Shuttle Trips; How Did Abu Dhabi Turn into the Capital of "Israeli Spies"?
“A new regional axis is under establishment that includes the countries that signed the Abraham Accords Agreement and has many benefits and may come at the expense of regional axes whose validity has expired.” By these words, Emirati academic Abdul Khaleq Abdullah, advisor to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed revealed, in a tweet about the nature of the growing relations between UAE and Israel.
Shuttle trips and visits made by officers of the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad) to the Emirates, whether retired or in service, were monitored by numerous reports.
The reports also monitored security and economic partnerships between these officers and the major UAE companies owned by the princes of the ruling family of Al Nahyan, and subject in one way or another to Emirati “Signals Intelligence Agency” (SIA).
Tahnoun Empire
Tomer Avnon, CEO of the Israeli defense and intelligence company “Avnon Group,” met with many Gulf leaders during the past period, and the meetings were related to the launch of the venture capital company “Synaptec Capital,” which is based in Abu Dhabi.
On April 7, 2021, the French publication Intelligence Online, which specializes in intelligence issues, revealed that “the Israeli company is under the direct patronage of the government authorities in the country.”
Adding: “Tomer Avnon; ex-Mossad chief Tamir Pardo, who currently heads the cybersecurity company ‘XM Cyber;’ and Buky Carmeli, the former head of the National Cyber Security Authority, visited the UAE to cement partnerships.”
“Synaptec Capital has already been contacted through “Trust International Group,” that defense company which is part of the security business empire of the UAE National Security Advisor Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” says the French publication.
It is noteworthy that Avnon is the one who leads the coordination of the delegations of Mossad officers and Israeli investors to the UAE, and on September 20, 2020, he was entrusted with meeting Mohamed Helal Al Muhairi, Director General of the “Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry,” to strengthen cooperation frameworks between the UAE and Israel.
Mossad’s Role
The relationship between Abu Dhabi and the Mossad officers is not a product of a post-normalization policy, but rather extends to previous years. On October 16, 2019, the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, announced shocking news, according to which Emirati security companies working for the intelligence services were hiring former Israeli officers in the Mossad intelligence agency to work for them with high payments, to pursue Western journalists and human rights activists.”
It revealed that “the salaries offered by the Emirati company ‘DarkMatter’ to Mossad officers amount to one million dollars annually.”
It is noteworthy that the Emirati company, which employs Mossad officers, was launched in the capital Abu Dhabi in 2015, and claimed that its main mission is limited to “electronic defense,” but media reports revealed that it provides piracy services for the benefit of UAE intelligence SIA.
Exactly at that time, on December 7, 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that “his intelligence agency , Mossad, is helping him to develop diplomatic and political relations with Arab and Islamic countries without naming them.”
He said in a televised statement: “On the diplomatic front, the Mossad continues to assist me in my capacity as prime minister in developing diplomatic and political relations in all parts of the world, including with Arab and Islamic countries.”
Netanyahu strengthened that strategy by appointing “Yossi Cohen” as director of the Mossad. Cohen is 60 years old, and joined the ranks of the Mossad in 1983 and worked within the framework of operational units, and was the head of an operational body in the Mossad, and has extensive relations with the rulers of the state in the Emirates.
In August 2020, Cohen traveled to the UAE to meet with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, to elaborate the details of the peace agreement that was subsequently signed between Israel and the UAE.
Suitable Environment
The Israeli journalist, Yossi Melman, specializing in security and intelligence affairs, revealed, through an article published in the Hebrew newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth,” on April 27, 2015, about a massive Israeli incursion into the UAE, through security companies, saying that “its directors are former officials of the Mossad, Shin Bet security services, and other intelligence agencies in Israel.”
He emphasized that some Gulf Cooperation Council countries have become a breeding ground for many Israeli and Jewish companies, which, he said, “found a suitable environment for work in those societies, although being usually described as conservative.”
Melman singled out Mati Kochavi, the most prominent Israeli businessman in the Emirates, about whom he said “have made deals worth millions of dollars, including defense equipment used to protect gas and oil fields, as well as border control.”
He added that one of the main managers in Kochavi’s company is “Amos Malka,” the former head of the Israeli Intelligence Corps, pointing out that some of these businessmen traveled from Israel to the UAE and vice versa on a weekly basis, and that all these actions were approved by the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
On August 20, 2019, a lengthy investigation was published, via Haaretz newspaper, confirming that “the UAE concluded a huge deal with Israel, providing the latter with advanced intelligence capabilities, including two modern spy planes.”
The investigation indicated that this deal began to take shape under the auspices of the close associate of Abu Dhabi, the Israeli businessman Mati Kochavi, who is coordinating the Mossad officers’ travels to the UAE.
Peace of Assassinations
“You make peace with enemies. The UAE has never been our foes.” This statement by David Meidan, the former head of the “Tevel” division in the Israeli Mossad, on August 27, 2020, revealed the nature of the relations between the two systems.
Meidan signified that the Emirates have never fought any wars with them, nor did they send their troops to Israel, so basically there is no bad blood between them. This is in contrast to Egypt, Jordan, and a number of other Arab countries, which Israel has entered into multiple wars with, and has suffered deaths and injuries.
“The leaders of this country are respected and trusted, and when they shake hands with you and tell you that they are going to do something, you can make sure that they will keep their word,” the former Mossad official added about the rulers of the Emirates.
“Among all the Gulf countries, they were the most daring [in normalization], their leaders are talented and experienced, far ahead of everyone in the region, they were not afraid, and they already understood the advantages of Israel,” proceeded Meidan.
He revealed that the relations between Mossad officers and the Emirates began long ago, specifically in 2005, when former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon addressed the then Mossad director, Meir Dagan, and tasked him with establishing ties with moderate Sunni states in the region, as he described it, at which time Israeli officials met their Emiratis counterparts.
The Mossad, which was established on September 13, 1949, is considered to be the godfather of relations with Arab leaders and the spearhead of normalization, and it aimed from the development of these relations to push towards dealing with Israel as a normal state in the region, and the UAE was among the first to contribute to the great wave of normalization, and consecutively encouraging other states towards it.
This particular agency, whose officials flock to the UAE capital Abu Dhabi permanently, is based on a long historical record of murders and assassinations throughout the world, using gangs of murderers as mercenaries to liquidate Israel’s enemies and the personalities that pose a threat to its existence.
