Israel's Zim Endorses Dubai Port Deal

The twists and turns on the debate over the Dubai ports deal continue to make this a difficult issue to grasp. Politicians are too often tempted by populism while afflicted with mind numbing ignorance can't be reliable as a source of information. The media analysts are still divided because real information is still lacking.

Sometimes an aspect of an issue surfaces that can shed some light indirectly to reveal something of significance. A complaint against the Dubai company is the UAE support of the boycott of Israeli goods. The slavish devotion to the hatred of Israel will always taint the Arab world. Yet here comes an Israeli company endorsing the Dubai firm.

The Israeli shipping giant Zim has plunged into the heated debate in the US over contracting six ports to a Dubai company by providing the firm with a strong endorsement.

In a letter to Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Zim chairman Idan Ofer has expressed support for the Dubai Ports World (DPW) company and vouched for its security standards.

In the letter, first reported by CNN, Ofer called DPW "a strong business partner" and praised its professional standards.

"We are proud to be associated with DP World and look forward to working with them into the future," Ofer wrote to Clinton in the letter sent last week, when the controversy first hit the headlines.

Ofer's letter touched on the most sensitive issue - security, which was the main concern of the deal's critics. "During our long association with DP World, we have not experienced a single security issue in these ports or in any of the terminals operated by DP World," he wrote, stressing that as an Israeli firm, Zim was especially aware of such issues.

Ofer was quoted on CNN saying that Zim's ships used Dubai ports, but that they did so under other flags. "DP World has been an industry leader with regard to security and works closely with us on an ongoing basis to maintain the highest security standards in all its terminals around the world," Ofer wrote.

When an apparent enemy is willing to vouch for its adversary one has to take notice. Of course this in itself is insufficient to allay all concerns, but it does provide valuable insight into the company's character.

The Arab world is difficult to judge because it is so duplicitous. For countries such as UAE and Saudi Arabia to operate a modern economy they have to play stupid games with Islam to look the part while playing a different one. Until this kind of cultural schizophrenia is dispensed with any deal with an Arab company, especially one owned by an Arab government must be held suspect. The confidence of an Israeli company is helpful to their intrests.

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