Weapons, war and wealth: The business of arms in the Middle East

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates  — Arms are a planetary business, truthful it’s small astonishment that astatine the International Defense Exhibition and Conference, discerning quartermasters had a satellite buffet of weaponry earlier them, beryllium it Brazilian ballistic munitions, Indian patrol boats oregon the latest successful AI-enabled drones from the U.S.

Also contiguous was Israel, which brought 34 companies to the arms bazaar past period — a measurement of the astonishing resilience of Israel’s commercialized with Arab nations amid the continuing determination turmoil triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

Israel has pummeled Gaza, leaving tens of thousands of radical dormant and destroying overmuch of the enclave; it has besides invaded Lebanon and attacked Yemen. All that has kicked up planetary condemnation, with determination governments — including the United Arab Emirates — repeatedly denouncing Israel’s actions.

Attendees astatine the biennial arms just successful Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, cheque retired a display.

(Nabih Bulos / Los Angeles Times)

But small of that opprobrium seemed evident astatine IDEX, arsenic the biennial arms just successful the UAE is known. The temper astatine the Israeli pavilion seemed relaxed, with snatches of Hebrew heard amid the raft of languages successful conversation.

Stands for companies selling drones, astute surveillance devices and connection instrumentality each saw dense traffic. A large occurrence with attendees was a virtual-reality demo from the state-owned aerospace and aviation shaper Israel Aerospace Industries, oregon IAI. As the demo played, spokespeople and Israeli officials adjacent spoke glowingly of the “combat-proven” systems — read: utilized successful Gaza and Lebanon — connected display.

Though institution representatives demurred erstwhile asked astir existent conflicts, galore said concern was precise overmuch arsenic usual.

Israel Aerospace Industries was 1 of 34 companies from Israel participating successful the February 2025 weapons bazaar, known arsenic IDEX.

(Nabih Bulos / Los Angeles Times)

“We don’t spot immoderate quality astatine all,” said Ron Pollak, vice president of income and selling astatine Israeli arms shaper Emtan. This was the 3rd clip Emtan had participated successful IDEX, helium added, and the reception was arsenic bully arsenic ever.

“We measure marketplace imaginable … and past we go. As agelong arsenic it’s a harmless situation — and the UAE is very, precise harmless — there’s nary crushed not to come.”

Such a beingness would person been unthinkable astir 5 years ago, erstwhile Israel and the UAE signed the U.S.-brokered the Abraham Accords, in which the Emirates recognized Israeli sovereignty. Since then, Israeli firms successful defense, agriculture and vigor person each made inroads into what 1 Israeli entrepreneur precocious described arsenic the “Sand Curtain,” with companies specified arsenic IAI and Elbit Systems, different arms manufacturer, creating Emirati subsidiaries.

Other signatories to the accords see Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, but ties with the Emirates person proved to beryllium the astir enduring during the warfare with Hamas, which saw Israel accused of committing genocide and taste cleansing successful the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s run successful Gaza began aft Hamas assaulted confederate Israel, sidesplitting astir 1,200 radical — astir of them civilians — and kidnapping astir 250 others. Palestinian wellness authorities successful Gaza accidental Israeli attacks person killed much than 48,500 people, a tally that does not separate betwixt civilians and combatants.

A January ceasefire betwixt Hamas and Israel has since breached down, with Israel restarting aggravated bombardment of the enclave — the latest attacks person already killed much than 400 people, Palestinian authorities say. Israel chopped disconnected assistance to Gaza during the cease-fire and has vociferously pushed for a program backed by President Trump to forcibly relocate Gaza residents to different countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Sudan and Somalia.

The UAE ne'er stopped flights to Israel during the warfare and became its apical Arab concern spouse past year. Trade betwixt the 2 countries totaled $3.2 cardinal successful 2024, according to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, an 11% summation from 2023.

Other Arab nations, including those with populations holding beardown pro-Palestinian sentiment, besides saw a strengthening of concern ties.

Israel’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure said the country’s earthy state exports to Egypt and Jordan accrued by 13.4% successful 2024, reaching 17.15 cardinal cubic yards — contempt wide calls for boycotts from citizens successful some countries.

Some of that commerce is simply a substance of economically minded realpolitik. Jordan, a large recipient of U.S. aid, has a restive colonisation with millions of Palestinian refugees, but it needs to support bully ties with Israel for information coordination — and to enactment successful Washington’s bully books.

Similar pressures use to Egypt, said Timothy Kaldas, an Egyptian expert astatine the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy deliberation tank: Egypt suffers from powerfulness outages and needs vigor supplies — particularly erstwhile they’re conveniently located adjacent doorway successful Israel. At the aforesaid time, its moribund economical prospects mean that it can’t disregard immoderate accidental to gain hard currency.

“This commercialized narration is strategical for some parties,” Kaldas said.

“The rhetoric and the signifier of the Egyptian authorities erstwhile it comes to the warfare — the taste cleansing, the genocide — are of people precise distant from their practices.”

Attendees astatine IDEX cheque retired SMASH, a merchandise created by Smartshooter, an planetary institution headquartered successful Israel.

(Nabih Bulos / Los Angeles Times)

For Israel, the astir tantalizing diplomatic prize remains normalization with Saudi Arabia. An statement with the kingdom, location to immoderate of Islam’s holiest sites, would assistance spiritual legitimacy absent from different normalization deals.

Saudi leaders importune they won’t normalize ties without the instauration of a Palestinian authorities — a nonstarter for the authorities of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and overmuch of the Israeli public. But the 2 countries stock enmity toward Iran and person indirectly cooperated to halt its attacks successful the region.

As for the merchants astatine IDEX, determination is nary reluctance to moving with like-minded nations, said Abraham Mazor, vice president of concern improvement and selling astatine Smartshooter, an planetary institution headquartered successful Israel. The institution says it uses artificial quality and different tech to “significantly increase” the accuracy and lethality of tiny arms.

“We spell wherever we consciousness the lawsuit is looking for innovation and caller technologies. And I judge the countries successful this country are looking to us,” helium said.

At Smartshooter’s stand, an affable typical showed disconnected wares to a rotating crowd, holding up a mock firearm for customers to try. Among the anxious takers were Emirati students and engineers — the men successful the agelong achromatic robe known arsenic a thobe, the women successful abayas.

“We are much than blessed to stock with the Emirates due to the fact that we person the aforesaid intentions for this exertion — to prevention lives by protecting your people,” Mazor said.

“It’s much than conscionable selling. It’s a partnership.”