Biden administration designates UAE ‘major defence partner’ in rare move

US-UAE boost military cooperation as Middle East tensions over war in Gaza surge and despite friction over Sudan war.

United States President Joe Biden has recognised the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a “major defence partner”, deepening military ties despite friction over the war in Sudan and as deadly tensions ratchet in the Middle East.

The announcement on Monday, which came following a White House meeting between Biden and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, makes the UAE only the second country to receive the designation. The Biden administration gave India the designation in 2021.

In a statement, the White House said the designation would “further enhance defense cooperation and security in the Middle East, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean regions”.

It added that it would also “allow for unprecedented cooperation through joint training, exercises, and military-to-military collaboration, between the military forces of the United States, the UAE, and India, as well as other common military partners, in furtherance of regional stability”.

The meeting came as Israel stepped up its attacks on Lebanon. At least 492 people, including 35 children, were killed on Monday in Israeli attacks on the territory which it said were targeting Hezbollah military infrastructure.

“My team is in constant contact with their counterparts, and we’re working to de-escalate in a way that allows people to return to their home safely,” Biden told reporters during a photo opportunity in the Oval Office.

A US State Department official, speaking to reporters on background on Monday, also said that US officials would be discussing “concrete ideas” for an “off-ramp” on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this week. Washington has been regularly criticised for avoiding using its leverage – including the billions in military aid it provides to Israel – to calm tensions in the region.

On Gaza, the two leaders “underscored their commitment to continue working together towards ending the conflict” and the need for UN humanitarian aid to be allowed into the enclave, the White House said. To date, at least 41,431 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza amid a nearly yearlong Israeli offensive.

The UAE has been a leading voice in the UN Security Council, putting forward resolutions condemning Israel’s war on Gaza, often putting it at odds with the veto-carrying US.

Still, Washington has long viewed the Gulf country as integral to any post-war recovery plans in Gaza.

The White House said Biden and Al Nahyan discussed “a path to stabilisation and recovery that responds to the humanitarian crisis, establishes law and order, and lays the groundwork for responsible governance” as well as their “commitment to the two-state solution” for Israel and Palestine.

Conflict in Sudan

The designation on Monday comes despite friction over the UAE’s alleged role in the war in Sudan.

The UAE has been accused of channelling weapons to Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been locked in a bloody civil war with the Sudanese army since April last year.

Both sides have been accused of abuses in the fighting, which has internally displaced more than 10.7 million people and forced a further 2.3 million to flee the country, according to the UN.

Ahead of the White House meeting, five US lawmakers sent a letter to Biden calling on him to use Washington’s leverage to seek a change of course.

The White House statement said the leaders had discussed the conflict and “stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Sudan”. They also “underscored that all parties to the conflict must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law”, it added.

In a separate meeting with the UAE president, US Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris “raised her deep concerns about the conflict in Sudan”, the White House said.

“She expressed alarm at the millions of individuals who have been displaced by the war and the atrocities committed by the belligerents against the civilian population,” the statement said.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies