Israeli Arms Manufacturers Showcase Products at UAE’s IDEX Amid Gaza Ceasefire

Watan-Amid a fragile ceasefire after Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, Israeli arms manufacturers showcased their products in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, on Monday.

A large Israeli pavilion participated in the International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) and the Naval Defense and Security Exhibition (NAVDEX) in Abu Dhabi, which will continue until Friday.

IAI CEO Boaz Levy: Israeli Arms Industry Thrives Amid Controversy

Boaz Levy, CEO of Israel’s IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries), stated, “We are very pleased to be here.” His company is ranked among the top 100 arms manufacturers in the world in 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Last year, amid the Israeli attack on Gaza and a critical campaign against the use of weapons in Gaza, the French government canceled the participation of Israeli arms manufacturers at the Eurosatory global defense and security exhibition in Paris. However, the judiciary overturned this ban.

According to SIPRI, the three Israeli manufacturers ranked in the list, widely represented at the Abu Dhabi exhibition, achieved record sales of $13.6 billion in 2023, driven by the Israeli attack on Gaza.

However, for Levy, this does not prevent them from collaborating with their allies in the region.

“Of course, some of our products are there (in Gaza), but we are a company that deals with technology and provide the end-user with the capabilities required on the ground,” he said.

The UAE normalized its relations with Israel under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, leading to the establishment of defense ties.

Since then, the Israeli small arms manufacturer “Emtan” has participated in every edition of the biennial exhibition.

Roni Pollack, the company’s sales manager, said, “We work a lot with the Abraham Accords countries.”

“Soft Power”

The Israeli-American company “Heven Drones” is showcasing its new hydrogen-powered drone capable of carrying over 22 kilograms for ten hours.

Its founder and CEO, Ben Zion Levinson, is aware of the sensitivity of the context.

“What we have heard from our counterparts in the UAE and other countries is that the most important thing is security… Israel, the United States, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the entire region agree on the goal of defeating terrorism, and for that, we need the best technology,” he said.

Christian Alexander of the “Ribadan Institute for Security and Defense,” a research center based in Abu Dhabi, noted that the Gulf state, one of the world’s largest oil exporters, has historically allocated a significant portion of its budget to defense “driven by regional security concerns, aspirations for power, and the desire to develop its own industry.”

UAE Expands Defense Partnerships, Leveraging Arms Expo for Soft Power

With annual spending estimated between $20 and $23 billion, according to SIPRI, the UAE has gradually expanded its supplier list, which was traditionally focused on the U.S. and Europe, to include China, Turkey, Israel, and even Russia, as Alexander pointed out.

He added that the UAE uses the arms exhibition “as a tool of soft power, positioning itself as a neutral yet influential player.”

While UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Abu Dhabi, Sergey Chemezov, CEO of the Russian state-owned company “Rostec,” was present at the exhibition to promote Russian weapons.

According to organizers, contracts worth a total of 3.97 billion dirhams (approximately one billion USD) were signed on the first day of the exhibition.