Sharjah: The Classy and Self-respecting Emirate.
The rulers of the United Arab Emirates – six Emirates – are usually quite awful. The Maktoums of Dubai has squandered billions in tacky and pointless projects and now carry tens of billions in debt. Dubai has lost the glamor and in this time that the ruler of Dubai all of sudden sounded the call of Gamal Abdel Nasr. Seeking financial assistance to pay off its debt, Dubai now champions Arab brotherhood. But where was this brotherhood in the boom times? Dubai has been subservient to the United States and an entity that would wink and nod toward Israel.
And were Dubai not be one the brink of irrelevance it would still welcome corrupt businessmen from that terrorist-state-with-a-shelf-life.
And Dubai did not open itself to any Israeli businessman, but specifically Lev Leviev – a now bankrupt [partly] diamond merchant who funds the illegal Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. A few months ago, the British government was considering leasing office space in Israel as part of an expansion of its diplomatic mission. Once it found out that the office complex it was considering is owned by Leviev it sought space elsewhere and cited Leviev’s support for illegal settlements as the cause for its boycott. The British government boycotts and supporters of the Palestinians protest in the cold in front of Leviev’s Madison Avenue store while the Maktoum family in Dubai welcomed him with open arms and let him build shops in a nation that is still technical adhering to the Arab boycott of the Zionist entity. And in his memoirs, the rules of Dubai did not even use the word Palestine but since Dubai fell from grace all of sudden it is appealing to Arab brotherhood to rescue it. They should know by now that the corruption of Arab authoritarian regimes has killed Arab brotherhood as Egyptians and Algerians fight over a soccer match.
The British government – which gave us Israel – is more pro-Palestinian than Dubai. ‘Nuff sad.
All of a sudden Arab unity is convenient.
Dubai’s sister – and the jewel in the throne – Abu Dhabi is even worse. It has supported the U.S. and Israel’s plan to isolate Iran (so has Dubai), it has purchased weapons from Israeli defense firms and even allowed Israeli diplomats to attend a conference.
But there is one Emirate leader who has dignity:
Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed, the Ruler of Sharjah, yesterday called for Arabs to unite against the threat he sees posed by Israel. In an interview to promote his autobiography he said: “Israel wants to divide us. It tries to do so in Lebanon and Syria and involves Egypt in a religious conflict. It is necessary for us to unite.” Speaking on Sharjah TV, he said: “Our struggle with Israel is historic, but unfortunately we neither have the patience nor a long-term policy to withstand it.
Heed his wisdom, o’ neighbors!
