Sky News Arabia’s Lebanese-Emirati General Manager, Nadim Koteich, incited a tidal wave of disapproval following his insinuations that Arabs should choose their fidelity between Gaza and Abu Dhabi. The broadcast of his show, Tonight with Nadim on the Abu Dhabi-based station on a recent Monday, saw Koteich juxtapose between Palestine and an alliance of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, postulating the embodiment of “two Middle Easts”.
He painted the picture of “A million Palestinians in Gaza teetering on the verge of hunger. Their wildest aspiration is a portion of bread,” he stated. However, in Abu Dhabi, located only a plane ride of three hours away, the news of the formation of an IT investment firm focused on artificial intelligence and semiconductors garnered attention, securing business contracts of over $100 billion,” he shared.
“Saudi Arabia, also a three-hour plane journey away from Gaza, plans to inject $40 billion in AI,” Koteich added.
The discourse progressed to a juxtaposition of two distinct models, alleging the UAE and Saudi models as more compatible with prosperity and peace.
Koteich argued, “On one side we witness starvation, and on the other, investments in AI. This illustrates not one, but two Middle Easts: A Middle East that prioritizes resistance, resulting in starvation, and a Middle East that focuses on peace, yielding success. One is stuck in history, while the other is pioneering the future. Which camp do you root for?”
This assertion was met with backlash on social media platforms, with users disputing Koteich’s reasoning and probing whether the UAE contributes adequately towards averting the Gaza famine. The situation follows five months of an Israeli encroachment and blockade that led to the loss of over 32,000 Palestinian lives.
A particular user opined, “If they held even an iota of esteem and decency, they wouldn’t witness a famine occur three hours away.” Another echoed, “I anticipated his confession of guilt for our investment in AI while our kin in Gaza succumb to hunger. Those ignoring their struggling brethren can never do good.” A third user rebuked the comparison as faulty logic. He argued, “Would the UAE have achieved what it has, had it been under a horrific occupation for the past 75 years? Your argument cries for logic.”
The UAE, among other Arab nations including Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, ratified ties with Israel under the 2020 US-mediated normalization agreements. The Palestinians, feeling betrayed, described these agreements as a “backstabbing act”.
