[News] UAE rewards Israeli firms that supplied arms for Gaza massacre

[Anti-Imperialist News]

electronicintifada.net
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/uae-rewards-israeli-firms-supplied-arms-gaza-massacre>
UAE
rewards Israeli firms that supplied arms for Gaza massacre
Tamara Nassar <https://electronicintifada.net/people/tamara-nassar>  -
November 19, 2021
------------------------------
[image: Children stand in the rubble of a bombed building]

Palestinian children stand amidst the ruins of a neighborhood in Beit
Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in May 2021.
ActiveStills

The United Arab Emirates is rewarding Israeli arms makers that helped
massacre Palestinians earlier this year.

Elbit Systems, which provided weapons for Israel’s May assault
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/may-2021-attack-gaza> on Gaza, is
establishing a subsidiary: Elbit Systems Emirates.

“The Abraham Accords provide a sound basis for business collaborations in
the region,” Ran Kril, an executive at Elbit Systems, said
<https://elbitsystems.com/pr-new/elbit-systems-establishes-a-company-in-the-united-arab-emirates/>
.

He is referring to the normalization deals
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/arab-normalization> brokered by the
United States last year between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and
Morocco.

These countries are “important new markets for Elbit Systems,” Kril said –
an insight into how Israel views Arab states as profit centers for its war
industry.

Elbit boasted in an Arabic-language video showcasing its weapons that its
technology “improves efficiency and protects lives” – Orwellian language
from a company whose products have proven efficient at ending Palestinian
lives.

Elbit Systems establishes a subsidiary - Elbit Systems Emirates (ESE)
ESE will foster long-term cooperation with the UAE Armed Forces, oversee
customization of solutions, lead TOT, and support educational programs and
jobs creation. https://t.co/NtwZq9Q1YO pic.twitter.com/EcOyhIv2co
<https://t.co/EcOyhIv2co>
— Elbit Systems (@ElbitSystemsLtd) November 14, 2021
<https://twitter.com/ElbitSystemsLtd/status/1459893727305023497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Elbit Systems was among more than a dozen Israeli arms manufacturers that
participated in the Dubai Airshow this week.

They included Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael.
“First AI war”

These firms are among the leading suppliers of weapons used by Israel in
its attacks against Palestinians.

This includes Israel’s 11-day war on Gaza in May, which left 250
Palestinians dead, including more than 60 children.

During the attack, Israel annihilated entire families
<https://electronicintifada.net/content/families-obliterated-lives-destroyed/33386>
in their homes.

Elbit Systems was “directly involved” in Israel’s assault, corporate
watchdog Who Profits said
<https://twitter.com/Who_Profits/status/1460254463978094592>.

The company is a major exporter of drones.

Elbit drones were used by the Israeli military during the assault, and
Elbit’s personnel also worked in an “operations room” of a new drone unit –
Unit 9900.

The unit operates two drone fleets: one to “inspect and collect
intelligence” and one to “attack targets” with the gathered data.

In other words, the Gaza Strip was effectively used as a testing ground for
“new artificial intelligence capabilities” developed by Elbit “as part of a
new military unit,” according
<https://www.whoprofits.org/company/elbit-systems/> to Who Profits.

Thread- Elbit was directly involved in Israel's onslaught on Gaza in May
2021, which left at least 248 people dead and 1,900 injured.
pic.twitter.com/s3yEK3GQgY <https://t.co/s3yEK3GQgY>
— Who Profits (@Who_Profits) November 15, 2021
<https://twitter.com/Who_Profits/status/1460254463978094592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

The unit conducted over 30 operations, according to an Israeli general, as
part of an effort to “perfect the system” – an example of how Israel
routinely uses Palestinians as guinea pigs for the weapons it later sells
to other countries at a profit.

“Use of these artificial intelligence capabilities led the military to
declare the onslaught on Gaza as the world’s ‘first AI war,’” the watchdog
said.

Who Profits attributes
<https://twitter.com/Who_Profits/status/1460254476594520069> the firm’s
success to its relationship with the Israeli military, which “enables Elbit
to test its products in real-time and on Palestinian bodies.”

Elbit regularly markets
<https://elbitsystems.com/pr-new/elbit-systems-to-showcase-full-suite-of-c4i-battlefield-management-systems-at-dsei/>
its products as “battle-proven” – a euphemism for how those weapons have
been used to kill, injure and control virtually defenseless Palestinians.

“It is also a golden marketing tool,” Who Profits said.

Elbit weapons were also used in Israel’s major offensive against Gaza in
the summer of 2014.

That attack is part of the International Criminal Court’s investigation
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/international-criminal-court> into war
crimes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Israeli military killed an
average of 11 Palestinian children per day
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/balance-un-gaza-report-cant-hide-massive-israeli-war-crimes>
that summer.
More deals

The Dubai Airshow brought another military deal between two major Emirati
and Israeli firms on Thursday.

EDGE, one of the largest military contractors in the UAE, has signed
<https://www.iai.co.il/edge-strategic-deal-with-iai-unmanned-surface-vessels>
a memorandum of understanding with IAI to design and build unmanned
military and commercial ships – in other words naval drones.

The CEO of EDGE called it a “strategic alliance.”

The vessels will be used for intelligence gathering, surveillance, border
operations and maritime warfare.
Jordan embraces Israel tighter

Meanwhile, Jordan is reaping the benefits of the Abraham Accords just as
was predicted
<https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/getting-israel-jordan-relationship-back-track>
by Israel lobby observers.

Jordan, Israel and the UAE are set to sign a deal on Monday that will see a
solar farm built on Jordanian land to provide energy to Israel, journalist
Barak Ravid reported
<https://www.axios.com/israel-jordan-uae-huge-solar-farm-deal-45f39405-ef50-4a53-962b-882624a03f95.html>
.

John Kerry, the US climate envoy and former secretary of state, brokered
the deal, Ravid said, citing “five Israeli officials” without naming them.

The UAE will fund the solar farm.

In return, Israel will supposedly build a desalination plant on the
Mediterranean coast to provide Jordan with water.

Despite cosmetic strains
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/jordan-israel-normalization-scheme-backfires-badly>
between Israel and Jordan in recent years, the relationship has, according
to Ravid, “improved significantly” since Naftali Bennett took over as prime
minister – even though Israel hasn’t changed any of its policies.

This has included Jordan secretly sending warplanes
<https://www.timesofisrael.com/german-photographer-spills-the-beans-jordan-flew-in-idf-aerial-drill/>
to train alongside the Israeli air force just months after Israel’s
massacre of civilians in Gaza. Jordanian air force leaders also recently
met with their Israeli and Emirati counterparts in Dubai.

In a historic meeting, Israel Air Force Commander Amikam Norkin met with
senior air force officers from the UAE and Jordan in Dubai. 🇮🇱 🇦🇪 🇯🇴

It was the first time that Israel was invited to participate in the Dubai
International Air Chiefs’ Conference.https://t.co/L0cF6DZlob
— AJC in the Gulf (@AJCintheGulf) November 15, 2021
<https://twitter.com/AJCintheGulf/status/1460343681509167110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

You didn't hear it from me, but looks like the Jordanians also took part in
Blue Flag 2021. At least that is what @Team_Luftwaffe
<https://twitter.com/Team_Luftwaffe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>'s photographer saw
pic.twitter.com/6cE93zSKWt <https://t.co/6cE93zSKWt>
— Anna Ahronheim (@AAhronheim) October 29, 2021
<https://twitter.com/AAhronheim/status/1454047650169360392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/wadi-araba-agreement> in 1994, despite
there being no restoration of Palestinian rights or an end to Israeli
military occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the
Gaza Strip.

But despite formal ties between the two countries, this has never
translated into a so-called warm peace among people.

The treaty is strongly opposed by the Jordanian public and members of
parliament
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/jordanian-mps-challenge-unconstitutional-israel-gas-deal>,
as is a US-backed gas deal
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/israel-jordan-gas-deal> that will see
Jordan pay Israel at least $10 billion over 15 years
<https://electronicintifada.net/content/secret-israel-jordan-gas-deal-revealed/28501>
– money that will undoubtedly contribute to Israel’s ongoing oppression of
Palestinians.

The Jordanian public and parliament have staunchly opposed the deal since
it was signed in 2016 and repeatedly called for its cancellation through
campaigns and protests.

However, the Jordanian official embrace of Israel continues to tighten
without any regard for public opinion.
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