Report Reveals UAE as Hidden Buyer Behind Multibillion-Dollar “Israeli” Arms Deal
By Staff, Agencies
A new report has identified the United Arab Emirates as the previously undisclosed buyer behind a $2.3 billion arms contract signed last month by “Israeli” weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.
According to Intelligence Online, which published the report on Thursday, the agreement between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv covers the delivery of advanced military systems over an eight-year period. The outlet described the deal as part of a broader wave of major arms exports by “Israeli” defense companies in recent years.
Elbit Systems had earlier announced the contract without revealing the identity of the purchasing country or the specific weapons systems involved.
The exposure of the UAE as Elbit’s secret client comes amid growing criticism from human rights organizations over “Israel’s” genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip. Groups such as Oxfam have warned that transferring advanced military technology risks facilitating serious violations of international law and further civilian harm.
The revelation also follows a quiet but steady expansion of UAE–“Israel” cooperation that has continued throughout “Israel’s” war on Gaza. This cooperation includes progress on a cross-regional transport corridor that has largely escaped public scrutiny.
Last month, “Israeli” media reported that construction of the so-called “Peace Railway” — intended to transport goods from India through the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to Haifa for export to Europe and the US — has reached an advanced stage. Emirati and “Israeli” authorities have agreed to establish a joint body to administer the route.
In October, “Israeli” military firm Controp Precision Technologies opened its first UAE subsidiary in Abu Dhabi. The facility is expected to manufacture, sell and service “Israeli” electro-optical surveillance systems under “Israeli” oversight, further integrating the Emirati defense sector into “Israel’s” arms industry.
The deepening relationship has also extended into diplomacy. In October, the UAE purchased land worth tens of millions of “Israeli” shekels to build its first permanent embassy in the “Israeli”-occupied Palestinian territories.
Around the same time, Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, briefed the General Assembly, stating that more than 60 governments — particularly Western powers and several Arab states — have been enabling the “Israeli” entity’s “genocidal machinery” in Gaza.
Elbit Systems reported record profits in November, driven largely by weapons sales during “Israel’s” war on the besieged Palestinian territory. Intelligence Online noted that the size and secrecy of the UAE deal resemble Elbit’s earlier $1.63 billion contract with Serbia signed in August. That five-year agreement includes long-range precision artillery rockets, combat drones, intelligence and surveillance systems, electronic warfare capabilities and upgrades to military vehicles and platforms.
In November, “Israel’s” Haaretz newspaper reported that “Israel” and Albania signed an arms agreement in September, led by Elbit Systems, to supply artillery, mortars and tactical drones. Earlier, in August, Private Eye reported that the British Ministry of Defense was moving toward a $2.7 billion deal with Elbit Systems that would involve training up to 60,000 British troops annually and making the company a strategic partner of the UK military.
The largest recent arms export by a “Israeli” firm was “Israel” Aerospace Industries’ sale of the Arrow 3 missile defense system to Germany in 2023 for $3.5 billion.
These developments come as “Israeli” arms companies continue to secure major contracts worldwide despite “Israel’s” genocide in Gaza. Multiple reports have already highlighted the complicity of the US, Western states and their regional allies in the assault.
Since October 2023, at least 70,667 Palestinians — most of them women and children — have been martyred in Gaza, with another 171,151 injured.
