'Israel' Setting Up Permanent Police Presence in UAE
The step comes in stark contrast with the tensions that ruled the two regimes' relationships in 2010.
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The Israeli Police's track record in dealing with Palestinian civilians raises some concerns
With increasing "security" coordination, trade and tourism pacts between "Israel" and the United Arab Emirates which sums up to $1 trillion, The Telegraph reports that Israeli police will now have a permanent presence in the Gulf country.
The decision presumably comes in response to the influx of Israeli gangs which have vehemently expanded their crime networks in the UAE after the normalization process between the two regimes.
The Israeli gangs, among which are prominent the Hariri and Chaya families, are running complex networks of drug dealing, prostitution, and money laundering in Dubai and across the country.
Sending an Israeli police attaché to the Consulate in Dubai is a crucial part of the decision, as it will “strengthen the ties between both sides,” in the words of the Israeli former Interior Minister, Amir Ohana.
An Israeli police source told The Telegraph the attache’s role would be vital in the ongoing development of UAE-Israeli relationships, urging for an increase in the number of attaches.
The merits of this move are still being debated amongst Emirati politicians and political commentators.
Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, an Emirati political commentator who opposes the normalization process, said that many tend to shy away from seeing the many pains associated with normalization. He revealed that Israeli organized crimes and criminals were “a big headache for the Emirati authorities,” concluding:
“Normalization comes with a price and this is just one.”
The recent turn of events is a stark departure from the crisis of 2010, when undercover Israeli Mossad agents assassinated Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a prominent Hamas leader, in a Dubai hotel. The illegal and extrajudicial assassination’s ramifications plunged the countries’ inconspicuous relations into a spiraling crisis.
Furthermore, the assassination enraged the UK, amongst other nations, which expelled an Israeli diplomat after uncovering that 12 forged British passports were used to carry out the operation.
