Israeli-Gulf relations

MBS

Analysis

With Saudi normalization off table, MBS visit to Trump 'a defeat for Israel'

Israelis are searching for answers for the shift in US policy, some pointing to Saudi promises to invest trillions in the US, while others point to members of Trump's circle.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

An Israel Air Force F-35 fighter lands during the "Blue Flag" multinational air defence exercise at the Ovda air force base, north of Eilat, Israel, Oct. 24, 2021.

Analysis

Trump’s Saudi F-35 deal jolts Israel’s security elite, weakens Netanyahu

The expected sale to Saudi Arabia of American stealth F-35 jets, as well as their sale to Turkey, deeply worries Israel’s security apparatus.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

US President Donald J. Trump leaves the Saudi Royal Court with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Analysis

Ahead of MBS visit, Saudis link Israel normalization to 3 asks from Trump

President Donald Trump would clearly like to say he persuaded Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalize ties, but neither Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman nor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seem ready to make the necessary compromises.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Steve Witkoff, the US Special Envoy for the Middle East, and Jared Kushner meet with UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, Oct. 22, 2025.

Kushner, Witkoff meet with UAE’s Sheikh Tahnoon as US pushes to reinforce Gaza ceasefire

The visit by the American envoys to the UAE comes right after their visit to Israel in an attempt to stabilize President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

US CENTCOM hastens to rally international force to stabilize Gaza

Palestinians rally around aid trucks which entered from the Karem Abu Salem crossing, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 12, 2025.

Egypt's Sisi says Gaza deal in sight as Witkoff, Kushner, Qatari PM join talks

An Israeli tank moves along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, on Sept. 25, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.

Analysis

Israel adapts, Turkey rises, Iran ruined: How 2 years of Gaza war reshaped Middle East

OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Analysis

Netanyahu hamstrung by far right, Trump as Hamas drags feet on Gaza plan

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Would Mideast leaders prefer Trump or Biden to deal with Iran?

Whoever wins the election, a new Iran deal would require a regional consensus and some tough diplomacy with Putin.

Israel will not oppose US sale of 'certain weapon systems' to United Arab Emirates

The announcement likely refers to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

United Arab Emirates

Israel, UAE agree Emiratis can stay without visas for 90 days

Diplomats from the two Middle East countries also struck agreements on investment and aviation.

United Arab Emirates

Israel, Bahrain sign air travel agreement

The two countries agreed to establish weekly passenger and cargo flights between each other. It follows a similar arrangement between Israel and the UAE.

First UAE delegation visits Israel amid Palestinian opposition

Palestinians continue to oppose the UAE's normalization with Israel, as UAE and Israeli officials sign agreement on visa-free travel in Tel Aviv today.

United Arab Emirates

This picture taken on July 8, 2020 shows an aerial view of the Sheikh Zayed Road section of the E 11 highway and the Dubai Metro flyover in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, during a government-organised helicopter tour, with the Burj Khalifa skyscraper seen in the background. - Dubai reopened its doors to international visitors on July 7 in the hope of reviving its tourism industry after a nearly four-month closure. (Photo by KARIM SAHIB / AFP) (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE cabinet ratifies normalization accord with Israel

The cabinet's approval came a day before an Emirati delegation is scheduled to make a first official visit to Israel.

First commercial flight from UAE to Israel lands in Tel Aviv

Etihad Airways flew to Tel Aviv to bring an Israeli delegation back to Abu Dhabi for trade and tourism talks. Israel and the UAE continue to further ties after normalizing relations in September.

US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (back) attends a signing ceremony between the head of the Israeli delegation, National Security Advisor Meir Ben Shabbat (L) and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani (C), in the Bahraini capital Manama on October 18, 2020. - Israel and Bahrain cemented a deal officially establishing relations and signed several memorandums of understanding, further opening up the wealthy Gulf region to the Jewish state. (Photo by Mazen Mahdi / AFP) (Photo by MAZEN MAH

Israel, Bahrain establish diplomatic relations at a ceremony in Manama

Israel’s Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Ushpiz and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani signed yesterday a joint communique for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Democratic Presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden participates in an ABC News town hall event at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on October 15, 2020. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden slams Trump's Iran policy at town hall

The Democratic presidential candidate also praised Trump's work on the UAE-Israel deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives to attend a meeting at the Knesset (Parliament) in Jerusalem on October 15, 2020. (Photo by Alex KOLOMIENSKY / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEX KOLOMIENSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Knesset approves UAE deal with overwhelming majority

Eighty parliamentarians voted last night in favor of the normalization deal with the United Arab Emirates, signed on Oct. 15 at the White House in Washington.

President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. (Photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Coronavirus-stricken Israelis indifferent to Netanyahu’s diplomatic victories

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps registering diplomatic achievement with Gulf countries, but most Israelis are preoccupied only with coronavirus troubles.

US President Donald Trump (R) with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (L), Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani (2-L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) pose for pictures in the colonnade at the White House before the signing of the Abraham Accords where the countries of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognize Israel, in Washington, DC, September 15, 2020. - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirat

Israel’s Cabinet ratifies Abraham Accords

Shortly before the Cabinet approved the normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke over the phone and agreed to meet "soon."

United Arab Emirates