Hebrew newspaper: The United Arab Emirates is Israel’s true Arab friend

OCCUPIED PALESTINE, Oct, 24 (YPA) – The Hebrew-language newspaper “Israel Hayom” reported that there are signs of a potential Saudi-Israeli rapprochement led by US President Donald Trump, though it may not reach full normalization in the near future.

The paper added that Abu Dhabi remains Israel’s closest and most reliable Arab ally.

The newspaper noted that the United States expects genuine progress in Israel-Saudi relations over the next year, possibly even before the upcoming Israeli elections.

It highlighted that the normalization process between the two countries has continued despite the ongoing war, with communications maintained at various levels.

“The United Arab Emirates is Israel’s true Arab friend, they proved it during the toughest times of the war,” a senior Israeli official with long-standing ties to the Gulf told Israel Hayom. He noted that Emirati airlines were the only ones to keep flying to Israel and recalled the UAE’s forceful condemnation of Hamas and the October 7 massacre.

Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia take a hard line against Hamas, believing that as long as the terrorist organization remains in Gaza, reconstruction is impossible.

Nonetheless, they have heavily financed humanitarian relief for Palestinians since the start of the war. The UAE used its ties with Israel to channel aid to displaced persons and establish field hospitals and clinics.

In recent days, Trump has repeatedly stated that senior Saudi officials have expressed their desire and commitment to join normalization agreements.

He also noted that Saudi participation could pave the way for more Arab and Muslim countries to join the agreement.

@E.Y.M