UAE Strengthens Security Ties with Israel Through Major Financial Investment

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has strengthened its security ties with Israel through a significant financial investment, solidifying the publicly declared alliance between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, while blatantly ignoring Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians.

Hebrew media sources revealed that the UAE-based company EDGE has acquired 30% of the Israeli security company “ThirdEye Systems” for $10.3 million.

According to the Hebrew news site Walla News, the Israeli company specializes in producing surveillance cameras designed to detect drones. Israel’s Ministry of Defense has approved the deal, signaling the deepening security ties between the UAE and Israel.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Thirdeye Systems, an Israeli military supplier, confirmed the sale of 30% of its shares to the UAE’s state-owned defense manufacturer EDGE for $10 million. The deal marks one of the rare public UAE investments in Israel since the war on Gaza began 15 months ago.

Under the agreement, EDGE will inject an additional $12 million into a new joint venture, in which EDGE will hold a majority stake, according to the Israeli company.

A third, unidentified entity will retain 6% of the joint venture, while Thirdeye Systems will hold the remaining 43%.

The company stated that EDGE’s investment will help Thirdeye Systems expand into new markets, as confirmed by the company’s CEO, Lior Segal, in an official statement.

EDGE Chairman Rodrigo Torres described the deal as mutually beneficial, emphasizing that it will accelerate the development of new security systems.

Reuters noted that many Emirati companies have refrained from publicly engaging in business with Israeli firms over the past 15 months, as Israel’s war on Gaza has further isolated it in the Arab world.

The UAE officially established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020, leading to an initial surge in business between the two nations. However, public cooperation has slowed since the outbreak of the war.

While the UAE’s official media outlets have criticized Israel’s military operations in Gaza, Abu Dhabi has quietly maintained its ties with Israel.

Thirdeye Systems specializes in drone detection technology and serves as a supplier to the Israeli military and some NATO members.

The company’s stock price has surged over the past 15 months, following new contracts with the Israeli military. Since the war began, its stock has risen by 51%, reaching 333.8 Israeli shekels ($92.29), according to LSEG data and Reuters calculations.

EDGE, the UAE’s largest weapons manufacturer, is state-owned and announced in 2021 a joint development project with Israel’s state-owned Aerospace Industries to build unmanned naval vessels capable of carrying out submarine detection missions.

Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed hosted former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Abu Dhabi earlier this week.

According to Israel’s Ynet news site, the meeting took place at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi and lasted approximately three hours. However, neither Bennett nor the UAE government has officially confirmed the meeting.