Israeli diaspora minister backs French far-right leader amid antisemitism allegations
After the publication of antisemitic messages Jordan Bardella wrote as a teenager, Israeli Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli came out in defense of the National Rally leader, accusing the French left of 'character assassination, like Israeli leftists'
French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin has praised the UAE as a model for international cooperation in combating organised crime. The UAE and France have deepened their collaboration against drug trafficking, financial networks supporting criminal gangs, and money laundering, particularly through cryptocurrencies and real estate.
Darmanin believes this partnership should serve as a template for the Abu Dhabi Declaration, a framework aimed at crime prevention, criminal justice, and the rule of law until 2031. Since January 2025, 28 French citizens have been extradited from the UAE, and last year, 33 apartments belonging to a suspected French drug trafficker were seized in the UAE.
The UAE is a signatory to 16 universal and regional multilateral agreements and has 140 bilateral agreements with 53 countries, covering extradition, mutual legal assistance, asset freezing and confiscation, evidence gathering, and the transfer of sentenced individuals. In 2025, the UAE received 576 extradition requests, with 178 cases resulting in decisions, while the rest are under review or awaiting further information.
Darmanin emphasized that organised crime thrives on differences in judicial systems and the absence of international judicial cooperation. The UAE's partnership with France now focuses on both capturing suspects and tracing money behind criminal networks, including cryptocurrency and property laundering. France aims to translate these efforts into broader international action through the Abu Dhabi Declaration.
As criminal networks increasingly operate across borders and leverage technology, Darmanin warned that governments must adopt new measures quickly to keep pace. He highlighted the use of encrypted messaging services by criminal networks as a concern and stressed the need for law enforcement to have access to these services to carry out investigations.
Going after criminals and their illicitly acquired assets is crucial to deter potential offenders, according to Darmanin.
Written by urgent.news from The National UAE's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- French minister says UAE alliance can be model for tackling organised crime thenationalnews.com
