Background and Problem
The normalization of relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, formally announced in 2020 within the framework of the Abraham Accords, represented one of the most significant transformations in the contemporary political order of the Middle East. Although the agreement was publicly presented as a new diplomatic initiative, the available evidence indicates that it was preceded by a long process of covert, informal, and semi-official interactions between the two sides. For years, the absence of formal diplomatic relations did not prevent Emirati and Israeli officials, security institutions, private companies, and intermediaries from establishing limited channels of communication and cooperation. These contacts gradually expanded from security and intelligence matters to economic, technological, diplomatic, sporting, and media-related fields. Previous studies have mainly explained the normalization agreement by emphasizing security threats, economic interests, geopolitical transformations, or the changing regional policies of Arab states. However, the role of covert diplomacy in preparing the political and social conditions for the transition from official confrontation to open cooperation has received less integrated attention. The central problem addressed in this study is therefore how covert diplomacy facilitated the gradual formation, expansion, and eventual formalization of relations between the UAE and Israel and how the interests and strategic calculations of the two sides contributed to this process.
Objective
This study aims to explain the development of Emirati–Israeli relations before the formal announcement of the Abraham Accords and to identify the principal factors that encouraged the UAE and Israel to move from covert contacts to overt diplomatic relations. It also seeks to clarify the functions of covert diplomacy in reducing political sensitivities, managing the domestic and regional costs of cooperation, creating mutual confidence, and testing the feasibility of formal relations. By examining the interaction between security, economic, political, and technological considerations, the study attempts to provide an integrated explanation of the normalization process and its broader strategic consequences for both parties and the regional order of the Persian Gulf.
Method
The research adopts a qualitative approach and employs a descriptive–analytical method. Data were collected through documentary and library-based research using academic books and articles, official statements and published documents, analytical reports, and credible media sources concerning the development of relations between the UAE and Israel. The collected materials were examined through the conceptual framework of covert diplomacy. This framework makes it possible to analyze communications and negotiations conducted outside conventional and publicly acknowledged diplomatic channels, particularly in situations where formal relations are absent or politically costly. The evidence was organized thematically around the major dimensions of the relationship, including security and intelligence cooperation, perceptions of regional threats, economic and technological interests, leadership change, and the use of international, sporting, and media events. The analysis also distinguishes among the covert, semi-public, and official stages of the relationship in order to explain how limited and deniable interactions gradually developed into institutionalized diplomatic cooperation. The study does not consider the Abraham Accords an isolated event; rather, it investigates the agreement as the final stage of a longer historical and political process.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that the normalization of relations between the UAE and Israel resulted from the convergence of several interconnected factors rather than from a single diplomatic decision. Security and intelligence cooperation constituted one of the earliest and most influential foundations of the relationship. A shared perception of regional threats, particularly the growing regional influence of Iran and concerns about its political, military, and nuclear capabilities, created incentives for communication and coordination. Covert channels enabled the two parties to exchange information, explore areas of common interest, and develop practical cooperation without immediately accepting the political costs associated with formal diplomatic relations.
Economic and technological considerations also played a decisive role. The UAE’s strategy of economic diversification and its efforts to reduce dependence on oil increased its interest in advanced technologies, cybersecurity, surveillance systems, water management, agriculture, health, renewable energy, and knowledge-based industries. Israel possessed capabilities in many of these fields and regarded cooperation with the UAE as an opportunity to enter an influential Arab market and expand its economic and technological presence in the Persian Gulf. Private firms, commercial intermediaries, and unofficial networks consequently served as important channels for establishing initial contacts and converting shared interests into practical cooperation.
The findings further indicate that generational change in the UAE’s leadership contributed to a more pragmatic foreign-policy orientation. The emerging leadership evaluated relations with Israel primarily through the lens of national interests, regional influence, security requirements, and economic modernization. In this approach, the Palestinian issue remained politically important but no longer constituted an absolute obstacle to cooperation. This shift allowed Emirati decision-makers to separate bilateral strategic interests from the traditional requirement that normalization should occur only after a comprehensive resolution of the Palestinian question.
International conferences, multilateral institutions, sporting competitions, cultural activities, and media interactions also contributed to the gradual public visibility of the relationship. These events provided controlled environments in which officials and representatives of the two sides could interact without immediately establishing full diplomatic relations. Such contacts helped reduce the symbolic sensitivity of Israeli participation in the UAE and prepared regional and international audiences for a possible change in bilateral relations. Covert diplomacy therefore functioned not merely as secret communication but as a flexible mechanism for managing the transition from denial to limited acknowledgment and, eventually, to formal recognition.
The relationship developed through three broadly distinguishable stages. In the first stage, contacts were highly confidential and concentrated on security, intelligence, and strategically sensitive matters. In the second stage, cooperation became semi-public through commercial relations, international meetings, technological exchanges, sporting events, and limited official encounters. In the final stage, the accumulated experience of cooperation, the convergence of strategic interests, and the gradual reduction of political sensitivities made formal normalization possible. The Abraham Accords thus institutionalized an already developing relationship rather than creating it from the beginning.
Conclusion
The study concludes that covert diplomacy was a central mechanism in the formation and consolidation of relations between the UAE and Israel. It allowed both parties to identify shared interests, assess the reliability of the other side, limit political risks, and gradually expand cooperation while formal diplomatic relations were still considered sensitive. The Abraham Accords should therefore be understood as the culmination of a long-term process of confidence-building and strategic convergence rather than as the sudden beginning of bilateral relations.
Normalization provided the UAE with broader access to Israeli security, intelligence, and technological capabilities and supported its ambitions for economic diversification and greater regional influence. For Israel, the agreement created opportunities to expand its geopolitical, diplomatic, and economic presence in the Persian Gulf and to reduce its regional isolation. At the regional level, this development demonstrated that changes in threat perceptions, leadership priorities, and national interests could transform established patterns of Arab–Israeli relations. The case also illustrates how covert diplomacy can prepare the foundations for formal agreements by managing opposition, reducing uncertainty, and gradually normalizing previously unacceptable forms of cooperation. Nevertheless, the sustainability and regional legitimacy of these relations remain connected to broader developments in the Middle East, especially the continuation of the Palestinian question and changes in the regional balance of power.