalem and al-Aqsa,” PA spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement read aloud on Palestine TV. Palestinian terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad also denounced the agreement, which was mediated by the United States.
Iran has publicly come out against the agreement. "The UAE will be
engulfed in Zionist flames," said an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman.
Turkey, an Iranian ally, has also condemned the agreement.
However, Raphael Ahren, writing in the Times of Israel, says that this deal shows that peace with Arab states are possible without settling the Palestinian conflict. And a headline in Ynetnews stressed that "the historic deal delivers a key foreign policy victory to Trump as he seeks reelection and reflects changing Middle East in which shared concerns about archenemy Iran have largely overtaken traditional Arab support for Palestinians."
The UAE is a country of 9 million made up of 7 emirates, (Fujairah, Sharaj, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain) with Abu Dhabi as the capital.According to Wikipedia, the UAE is "On the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the East and Saudi Arabia to the South and West, as well as sharing maritime borders with Qatar to the west and Iran to the North. Tourism, trade and port facilities are the UAE's main sources of income, not oil." Also, according to Wikipedia, the UAE is one of the top 10 wealthiest countries in the world, and Abu Dhabi is 28% cheaper to live in than New York City.
The religion practiced in the UAE is Sunni Muslim. But liberal, according to an Israeli tour
operator with offices in Abu Dhabi. He said on Israel radio's Reshet Bet that there are approximately
300 to 500 Jews in Abu Dhabi, and even a Chabad synagogue. Should the deal be signed, Israelis will be able to visit the UAE and residents of the UAE will be able to visit Israel and pray at the Al Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem.
According to Ben Yishai, "Abu Dhabi also has one of the most effective military presence in the region, after Iran and the USA." The Abu Dhabi army is lead by an Australian general. "It is the U.S. weakness and the president's inconsistent policies that have brought Israel and the UAE to agree on establishing relations..."
Ben Yishai wrote that, "Israel has been invited to fill the military vacuum left by the US withdrawal from the region. Israeli military technology and advanced weapons systems could be supplied to mitigate Iranian military superiority." However, Ben Yishai says that neither foot soldiers nor gunships will be sent to defend the UAE.
To follow up on the breakthrough announcement, an Israeli delegation is to leave for Abu Dhabi next week to organize the official meeting between Israel and the UAE that is scheduled for three weeks from now. Other Arab countries in the region, like Bahrain and Oman, are expected to follow the UAE lead.
But the historic breakthrough is apparently not what's top of Netanyahu's list. According to Ynet news reporter Moran Azulai, not the peace treaty, not corona, not the protests against him worry Netanyahu. Top of Netanyahu's list is his upcoming trial. Azulai wrote that Netanyahu and his Likud cohorts are doing their best to unseat Minister of Justice Avi Nissenkorn, of the Blue and White party. As of now, Nissenkorn has the responsibility and authority to appoint the panel that selects judges and other police officials. If Nissenkorn can be pushed out, then a Likud supporter could take his place and advance legislation that would reopen the case against Netanyahu and delay his trial, or cancel it entirely. As one Likud activist said, not likely, but stranger things have happened.
Reportedly, Netanyahu is working angles in negotiations with Blue and White's leader Benny Gantz to oust Nissenkorn. What exactly Netanyahu has offered Gantz has not yet been made public. Gantz seems to honestly be a patriot who puts his country first, contrary to Netanyahu who, according to critics, puts himself first. Gantz has repeatedly given in to Netanyahu in order to prevent new elections and focus on the fight against the C-19 sweeping the country.
Israel has now surpassed China with those infected. Israel's number now stands at over 90,000 with nearly 700 deaths. Israel is 30th in the list of countries infected. China is 32nd with 84,786 and 4,634 deaths, according to Ncovid2019.live ( https://ncov2019.live/ ) Israel's Covid-19 Czar Prof. Ronni Gamzo,has said Israel is now the per capita infection leader.
The good news is that an effective vaccines seems to be on the horizon. An Israeli health ministry source says that he expects a vaccine to be available by the fall. In Israel, Hadassah hospital gave three people a new drug
made from antibodies from people who had had corona virus; they are all
now home after ‘astonishing’ recovery, according to Zev Rosenstein, head of the hospital.
Rosenstein said that he reached out to the ultra-Orthodox community for blood samples since that community was highly infected. Using these blood samples, in cooperation with the biotech firm Kamada, the Hadassah antibody was produced with positive results.
Russia has also
claimed to have an effective vaccine but one that has not yet gone
through all the tests. Rosenstein said Hadassah is involved in the
Russian testing. Iran also claims to have a vaccine nearly ready for use.
Meanwhile, fresh Israel Ministry of Health restrictions went into effect Tuesday morning that continue to cap gatherings at 20 people outdoors and 10 indoors, limit cars to three (non-family) passengers at a time, and limit businesses to one customer on the premises for every seven square meters (75 square feet) of space.
Businesses are prohibited from serving customers who are not wearing masks, must take the temperature of those who ask to enter the premises, and must post signs detailing appropriate behavior. Shared eating spaces in open-air markets and in shopping malls will be closed. Deliveries must be left outside recipients’ doors.
In practice, not everyone wears a mask, keeps social distance, or is limited in bars and restaurants. Last week the leader of Belz Hasidim held a wedding for his grandson attended by nearly a thousand people with no masks and no social distancing. Four people at the event were fined 5,000 shekels. The police reportedly stood by and watched and did not interfere. The Rebbe, Yissachar Dov Rokeach, the fifth Belz Rebbe, is known to eschew the regulations and even attend prayers at the Western Wall with his entourage all without a mask.
As anywhere in the world, some stores check temperatures, others don't Some people wear masks properly, others use them as necklaces. The virus cares little and strikes where it can. As Jeff Goldblum said in Jarrasic Park, "Nature finds a way." New research posits that the virus is essentially a fat molecule covered with spike. Soap dissolves the fat, so does bleach or alcohol. Fighting nature is also a tactic. Ignoring nature seems to be perilous. One pundit said, "Someone should tell the Belzer Rebbe that."
There is still a debate if schools will reopen on Sept 1, 2020. And if they do, in what format. But the Health Ministry announced that Israelis could now travel abroad to certain parts of certain countries without a quarantine. Listed among the countries are Greece, Bulgaria, Moldavia, and Croatia. Greece has limited the Israelis to 600 people a week. One analysts said it would be brave, young, or desperate souls who would get on that plane. Reportedly, each Israeli will be thoroughly examined upon arrival for a hint of Covid-19.
Israeli health workers are threatening to strike because of the enormous load they have to undertake during a day that sometimes stretches into 20 hour shifts. Lab workers are threatening to strike because of long hours and short staffs. The Israel Finance Ministry has so far ignored the lab worker requests for more staff and equipment. Teachers are also threatening to strike since the regulations under discussion call for classes limited to 18, and those in pods of five, rather than the normal 30-40 per Israeli classroom. As part of the fight against Covid-19, the Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, has called up another 3,000 reserve soldiers to help with following up on those infected. This brings the number to those reservists called up to 6,000.
The new Israel budget has still not been passed and on Aug 25th if the budget has still not been passed, the government automatically falls and new elections are called. A bill to extend the budget deadline by three months passed its first reading this week, but it is unclear if Netanyahu will allow the bill to pass or go right to new elections. According to Moran Azulai of Ynet, Netanyahu might well allow the government to fall in hopes of getting a new Minister of Justice who will postpone or cancel his trial.
A bill submitted this week by Yesh Atid/Telem's Yair Lapid to remove Netanyahu from office because of the three felonies he is facing in court did not pass. Blue and White stayed away from the vote. Benny Gantz had a good excuse. He was in the hospital have back surgery.
But, does that mean Netanyahu can ride out these protests, use the historic agreement to keep outfoxing his opponents and enemies and stay in power? As the Likud activist said about Nissenkorn's ouster, not likely, but stranger things have happened.
While the historic breakthrough with the UAE continues to resonate through the Israeli media it is barely mentioned in the foreign press, certainly not as a blaring front page headline. The question is, though, with the weekend approaching, if this breakthrough will take the wind out of the nearly daily protests outside of PM Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence on Balfour street? Or if this Saturday night the thousands will still be out there calling for his removal for his poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the nearly one-million unemployed?
