Emirates and Israel cooperate on cyber security
The establishment of standardised diplomatic links between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel has reached the field of new technologies. This latest collaboration has been considered a "step forward" by the emirate government, while the Arab country and Israel share common threats vis-à-vis shared international rivals such as the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In this connection, the cyberworld and online networks are in constant danger and both the Emirates and Israel wish to forge closer ties in the joint struggle in this field. This was publicly stated by the Israeli head of cyber security, Igal Unna, in a virtual meeting with his Emirati counterpart, Mohammed al-Kuwaiti, following the regularisation of relations between the two countries.
The establishment of formal ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates over the past month, spurred partly by common concerns about the ayatollahs' regime, triggered a series of bilateral agreements, including those relating to cyber technologies, whose Israeli exports are valued at $6.5 billion in 2019. "We are threatened by the same challenges... because of the nature of the region, our new 'exposed' relations and who we are: economically and technologically strong," Igal Unna, director of Israel's National Cyber Directorate, told his UAE counterpart, Mohammed al-Kuwaiti, during an online conference, according to Reuters news agency. "We are already seeing things in rapid progress and I am very optimistic that we have much in common and much to share," he added.
Al-Kuwaiti described the UAE as potentially at risk of online sabotage, including ransomware attacks, as it develops its digital role. He also promoted the idea of international cooperation, including in joint exercises in cyber defence.
"Israel is well known on the technological side and that will really help", said Al-Kuwaiti. For his part, Doron Hadar, commander of the Israeli Army's crisis negotiation unit, indicated during the online conference that dealing with ransomware attacks "is not a 'win/lose' situation, but rather a 'lose/lose less' situation". "So (with) the right negotiation and dialogue... you will handle the situation and survive," he said.
Al-Kuwaiti described the normalisation of relations with Israel as a "step forward" for the UAE government in its quest for intelligent government and the development of artificial intelligence technologies. The Arab nation itself valued its cyber-security market at $490 million last year.
Finally, neither Al-Kuwaiti nor Unna explicitly mentioned any rival nation, but they all look to Iran.
