Abu Dhabi (TDI): Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, said if Israel proceeds to annex parts of West Bank, it will be a “red line” for the UAE – the most important signatory of the Abraham Accords of 2020.
In what was the sharpest and most direct criticism of Israel since it waged war in Gaza in October 2023, UAE’s Nusseibeh said that such plans undermine the Accords whose ultimate guarantee was paving way for two-state solution.
These remarks have surfaced as the far-right Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said Wednesday that maps are being drawn to annex West Bank. The already existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank are internationally recognized as illegal.
“From the very beginning, we viewed the Accords as a way to enable our continued support for the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspiration for an independent state,” Nusseibeh told Reuters.
“We call on the Israeli government to suspend these (settlement) plans. Extremists of any kind cannot be allowed to dictate the region’s trajectory. Peace requires courage, persistence and a refusal to let violence define our choices,” she added.
UAE is one of the 147 UN member countries that recognize Palestinian statehood. More are lined up to recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly, opening on September 9th. As more European names emerge, Scotland being the latest, Israel threatens to occupy Gaza and annex West Bank.
Israel’s brutal assault in Gaza has triggered a serious setback for the Abraham Accords – a formal framework mediated by the United States to bring about normalization between Israel and the Arab states.
So far, only three countries are part of the Accords: UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. Against Trump’s hopes and wishes, more countries especially Saudi Arabia are very skeptical of Israel and have refrained from any such normalization of ties.
In other yet related news, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Wednesday, where both discussed the situation in Gaza.
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