UAE issues strong warning over 'Israel's annexation plans'
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The UAE cautions that "Israel's" settlement expansion and West Bank "annexation" plans threaten regional peace efforts and the future of Palestinian statehood.
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Lana Nusseibeh, left, permanent representative of the United Arab Emirates, UAE, to the U.N., prepares to speak at the United Nations' highest court in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (AP)
The United Arab Emirates has issued a firm warning to "Israel" over reported plans to "annex parts" of the occupied West Bank, calling the move a "red line" that threatens regional stability and the future of diplomatic normalization.
Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE's Assistant Minister for Political Affairs, said on Wednesday that the "proposed annexation" would "severely undermine the Abraham Accords", which established formal ties between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv in 2020.
"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 said in a statement sent to AFP.
Nusseibeh: 'Annexation' undermines Palestinian statehood
Nusseibeh referenced recent remarks by a senior Israeli minister, which indicated that "annexation would effectively bury the idea of a Palestinian state."
"The proposals to annex parts of the West Bank, reportedly under discussion in the Israeli government, is part of an effort that would, in the words of an Israeli minister, 'bury the idea of a Palestinian state'," she added.
"Annexation in the West Bank would constitute a red line for the UAE. It would severely undermine the vision and spirit of the Accords, end the pursuit of regional integration and would alter the widely shared consensus on what the trajectory of this conflict should be, two states living side by side in peace, prosperity and security," she stressed.
UAE ties to 'Israel' at stake, officials say
The UAE, a key regional actor and one of the few Arab countries to normalize ties with "Israel", has claimed that its commitment to the Palestinian cause remains central to its regional policy. Officials have made it clear that unilateral actions in the West Bank, particularly "annexation" and settlement expansion, risk derailing the diplomatic progress made in recent years.
Last month, "Israel" approved the E1 settlement plan to split east occupied al-Quds from the West Bank, a development that has drawn widespread international criticism. The location is seen as strategically significant, as construction there could sever continuity between parts of the occupied West Bank, undermining any future "two-state" solution.
"Israel’s" far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich openly admitted the motivation behind the expansion, stating it aims to "bury the idea of a Palestinian state.
"The plan will bury the idea of a Palestinian state," Smotrich stated last month, describing it as the "final nail in the coffin" for Palestinian statehood.
"We call on the Israeli government to suspend these plans," said Nusseibeh. "Extremists, of any kind, cannot be allowed to dictate the region's trajectory."
Israeli cabinet debates West Bank annexation plans with US approval
The Israeli Security Cabinet convened on Sunday evening to discuss the possibility of "annexing" parts of the occupied West Bank. The move comes as France and other countries prepare to recognize a Palestinian state during the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York.
The Jerusalem Post (JP) reported on Monday that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a leading figure of the far-right bloc, is pressing for a significant and not merely symbolic annexation. He has repeatedly raised the issue with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, framing "sovereignty" as a direct response to France’s diplomatic initiative.
In an exclusive report, several Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post that so-called "sovereignty over certain areas" is under serious consideration, though Netanyahu has yet to make a final decision.
While internal debate intensifies, the prime minister has remained cautious. According to sources familiar with the discussions, the report mentions, senior US officials recently told their Israeli counterparts that "the decision on sovereignty lies in Israel’s hands." The message, however, was interpreted as neither a full green light nor a red light.
