[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 207 (Tuesday, December 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7266]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                             UAE ARMS SALES

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, we have a vote coming up--it could be the 
end of this week--that has to do with the arms sales to the United Arab 
Emirates. I strongly support this; however, some of my colleagues do 
not support it, and there is now a joint resolution of disapproval. I 
would hope that we would really stop and think about that because this 
is a very significant thing that we are talking about.
  The agreement between Israel and UAE is one of the Abraham Accords. 
It is a very significant one. It is one that President Trump was able 
to get together with the two countries, Israel and UAE, and it is 
really a great thing. It is a major breakthrough in the Middle East.
  He has done a lot of great things, the President has. I know he is 
controversial, but in terms of his energy policy, the military, and the 
economy he has been right on target.
  So anyway, Arab-Israeli peace is not unprecedented, but the agreement 
between Israel and the UAE has moved further and faster than any other 
agreements that preceded it in the past.
  It seems that the UAE and Israel are finding new areas of cooperation 
almost every day. They are now working together on security, pandemic 
response, education, and even media. This partnership is deep and 
reflects the growing acceptance of our friend Israel in the region.
  Most importantly, it did not require Israel to do anything. They 
didn't have to give up anything. So this is a major, major achievement. 
Now is the time to take advantage of the gains that we have.
  President Trump has treated Israel like a friend, and other countries 
have rushed in to that friendship. We have several other countries in 
Africa and in the Middle East who are joined in with Israel that have 
never been there before.
  The sale ensures that Israel's qualitative military edge is not 
affected. We know this because the Israelis themselves have said this. 
Moreover, this sale deepens the UAE's partnership with the United 
States and prevents it from turning toward China and Russia.
  Now, this is the problem that we have. If we don't do this, if we 
don't cooperate with these countries in the Middle East, then you are 
going to have China and Russia out there taking advantage of it.
  The UAE is worthy of this sale because it is strongly aligned with 
the United States in the Middle East. It is a vital counterterrorism 
partner. The UAE has fought alongside our troops in Afghanistan and 
against ISIS. They have been our friend for a long time.
  It is also vital to the U.S. efforts against Iran--both Iran's 
ambition of regional dominance and its support for terrorist proxies.
  Voting down this sale would signal to our partners that even when 
they do everything that we ask--fight alongside our soldiers, pursue 
shared interests in the region, and make meaningful peace with Israel--
the United States won't have their backs. This is not the reputation 
that we want to gain.
  The truth is, they are reliable, and we appreciate that. We are 
reliable, and the United States has long stood with its partner Israel 
against its adversary, the Iranian regime.
  This sale to the UAE is consistent with that approach. Nobody here 
would support it if Israel were not on board, but they are on board. 
What is more, they will bolster our longstanding efforts to counter 
Iran's nefarious regional activities.
  The UAE is a strong partner that already has cutting-edge technology 
from our F-16 activity. They have been using that fighter aircraft for 
a long period of time, and this sale of the F-35 fighter jet is a 
continuation of that partnership.
  For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support the sale and to 
oppose the joint resolution of disapproval. A vote against the 
resolution is a vote for peace in the Middle East. A vote for this 
resolution is a vote to give Iran, China, and Russia more power and 
influence in that region, and it would make our world less safe. It 
would send a message, also, around the world that we don't support our 
friends. It is a very significant vote to take place for the successes 
we have had in the Middle East, and I encourage people to oppose the 
resolution of disapproval.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I want to echo what the chairman of the 
Armed Services Committee said with regard to this upcoming vote. It is, 
actually, a very important vote, and I think that when you look at the 
leadership of the UAE and what they have done, we are seeing major 
peace agreements between our traditional Gulf Arab allies and Israel. 
This is really significant. This is a whole different approach to 
addressing some of the long-term challenges with regard to the Middle 
East, and it is starting to work.
  I think it is imperative that this body, particularly at this time, 
send a message of support to countries and leaders--the UAE, in 
particular, given this upcoming vote--that have taken risks. Leadership 
sometimes requires you to take risks, and we know that the history in 
the Middle East is sometimes--when you have countries and leaders who 
take risks with regard to peace with Israel, those leaders can actually 
have dire consequences. Look what happened in Egypt, after that peace 
agreement, with their leaders.
  I think it is very important that we, as a body, in a bipartisan, 
strong way come down in support not just of the progress that has been 
made in the region but also the broader strategic realignment that is 
happening.
  Why is that happening? Because we all recognize--the United States, 
Israel, our traditional Gulf Arab allies, our traditional Arab allies 
in the region--that the biggest challenge, the biggest threat in the 
region is the terrorist regime in Iran, which is the biggest challenge 
and biggest threat to peace and security in the region.
  There has been enormous progress. The President and his team deserve 
a lot of the credit. Rebuilding our military deserves a lot of credit, 
which we have all done here. But we need to send a signal that policies 
that have been tried before, particularly policies that appease the 
largest state-sponsor of terrorism in the world, don't work. The 
policies of strength, the policies of standing together--Israel, United 
States, our traditional Arab allies--that is what is working, and that 
is what is bringing peace.
  This vote that is going to happen soon is a lot more than just a vote 
on weapon sales. It is a vote on this body helping to cement the 
reorientation in the region toward peace and toward recognizing what 
the challenge is.
  The challenge that we all face is the biggest terrorist regime in the 
world, which threatens the United States, threatens Israel, threatens 
the UAE, and threatens Saudi Arabia. That is why we need a strong vote 
in the way the chairman of the Armed Services Committee just talked 
about. I am fully supportive of where he is, and I am hopeful that this 
body will vote for continued peace and strength, particularly as it 
relates to the terrorist regime in Iran, and not send the wrong signal 
to our friends and allies, particularly when historic progress--yes, it 
has been historic progress--is being made in the region.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia

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