The Price of Normalization: UAE Confronts the Downside of Israel Partnership

The United Arab Emirates is confronting the potential downside of its normalization with Israel, as it is forced to publicly condemn its new partner for a military strike in a neighboring Gulf state. The incident highlights the political price of the Abraham Accords and the complex realities of aligning with Israel.
When the UAE signed the accords in 2020, the focus was on economic cooperation and a shared strategic vision. However, the attack on Qatar has brought the unresolved issues of Israeli military policy to the forefront, creating a significant diplomatic and public relations problem for the Emirati leadership.
By summoning the Israeli envoy and denouncing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks as “hostile,” the UAE is attempting to distance itself from Israeli aggression and reaffirm its commitment to Gulf security. This action, however, also reveals the inherent tensions in its foreign policy and the difficulty of balancing its new alliance with its regional identity.
The crisis serves as a lesson for other Arab nations considering normalization. It demonstrates that a partnership with Israel comes with the risk of being associated with controversial military actions that can trigger a backlash from regional allies and domestic populations. The price of peace, it seems, is more complicated than initially envisioned.