Congressional lawmakers from Republicans, Democrats and activists are opposed to a $ 23 billion sale of US weapons, including the “F-35” fighter, to the UAE, due to Abu Dhabi’s responsibility for killing civilians in Yemen and financing Russian mercenaries in Libya.
According to a report by (VOX), US lawmakers say that the UAE responsible for these actions does not deserve to be rewarded with advanced US weapons.
The American website reveals a secret meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Congress on Monday, at the end of which Democratic Senator Chris Murphy wrote a tweet expressing the disagreements about the deal, saying: “There are many exciting questions that the administration has not been able to answer .. It is difficult to underestimate the seriousness of Hurry it out. “
The site notes that the increasing political comments about this deal will definitely affect the relationship of the United States with what it described with its dictatorial ally (the Emirates) and the balance of armaments in the Middle East.
According to the site, outgoing President Donald Trump wants to pass the deal before President-elect Joseph Biden reaches the White House and the possibility of preventing the deal.
The Trump administration links the mega arms deal to broad efforts to counter Iran and the UAE’s relations with Israel.
“To sell advanced weapons to the UAE now would be tantamount to endorsing these policies and threatening US interests and regional stability,” said Seth Binder of the Middle East Democracy Project, who leads gun control and human rights organizations to block the deal.
Dalia Fahmy, an expert in the UAE at Long Island University, said: “The UAE wants to have the most technical fighters in the world … But the bigger question is, where will the UAE try to show strength and influence?”
A State Department official said that the deal “does not help the United States if there are adventurous tendencies in Libya or the Horn of Africa.” Pointing out that “Trump and Biden do not prefer using these weapons to bomb innocent people in Yemen.”
(Vox) revealed that the discussion in the Foreign Affairs Committee reviewed the pledges and guarantees made by the UAE to the United States in exchange for these weapons, but Murphy’s tweet was clear and that the answers provided to Congress were not satisfactory.
On November 18, three senators, Murphy and the other Democrat Robert Menendez, along with Republican Rand Paul, submitted a bill to block the deal.
“Congress intervenes again to play its role in vetting and preventing profit from being presented on American national security and the security of our allies, and in the hope of preventing a new arms race in the Middle East,” said Menendez’s statement.
According to (Vox), the objections of American lawmakers and activists revolve around 5 reasons:
First: Abu Dhabi’s use of these advanced and lethal weapons in the war in Yemen or in any other country in the region experiencing unrest, such as Libya or the Horn of Africa.
Second: Israel’s loss of its “qualitative edge in armaments” in the Middle East.
Third: The UAE’s obtaining this deal could change the balance of power in the Middle East.
Fourth: The start of an arms race in the region, because of this deal
Fifth: The Trump administration seeks to complete that huge deal within months, while a deal of this size usually takes years to complete.
