London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 04, 2026

The huge offer submitted by UAE to fund the Pegasus spyware - and the Israel's refusal for fearing the Americans reaction

The huge offer submitted by UAE to fund the Pegasus spyware - and the Israel's refusal for fearing the Americans reaction

During Biden's visit to the Middle East, representatives of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Jordan made it clear to the Americans that Israeli offensive cyber is now in danger of closing, which poses a danger to regional stability and the operations against Iran.
Almost simultaneously, representatives of the United Arab Emirates came to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and officially suggested that the UAE will fund the Israeli offensive cyber industry.

Under the proposal, the UAE will invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a dedicated fund each year in order to fund the cyber companies, arguing that this is a very important move for the stability of the region.

Surprisingly, the director general of the Israeli Ministry of Defense refused the generous offer - claiming that Israel "is afraid of America's reaction to the deal."

USA is interested in purchasing the Pegasus software, for a much lower amount than the amount offered by UAE. As part of the American pressure to force Israel to sell the software to the United States at a cheap price, the United States blacklisted the software maker that they want to buy.

Pegasus software is being widely criticized around the world for the misuse that some governments make for human rights violations.

But in fact, many governments around the world are taking life-saving benefits from the Pegasus and few other similar Israeli anti-terrorism Spyware tools, which enables law enforcement to effectively fight terrorists, drug dealers and serious crime.

Offensive cyber software is a weapon that is an inevitable important tool in the hands of law enforcement and the security forces of many countries. Like any other weapon in the hands of the police and the army, it can of course also be misused. But the reality is that the sale of guns to police officers is not banned just because every year American police officers shooting to death an average of five hundred innocent civilians.

Mechanisms should be developed to prevent the misuse and abuse of offensive cyber software, but not to ban its use for the benefit of law enforcement's war on serious crime and terrorism.

The sanctions against offensive cyber companies that provide law enforcement with effective weapons to fight terrorism and serious crime will not bring journalist Jamal Khashoggi back to life, unfortunately. Just as the arrest of the journalist and publisher Julian Assange will not bring back to life the many journalists whose the United States assassinated in Iraq, as revealed in WikiLeaks.

The one who loses the most from restricting the sale of offensive cyber software to law enforcement agencies is the law-abiding citizens. The ones who will benefit from this are the terrorist and criminal organizations, which are equipped with self-made offensive cyber software, which provides them with a huge advantage against law enforcement agencies and against their victims.

You do not punish the thief by cutting off your own hands.

This is the lesson that Biden missed to learn in his visit to Saudi Arabia.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Scottish Tech Company PureLifi Enters Administration With More Than 40 Job Losses
Scottish Government Names Alyn Smith Innovation and Education Minister
Green Party Co-Leader Zack Polanski to Contest By-Election for Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Palestine Action Activists Appeal Terrorism-Related Prison Sentences
PwC Report Highlights Persistent Regional Spending-Power Divide Across Britain
UK Names Hundreds of Employers for Minimum Wage Violations
UK Commits £400 Million to International Tropical Forest Fund
UK Extends £2 Bus Fare Cap Across England Through 2027
UK Warns Travellers as US-Iran Tensions Disrupt Middle East Security and Shipping
Andy Burnham Faces Kemi Badenoch in First Prime Minister’s Questions
Kemi Badenoch Names Andrew Griffith Shadow Chancellor in Conservative Reshuffle
UK Treasury and Markets Focus on Fiscal Headroom Ahead of Autumn Budget
UK Government Reverses Early Release Plans for Serious Violent and Sexual Offences
UK and France Review Border Cooperation After 48,000 Small-Boat Crossings Prevented
UK Growth Outlook Weakens as Inflation and Energy Costs Rise
Breeding Tropical Mosquitoes Discovered in East London
Sadiq Khan Agrees to Search of Digital Communications in Palantir Lawsuit
Scottish Protesters Call for Moratorium on AI Data Centre Expansion
Uber Drivers Bring London Class Action Over Algorithmic Management
Reform UK Accepts £4 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaire Pardoned by Trump
Justice Secretary Tightens Early Release Scheme to Exclude Manslaughter Offenders
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Team as Reform UK Pressure Grows
British Mortgage Rates Rise as Global Bond Sell-Off Pushes Up Borrowing Costs
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record in 2026
UK Government Urges Households to Stock Essential Supplies Ahead of Severe El Niño Risk
UK Prepares Targeted Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Reform UK Faces Electoral and Police Scrutiny Over Foreign Donation Allegations
UK and France Expand Channel Migration Cooperation as Trade Tensions Surface
UK Marks Merchant Navy Day With Tribute to Civilian Seafarers
Burnham Pays Tribute to Two Police Officers Killed on Duty in Northern England
Booking.com Left Fake Downing Street Listing Online for Two Months, Which Says
Burnham and Macron to Review UK-France Cooperation on Channel Crossings
UK Business Confidence Improves Slightly but Investment Concerns Persist
Burnham Faces Pressure Over Future North Sea Oil and Gas Licences
Burnham Pushes Wider English Devolution Through ‘Number Ten North’
British Chambers of Commerce Raises 2026 UK Growth Forecast to 1%
Keir Starmer Resigns as Holborn and St Pancras MP, Triggering By-Election
UK Chancellor Faces Tighter Budget Headroom as Long-Term Borrowing Costs Rise
UK Government Weighs Thames Water Nationalisation as Financial Crisis Deepens
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Faces First Commons Questions Over Tax and Spending Plans
Eleven British Seafarers Receive Merchant Navy Medal
Which? Creates Fake 10 Downing Street Rental Listing to Expose Booking.com Vetting Weaknesses
BP Appoints New Chairman in Effort to Stabilise Leadership
Aberdeen Sells Hydrogen Bus Fleet at Heavy Loss After Green Transport Experiment
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record as Climate Change Intensifies Extreme Heat
Scotland Pledges to End Temporary Accommodation for Children and Build 111,000 Affordable Homes
DNO Agrees $396 Million Deal to Acquire Capricorn Energy
Uber and Wayve Launch UK’s First Supervised Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service in London
Britain Expected to Avoid New US Tariffs Targeting European Union
Middle East Conflict Pushes UK Energy Costs Higher and Revives Inflation Concerns
×