The United States and the United Arab Emirates are boosting military cooperation as tensions rise in the Middle East over the war in Gaza and despite friction over the war in Sudan.
US President Joe Biden has recognised the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as an “important defence partner”, deepening military ties despite friction over the war in Sudan and as deadly tensions rise in the Middle East.
Monday's announcement, which came after a meeting at the White House between Biden and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, makes the UAE the second country to receive the designation. The Biden administration granted the designation to India in 2021.
In a statement, the White House said the designation would “further enhance defense and security cooperation in the Middle East, East Africa, and Indian Ocean regions.”
He added that it would also “enable unprecedented cooperation through joint training, exercises and military collaboration between the military forces of the United States, the United Arab Emirates and India, as well as other common military partners, in support of regional stability.”
The meeting came as Israel stepped up its attacks on Lebanon. At least 492 people, including 35 children, were killed on Monday in Israeli strikes on the territory that the government said targeted Hezbollah military infrastructure.
“My team is in constant contact with their counterparts, and we are working to de-escalate in a way that allows people to return home safely,” Biden told reporters during a photo opportunity in the Oval Office.
A U.S. State Department official, speaking to reporters on Monday without being told, also said U.S. officials would discuss “concrete ideas” for a “way out” on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this week. Washington has regularly been criticized for shying away from using its influence — including the billions of dollars in military aid it provides to Israel — to calm tensions in the region.
On Gaza, the two leaders “underscored their commitment to continue working together to end the conflict” and the need for UN humanitarian aid to be allowed into the enclave, the White House said. To date, at least 41,431 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza amid an Israeli offensive that has lasted nearly a year.
The UAE has been a leading voice on the UN Security Council, introducing resolutions condemning Israel's war in Gaza, often at odds with the veto-wielding United States.
Still, Washington has long viewed the Gulf state as an integral part of any post-war recovery plan for Gaza.
The White House said Biden and Al Nahyan discussed “a path to stabilization and recovery that addresses the humanitarian crisis, establishes law and order, and lays the foundation for accountable governance,” as well as their “commitment to the two-state solution” for Israel and Palestine.
Conflict in Sudan
Monday's appointment comes despite tensions over the UAE's alleged role in the Sudanese war.
The UAE has been accused of channelling weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been locked in a bloody civil war with the Sudanese military since April last year.
Both sides have been accused of abuses in the fighting, which has internally displaced more than 10.7 million people and forced another 2.3 million to flee the country, according to the UN.
Ahead of the White House meeting, five US lawmakers sent a letter to Biden asking him to use Washington's influence to seek a change of course.
The White House statement said the leaders discussed the conflict and “stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Sudan.” They also “stressed that all parties to the conflict must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law,” it added.
In a separate meeting with the president of the United Arab Emirates, US Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris “expressed her deep concern about the conflict in Sudan,” the White House said.
“He expressed alarm at the millions of people who have been displaced by the war and the atrocities committed by the belligerents against the civilian population,” the statement said.
