‘Common economic and security interests’: Rabbi’s murder won’t chill Israeli-UAE ties, says expert

Both nations play a significant role in the flow of economic relations, ideas, and technology between the East and West.

By Noah Michaeli, TPS

The murder of rabbi in the United Arab Emirates won’t have a chilling effect on Israel-UAE economic and security ties, an expert told The Press Service of Israel on Sunday.

“The relations between Israel and the UAE, the existence of these relations, makes a lot of sense for both countries, due to the two countries common interests and common values in my personal opinion,” said Elior Paul Buchnik, an analyst at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and academic researcher.

Buchnik, who returned last week from symposium hosted by the UAE-based Manara Center for Coexistence and Dialogue, explained to TPS-IL that bilateral relations have and will continue to remain stable, despite significant geopolitical turbulence around the world.

He spoke to TPS-IL in the aftermath of the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan. Emirati authorities found his body on Sunday after he disappeared on Thursday.

According to Israeli media reports, the killers are thought to be Uzbek nationals working on behalf of Iran who fled to Turkey.

Israel’s National Security Council reiterated a travel warning urging Israelis to avoid businesses and venues associated with Israelis or Jews, not to overtly display Israeli or Jewish symbols or share travel details on social media, and to be vigilant in public areas.

“Israel and the UAE have common economic and security interests,” Buchnik told TPS-IL. Regarding security, these include the threats of Iran, its Houthi proxy militia in Yemen, and international terror groups in general.

“It’s not only about security though, it’s also about economic relations and connections with the rest of the world,” Buchnik stressed.

“Both countries are a huge bridge between regions, between the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the rest of Europe,” Buchnik said, adding that both nations play a significant role in the flow of economic relations, ideas, and technology between the East and West.

“There’s a lot of interest in technological solutions from Israel in the UAE for example,” and that’s not going to change because of the war, he stressed.

This, Buchnik said, is why he believes the Abraham Accords will continue to thrive.

“Establishing relations in 2020 wasn’t a single tactical move by either country. Rather it was part of a much broader long-term strategy from both countries due to shared interests,” Buchnik explained.

“For Israel, a lot of it is about having allies in a largely hostile region, and for UAE, a lot of it is about becoming fully open to the west and expanding soft power. It’s a big strategic move from both countries and that’s what matters,” Buchnik said.

“That’s not to say that you don’t have all these challenges, especially since October 7, but precisely because it’s a strategic issue and not a tactical issue, the relations continue to endure,” Buchnik explained.

“It’s the first time someone’s been killed, but it’s not the first time that Iran has tried to do this to Israeli and Jewish targets, in a variety of countries,” said Buchnik, adding that these attacks have not put a damper Israel’s relations with those countries.

“In fact, if it turns out to be an attack by Iran, I actually believe that it will strengthen Israel-UAE relations,” Buchnik insisted.

“You have a common threat, and suddenly you have security services working together,” Buchnik explained, adding, “Nobody is happy about this, a civilian was murdered, and now the security services of the countries are needing to working together.”

On a personal level, Buchnik still feels comfortable in the UAE.

“For myself, if I’m asked to come back to the UAE to present more research, I’ll go. I don’t think it’ll have an impact on Israelis coming to the UAE,” he insisted.

If anything, Buchnik believes that recent events could enhance cooperation between the two nations. “Iran is acting against the interests of both Israel and the UAE, and now we can all see that even more clearly,” Buchnik said.