Secret Israel-Arab military cooperation during Gaza war revealed

 

Arab states deepened military ties with Israel while denouncing Gaza war, leak reveals

Despite harsh public criticism of Israel, at least six Arab states secretly took part in a US-led regional security network, sharing intelligence and training with Israel on tunnel warfare and countering Iran

The Washington Post revealed on Saturday that, despite fierce public condemnation of Israel by Arab governments during the Gaza war, several of those same countries secretly maintained close military and intelligence cooperation with Jerusalem.
According to leaked U.S. documents obtained by the newspaper and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), at least six Arab states — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar — took part in a classified regional defense framework known as the “Regional Security Construct.” Kuwait and Oman were listed as potential future partners.

 

Israeli and Arab military officials have come together for meetings and trainings, facilitated by U.S. Central Command, on regional threats, Iran and underground tunnels.

 Even as key Arab states condemned the war in the Gaza Strip, they quietly expanded security cooperation with the Israeli military, leaked U.S. documents reveal. Those military ties were thrown into crisis after Israel’s September airstrike in Qatar, but could now play a key role in overseeing the nascent ceasefire in Gaza.

Over the past three years, facilitated by the United States, senior military officials from Israel and six Arab countries came together for a series of planning meetings in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar.

Israel and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to the first phase of a peace framework that would result in the release of all the hostages held by Hamas and a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. U.S. officials announced on Thursday that 200 U.S. troops would be deployed to Israel to provide support to the ceasefire agreement, and would be joined by soldiers from several of the Arab countries that participated in this long-standing security cooperation.

Several Arab countries deepened their military ties with Israel during the Gaza war despite public criticism, according to a new report.

The Washington Post noted that, over the past years, senior military officials from Israel and six Arab countries, including Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and Bahrain, held several planning meetings across the region.

The ties became strained after Israel's strike in Qatar that sought to kill Hamas leaders, but could again come into play in negotiations over the handling of Gaza after the ceasefire in the enclave and the release of Israeli hostages.

The outlet noted that the 200 U.S. troops deployed to Israel to provide support to the ceasefire agreement will be joined by soldiers from the Arab countries that took part in these meetings. The Arab forces are set to take part in the mission that will also be tasked with training a new Palestinian police force.

The countries said they supported a mechanism that "guarantees the security of all sides," but didn't formally commit to deploying soldiers.

The closer ties between the countries are mostly a result of Iran's growing threat to the security of the region, reads a passage of the piece. One document discussed in a meeting in Qatar describes Iran and its allied militias as the "Axis of Evil."

Another meeting close to Nashville included sessions where U.S. forces trained partners on how to detect and neutralize underground tunnels, a staple of Hamas' activity in Gaza.

However, Arab leaders have been extremely critical of Israel in public, and the attack against Hamas leaders in Qatar strained ties. Despite this, the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) continues to work toward fostering closer ties between the nations, the outlet noted.