We start our tour of British newspapers from the website of The Independent newspaper, which published an article under the title "Why is the UAE the right place for Macron and France?"
The writer, Sophia Berberani, said that "Macron has often distinguished himself from his European counterparts, by undertaking almost impossible tasks such as mediating in the Libyan civil war and then failing, and holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, in an attempt to de-escalate the Ukrainian crisis." .
Barbarani continued, saying that far from limiting the so-called "diplomacy of audacity" to countries that are historically and geographically linked to France, "Macron was preoccupied with strengthening France's relations with countries, such as the UAE, with which it has bilateral relations dating back more than a decade." .
Barbarani noted in her article that the two countries "agree on many issues in the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean, including their joint support for the Libyan military commander, Khalifa Haftar."
The article mentioned France's willingness to provide military support to the UAE last week, as it announced, "It will strengthen the UAE air defense system, following several ballistic missile and drone attacks claimed by the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels."
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The author explained that France's extension of assistance is largely due to the French side's belief that the Gulf region, in the next decade, will become more important than ever before.
She added that France's relations with the Gulf are not limited to the UAE only, as it also has a close relationship with Qatar "through commercial and sports activities," noting that the Qatari Sovereignty and Wealth Fund owns the "Paris Saint-Germain" football club.
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With the rise in importance of the Gulf, Washington's commitment is likely to wane. This, in turn, could lead to a strategic vacuum that countries like Russia or China, with which the UAE has a comprehensive strategic partnership, will quickly fill.
"Even the new partner, Israel, is preparing to make diplomatic progress after the 'Abraham' Accords, all of which would leave France and the European Union on the sidelines," she added.
The author believed that although Abu Dhabi quickly became the "right place" on the regional and international levels, the European Union's inability to form a collective strategy towards the Gulf means that the union is "far from occupying a prominent place among Arab leaders." .
The author quoted an informed source as expecting the European Union to issue a collective strategy on the Gulf in May.
However, until that happens, “President Macron will continue to single-handedly push for a close relationship with the Emirates, through military support, arms sales, and cultural exchange… In addition to the presence of more than 600 French companies operating in the Emirates.” ".
Pegasus
We turn to the Financial Times, which published a report on the decision to postpone the trial of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in corruption cases, following allegations that the police illegally used the "Pegasus" spyware.
The Financial Times reported that the Israeli newspaper "Calcalist" alleged that the police had hacked the phones of Netanyahu's aides and his son, using spyware without judicial approval.
It quoted Calcalist as saying that the police had hacked dozens of phones, including people linked to the Netanyahu case, without obtaining judicial authorization.
The hearing, which was scheduled for Monday, was postponed until the investigators responded to the allegations, according to what was reported in the newspaper.
She referred to the current Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's decision to form a committee to investigate allegations against the police.
The Financial Times said it could not verify the authenticity of the report, nor did other Israeli newspapers.
She explained that "the progress of the trial may be partially stopped, if it is proven that the officers who hacked the phones of those involved participated in the investigation of the case."
And she indicated that the report revived the controversy about the "NSO" company that manufactured the Pegasus program, which "spent years fighting allegations that it sells its electronic weapon to countries, which then regularly use it to violate the privacy and rights of academics, dissidents and journalists."
She said, "The company's business flourished during Netanyahu's presidency of the government, when the Israeli government used it to build relations with Gulf states and Muslim-majority countries, and to reward small countries for their support for Israel in international forums such as the United Nations."
While the program has been regularly abused by Israel's allies, in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, this is the first time it has allegedly been used against Israeli citizens.
Others on the list compiled by Catalyst include civil servants in various ministries, leaders of anti-Netanyahu protests, CEOs of at least two telecommunications companies and other members of the Israeli elite.