US Senator Lindsey Graham praises UAE for 'doing everything Israel asked for and more' during Gaza war

US Senator Lindsey Graham heaped praise on United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed for supporting Israel on Monday, telling reporters that the Gulf leader had "done everything asked" and more to back the far-right Netanyahu government.

Graham, a staunch supporter of Israel, made the comments in Tel Aviv following a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and came ahead of a trip to Abu Dhabi for talks with the Emirati leader.

"Bibi wanted me to tell the press that he's amazed by the level of cooperation and the significance of the partnership of the UAE with Israel," he told a press conference.

"MBZ has done everything asked and then some, that they've been a stalwart partner, a reliable partner under difficult circumstances," he said.

He added that he will push for the US to provide additional defence assistance to the Gulf state.

The UAE normalised ties with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords brokered by the first Trump administration.

Since then, the two countries have established strong economic and military ties that have continued unabated through Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza.

The partnership has focused particularly on advanced military and cyber technology, with the UAE's state-owned defence conglomerate Edge collaborating with Israeli firms on autonomous weapons and AI.

The two countries have also accelerated intelligence sharing and conducted joint military exercises since 2020.

The most recent weapons deal appears to have come late last year, when the UAE was reported to have signed a $2.3 billion arms deal with Elbit Systems.

An Emirati government document leaked last month suggested the UAE has used its network of Red Sea bases to provide direct military support and intelligence to Israel during its war on Gaza.

The document - written by two senior military officials to Deputy Prime Minister Hamdan bin Zayed in late October 2023 – said the support would continue "until the terrorists in Palestine are defeated".

The UAE has also pushed ahead with plans to build a new embassy in Tel Aviv.