In fact, data shows that several Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel, including Morocco, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, have been helping Israel get around the blockade and supplying them with important trade routes that allow them to continue making money for their war effort.
According to trade figures for 2024, Israeli imports from Bahrain rose by a remarkable 1161.8% between the months of January and July when compared to the same period last year. This surge comes despite statements issued by Bahrain’s parliament condemning Israel. Moves such as the Israeli ambassador leaving Bahrain and Bahrain recalling its envoy to Tel Aviv were actually more symbolic than anything and intended to appease the public rather than any accurate reflection of true changes in policy in response to their actions in Palestine.
Several countries are covertly supporting Israel
While Turkey's president may be known for his colorful anti-Israel rhetoric on the public stage, the country is actually supporting the Jewish state behind the scenes, even going so far as to reroute goods through Greece and Palestinian customs to help obscure the extent of its ongoing direct trade with Israel. Even though Turkey stopped directly trading with Israel in May, they are now skirting their own embargo to keep up the appearance of severed ties while continuing to trade with them covertly.
Egypt was one of the first Arab states to normalize its relations with Israel a few decades ago, and it has played an important role in supporting Israeli trade. Six Egyptian Mediterranean ports are now key transit hubs for goods that are moving in and out of the Jewish state, with reports showing that 19 vessels were used exclusively during the summer for round-trip voyages between Egyptian and Israeli ports. The proximity of Egyptian ports to vital Israeli hubs such as the port of Ashdod, which is situated a mere 29 kilometers from Gaza, and the port of Haifa, are helping Israel reduce its shipping costs and keep the prices of goods transported by sea down.
Morocco does not appear to be turning its back on Israel from a trade standpoint, either, with trade between the two countries rising by more than 81% in 2024 compared to the previous year despite the war in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has recorded a 14.2% rise in Israeli imports so far in 2024 as Abu Dhabi continues serving a strategic role in plans by the U.S. and Israel for post-war Gaza. At meetings between officials from the UAE, the U.S. and Israel in July seeking to quell resistance within Gaza, the Arab state made its role in supporting future Israeli political projects clear.
A key factor driving the rise in imports from the UAE as well as Bahrain is the increasing dependence of Israel on their ports for transporting goods from West Asia through a land corridor to get around Yemeni blockades in the Red Sea.
It turns out that many of the Arab states that are publicly condemning Israel for its actions in Gaza are supporting them behind the scenes in moves that the Muslim world is unlikely to forget for some time. With the death toll in Gaza now well above 40,000, those who have been supporting Israel have a lot to answer for.
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