Israel-UAE Normalization Takes Big Leaps; Process Remains Fragile27 Oct 2020 Riad Kahwaji"
As the UAE and Israel make big progress in normalizing relations, analysts warn of actions that include obstructing the sale of the F-35 fighters to the UAE, that could derail the entire Abraham Accords, which might change the region's political landscapeDUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel are making greater strides at normalizing relations more quickly than many had expected, and the scale of progress already dwarfs the size of the very limited normalization reached between Egypt and Israel — even though they signed their peace treaty in 1979.
As soon as the UAE-Israeli treaty was ratified, both states embarked on swift moves of implementation that included major steps such as lifting entry visa requirements on nationals of both countries, running regular commercial flights between the two states, and creating a joint investment fund. There are even reports of plans for a highway and train-track linking both countries and an oil pipeline from the UAE to Israel.
However, experts warn this whole process could be derailed quickly if Israeli partisan power politics leads to attempts to infringe on UAE sovereignty or to
obstruct the sale of F-35 warplanes by the US to the UAE. The UAE signed its peace treaty with Israel on September 15, thus leading the way in a U.S.-brokered process known as the Abraham Accords, which has so far seen one other Arab country, Bahrain, come on board, and another one, Sudan, commit to signing a normalization peace pact with Israel....
...“If Israel tries in the future, whether directly, or indirectly, through its strong lobby in the U.S. to torpedo the F-35 deal, the UAE will very likely react negatively in a way that would hinder the normalization process,” added Abdullah [Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, a professor of political science from the UAE]. The UAE opened the door for the Abraham Accords, and any setback on its side would likely affect normalization tracks in other countries.
The UAE has already submitted a formal request to the U.S. government to purchase 24 F-35 fifth generation stealth fighters. The Trump Administration has sounded an initial approval to the deal but it still has to gain approvals of many branches of the U.S. government, including Congress. UAE sources expect the administration to fast-track the process to gain Senate approval before end of the year.
After the Israeli media and officials showed mixed feelings about the UAE F-35 deal, the government came out later to express “no objection.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyaho and his coalition partner, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, have stated on October 23 that Israel will not oppose the U.S. sale of “specific weapon systems” to the UAE, in an apparent reference to the F-35 fighters...."
Source: https://breakingdefense.com/2020/10/isr ... s-fragile/