Israel sent military personnel and key defense system to UAE, U.S. envoy says
TEL AVIV — Israel sent Iron Dome air defense batteries and trained military personnel to the United Arab Emirates, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Tuesday, confirming for the first time the depth of military cooperation between the onetime enemies as they both face down Iran.
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The top American envoy to the Middle East credited this cooperation to the Abraham Accords, the agreements between Israel and some of its Arab neighbors that President Donald Trump negotiated during his first term.
“I think that the UAE is an example. They were the first Abraham members. But look at the benefits that they have had as a result of it — Israel just sent them Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help operate it,” Huckabee said at a conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. “How come? Because there’s an extraordinary relationship between the UAE and Israel based on the Abraham work.”
Huckabee’s confirmation shows the extent to which Iran’s attacks against its Gulf Arab neighbors have forged partnerships between Israel and countries that until recently considered the Jewish state their sworn enemy.
The ambassador also spoke about Trump’s “day after” plan for the Gaza Strip, where millions of displaced people remain mired in miserable conditions amid gridlocked diplomacy around the enclave’s post-Hamas future.
Huckabee expressed skepticism about plans for an “International Stabilization Force” meant to secure and help govern Gaza after Hamas disarms and Israeli forces withdraw, implying the job of disarming Hamas may end up with Israel’s military.
“That is not so much a demilitarizing force as it is a monitoring the border force,” Huckabee said of the proposed force.
“Who’s going to actually do the disarming? I don’t know. The only entity willing to do it will be the IDF,” he said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to take Hamas’ remaining weapons by force if the militant group refuses to surrender them.
Huckabee did not provide further details about what he meant by a “monitoring the border force” in Gaza after Hamas disarms and Israeli forces withdraw. His remarks imply a diminished role for the multinational peacekeepers, which the United Nations Security Council had said would be charged with tasks like training a new police force and disarming militant groups.
The United States Embassy in Israel did not respond to NBC News’ request for a clarification of the ambassador’s comments.
The International Stabilization Force, or ISF, was a key part of President Trump’s 21-point ceasefire deal for the Gaza Strip; the United Nations Security Council later authorized the force, which would be made up of personnel from volunteering nations.
Negotiations over Gaza’s future have also stalled, with Israeli forces controlling more than half of the territory and continuing to carry out deadly attacks. Hamas has refused to disarm, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire and refusing to withdraw further.
Israel has also accused Hamas of repeated violations and refused to proceed with the ceasefire until Hamas surrenders its weapons and tunnel system.
Meanwhile, a committee of Palestinian technocrats nominated to govern Gaza’s day-to-day affairs have yet to enter the enclave, said people close to the committee.
Several countries have volunteered to participate in the ISF: Five Muslim-majority nations have made varying degrees of commitment, with some promising to send soldiers. Egypt and Jordan have said they will help train police forces.
Though Huckabee acknowledged the handful of countries that volunteered, he didn’t answer the moderator’s repeated question about who would eventually disarm Hamas.
Instead, Huckabee called on global public opinion to be more forgiving of Israel if it decides to take Hamas’ disarmament into its own hands.
“The world can’t condemn Israel for doing what it didn’t have the courage to do, and that’s taking Hamas down,” he said. “You don’t send someone into the fire to put out the fire and then complain because they come out smelling like smoke.”
