Relationship dossier
Israel
United Arab Emirates
Relationship assessment
Normalization has enabled sustained cooperation, alongside serious strain over Gaza and the Palestinian issue.
Israel toward United Arab Emirates
+35Israel joined the Abraham Accords with the United Arab Emirates in 2020, established diplomatic relations and opened an embassy. The two governments have also pursued commercial and security cooperation, including a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. Israeli military actions in Gaza have strained the relationship.
United Arab Emirates toward Israel
+35The United Arab Emirates joined the Abraham Accords with Israel in 2020, established diplomatic relations and opened an embassy in Israel. The governments concluded a comprehensive economic partnership agreement and expanded commercial ties. The UAE has criticized Israel's conduct in Gaza, creating tension while the bilateral framework remains in place.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship rests on the durable post-2020 normalization framework, expanded diplomatic and economic ties, and cooperation that includes security matters. The Gaza conflict and the Palestinian issue are significant sources of strain, but have not displaced the underlying bilateral agreements.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Israel and the United Arab Emirates established formal relations through the 2020 Abraham Accords and have built substantial diplomatic, commercial and security ties. They opened embassies and concluded a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. Israel's conduct in Gaza and the unresolved Palestinian issue have strained relations, but have not undone the bilateral framework.
Areas of tension
- Israeli military operations in Gaza and their humanitarian consequences
- The unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its effects on regional policy
Key developments
Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed the Abraham Accords, establishing a framework for normalized relations.
The two governments signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and practical depth of security cooperation are unclear.
- The durability of bilateral cooperation amid the Gaza conflict is uncertain.