The United Arab Emirates and Israel Joint Declaration of Normalization: A Plausible Irrevocable Commitment

Abstract

The article analyses the issue of how the UAE’s public declaration of normalization has caused effective and credible reassurance. It goes beyond the conventional wisdom that security concerns or potential gains were the driving forces behind the establishment of the UAE-Israel reassurance. The article applies a social psychological approach to analyze the process by which Emirati leaders changed course, focusing on the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs that influenced the decision. It argues that the UAE has cultivated trust in Israel by adopting a self-imposing, unconditional, irrevocable commitment, thereby mitigating extant cognitive obstacles, mistrust, suspicions, and perceived risks. The study employs qualitative analysis of archival documents to trace the evolution of UAE-Israel relations from the UAE’s independence to August 2020, highlighting their involvement in Arab collective reassurance efforts, and secret collaboration during the post-Arab Spring period. The article concludes by scrutinizing the reasons and mechanisms behind the successful provision of effective reassurance by the UAE and Israel.