UAE and the Israeli lobby

"It was a rare, semi-public discussion between the UAE's ambassador to the US and one of the most powerful members of the US Congress.  Yousef Al Otaiba and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Republican chairwoman of the foreign affairs committee of the US House of Representatives, affirmed the importance of UAE-US ties in a dialogue conducted in front of a packed room of about 150 students, pro-Israel campus activists, and retirees at the University of Miami in suburban Coral Gables. "People in the United States need to realise that the UAE has always been there to help the US... [we are] making sure students understand what a critical ally, what a strategic ally the UAE is," Ms Ros-Lehtinen told reporters after the session on Friday, which was closed to reporters.  The comments appear to represent a change in tone by Ms Ros-Lehtinen, staunch supporter of Israel who authored legislation in 2008 that sought to block the civilian nuclear deal between the US and UAE. She also proposed an immediate suspension of funding to Unesco after the world body officially recognised Palestine last October.  Afterward, Ms Ros-Lehtinen said she views the UAE as one of America's most reliable allies in a region whose political configuration is in flux, particularly due to worries about the aims of Iran's nuclear programme."