Egyptian-American Analyst Magdi Khalil: The UAE Is Acting Realistically by Developing Relations with Israel; More People Have Died in Middle Eastern Wars, Civil Wars than in Wars with Israel

Egyptian-American analyst Magdi Khalil said in an August 14, 2020 show on Russia Today TV that the UAE is acting realistically and courageously by developing its relations with Israel, and that this is not a betrayal of the Palestinians because the UAE has nothing to do with the Palestinian cause. He elaborated that the UAE has realized the danger and barbarity of radical Islam, as he said is manifest in Iran's and Turkey's attempts to "occupy" Arab countries, and he argued that 10 million people have died as a result of wars and civil wars throughout the Middle East. He compared this to the 100,000 people that have died as a result of all the conflicts with Israel, and he said that Bashar Al-Assad's regime and Iran's Rule of the Jurisprudent have killed many more people, as well. Iranian political analyst Emad Abshenas responded that all of the tragedies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and the rest of the Islamic world are a result of the existence of Israel, which he said is a "cancerous tumor."

Magdi Khalil: "All countries have interests. Why should any country pin its foreign relations on the Palestinian cause? What does it mean that the Palestinian cause is 'the Arabs' number one cause'? The UAE has realized that Iran has occupied four Arab capitals, and that Turkey has been trying to follow suit and occupy several Arab capitals. The UAE has realized that the danger lies in political Islam, its invasion, its barbarity, and its ambition to take over the ruling regimes. Besides, in what way has Israel harmed the UAE? Let me tell you something. The number of people who died in all the Arab-Israeli wars is about 100,000. One hundred times as many people – more than 10 million people – have died in civil wars and wars between [other] countries in the Middle East. So the number of people who died in the Arab-Israeli wars is merely one percent of the people who died in the other wars and civil wars. Someone like Bashar Al-Assad and his father – how many Syrians have they killed? 200 times more than the number of people killed in Syria's wars with Israel."

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Emad Abshenas: "All the tragedies that are occurring today in the Islamic world are caused by the cancerous tumor known as the Zionist entity. Everything that is happening in Iraq, in Syria, in Lebanon, in Palestine, in Yemen – all the tragedies, the destruction, and the killing across the Arab and Islamic world are the result of the existence of that cancerous tumor. The killing and destruction will not end before this cancerous tumor is removed."

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Khalil: "I am surprised by the Iranian bravado. How many people has the Rule of the Jurisprudent killed in the Middle East? How many has it killed even in Iran itself? Has Israel killed as many Iranians as have been killed by the Rule of the Jurisprudent? This bravado is not normal."

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TV Host: "Even [the cancellation] of the annexation is being denied now by Netanyahu!"

Khalil: "Right. Because peace comes in exchange for peace. It comes in exchange for peace and prosperity. The UAE has nothing to do with the Palestinian cause. We heard the loud accusations of betrayal from Abdel Nasser, then from Saddam Hussein, and then from Khomeini, Khamenei, Erdogan, and all those bastards. What betrayal are they talking about? Who exactly have the Emiratis betrayed? The Emiratis are building their own country. They believe that peace has merit on its own, and that it is worth establishing relations in exchange for peace. They know that the Middle East has been ruined by the forces of destruction, not by Israel. This is the realistic and courageous point of view."