UAE authorities have opened the doors wide for Zionist arms manufacturing companies, which have contributed significantly to the killing of Palestinians in Gaza, to display their weapons and other products at the International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) and the Maritime Defense and Security Exhibition (NAVDEX) in Abu Dhabi between February 17 and 21, 2025.
The Zionist pavilion at IDEX included 40 Zionist arms manufacturing companies, most notably the Aerospace Industries, the arms manufacturing company (Imtan), Advanced Defense Systems (Rafael), and Elbit Systems, all of which revealed new and advanced weapons during the exhibition, some of which were actually tested in the war on the Gaza Strip.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, three of the companies participating in the exhibition and ranked among the 100 largest arms companies in the world in 2023, had recorded a record sales figure of $13.6 billion in 2023, driven by the aggressive war on Gaza.
The widespread destruction and more than 160,000 martyrs and wounded did not prompt Abu Dhabi to sever relations with the occupation, even partially. Rather, reports revealed an increase in the value of bilateral trade between the two sides during the war period between October 7, 2023 and January 19, 2025. The strong presence of Zionist companies at IDEX 2025 confirms the growing relationship between Abu Dhabi and the Israeli occupation.
