Islam Times - Gangs in Dubai? Israeli Mafia May Damage Dubai Image, to Emirates Frustration

Islam Times - As global metropolises have always been the places of interest for international criminal cartels, Israeli media reports show that some Israelis have made Dubai the hub for establishment of their criminal mafia networks.

The Israeli media, citing senior Israeli police, claimed that Dubai authorities were unaware that these super criminals of Jewish mafia had created an advanced group in the city and have been pushing forward their illegal actions secretly. Some of them had foreign passports and this contributed to their free movement without being arrested.

Reports suggest that these Israeli criminal groups relocated to the Arab country after the Abu Dhabi-Tel Aviv normalization deal in 2020.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that these mafia members introduced themselves as Israeli businessmen, concealing the fact that they are dangerous criminals. According to this report, dozens of Israeli criminals are currently in the UAE and after faking themselves as businessmen, they conclude deals and projects with various companies.

The channel reported that some of these criminals have fled the occupied territories to Dubai and are wanted for murder and drugs trafficking cases.

It was predictable that the Israeli criminals have discovered a big market in Dubai, according to the Israeli broadcaster, which added that they are buying properties in the Arab city.

Theft, the routine of Israelis in Dubai

Official data show that in 2022, over half a million Israelis traveled to the UAE. Meanwhile, high rate of thefts by Israeli tourists in the UAE were news that reported many times over the past few years. In this regard, one of the managers of a hotel overlooking Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, said that Israeli tourists come to the hotel and fill their bags with towels, bags of tea and coffee, and even room light. An Israeli family had stolen an ice pack, clothes hanger, and face towels from the room during its trip and only returned them after hotel management called the police.

In addition to the report of theft from hotel rooms, some tourism companies have pointed to other negative and disgusting behaviors of Israeli tourists. Holding long parties, damaging expensive cars, cooking in the room, which is against hotel rules, and trying to trick hotel officials by replacing water with other drinks are other actions of Israelis in the Arab state.

Due to commercial position and massive financial networks created in Dubai over the past two decades, crimes offenses are rare in the city, but the Israelis turned it insecure with their actions in recent years. In his speech, Abdul Khaliq Abdullah, a university professor and ex-advisor to the crown prince of Dubai, described the UAE safe and peaceful and the first country in the world in terms of feeling of personal security, but warned that the country should not become an arena for settling scores of the Israeli mafia, and asked the government to prevent repeat of criminal actions with deterrent measures and punishments.

UAE trying to save the face of normalization

Actions of these criminal gangs have been so rife that even the Israelis themselves are taking steps to check them. The Israeli police is planning to take measures in coordination with the Dubai police in the coming weeks to break up these gangs that have infiltrated the UAE in recent years. The Israeli police will ask the UAE to hand over the mentioned criminals to Tel Aviv or deport them from the country.

The authorities of Tel Aviv pretend that they are committed to the internal security of the UAE, but in reality, by returning these criminals to the occupied territories, they are trying to save their citizens from detention in the UAE and at the same time to create a positive image of themselves among the Arab nations to avoid damage to normalization image. The experience of the World Cup in Qatar and the very cold treatment of the Israelis by the Arab citizens proved that the public opinion in the Arab world is against the normalization and partnership with Tel Aviv.

By normalizing ties with the Israelis, Abu Dhabi officials intended to take advantage of Israeli scientific elites and investors for their technological and economic boost, but it seems that they are getting mafia rather than reaping rewards of elites.

It is glaringly apparent that weakening of the Arab countries and infiltration into their political and security layers is the main goal of the Israeli regime because this regime tries to maintain its superiority at all levels against the Arab nations and helping them means disrupting this balance which is against its will and interests. A proof to this claim is the Israeli decline to supply air defenses to the UAE and Bahrain despite signing security pacts with Abu Dhabi and Manama.

The UAE leaders, who spearheaded the normalization and accepted this stain of dishonor among the Arab public, do not want the existence and actions of the Israeli criminal gangs in the country to be highlighted to public. After all, detention of these people, firstly, triggers objection to normalization and, secondly, tarnishes Dubai’s economic prestige.

The excessive rush of the Emirates leaders to the Israeli citizens and giving them special privileges and offering them attractive incentives compared to other foreign tourists and investors have backfired, with the Israeli criminals finding the ground appropriate for their actions.

Reports about activities of criminal groups in Dubai suggest that the city is becoming a safe haven for them who commit their crimes in the broad daylight as they are aware no grave consequences await them.

Given the fact that Dubai is the Persian Gulf’s economic and tourist hub and millions annually visit the city and make large-scale investments in its economic infrastructure, insecurity of the city will damage its image and lead to fleeing of billions of dollars in foreign capital.