Israel turns to Middle east from secrecy to influence

Israeli financial newspaper the Calclist said in a report that Israel is already enjoying massive economic ties with the UAE and even before the normalization of ties was announced last week.

It said the regime in Tel Aviv is now seeking to build on that open secret to expand exports to the UAE, an Arab country which relies on imports for a bulk of its needs.

Ron Tomer, president of the Manufacturers Association of Israel, told Calclist that Israel has been using third countries for years to process exports to the UAE.

Tomer said, however, that the normalization of diplomatic ties would hugely benefit the Israeli companies as they can directly deal with customers in the UAE.

“We are certain this agreement will expand the until-now unofficial commercial ties with the UAE and allow the export of additional products, such as medicine, whose country of origin must be clearly marked,” said Tomer.

Israel companies and their products have faced growing boycotts and bans in countries around the world solely because they have been operating in Palestinian territories designated by the international law as occupied by the Israeli regime.

The normalization of ties with the UAE, a development announced on Thursday to huge dismay and criticism of governments and rights advocates, would give a fresh lifeline to the Israeli firms struggling with international bans.

The report by the Calclist estimated that nearly 200 Israeli companies have been exporting products, many of them banned in other countries, to the UAE using third party clients before the normalization of ties.