'Agility vs depth': How the Mecca pact stacks up against the UAE-Israel alliance

'Agility vs depth': How the Mecca pact stacks up against the UAE-Israel alliance Submitted by Sean Mathews on Thu, 08/13/2026 - 18:55 Israel and the UAE have transactional ties based on military and intelligence sharing, but the Mecca pact has political depth Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, centre, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meet in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on 7 August 2026 (Handout/Turkish presidency's press office/AFP) Off This summer, a senior UAE diplomat, Lanna Nusseibeh, held consultations with a US ally in Europe. The meeting was unremarkable but informative because of the impression the European country's officials walked away with. “The UAE is totally aligned with Israel.