UAE summons head of Israeli Mission over Doha aggression
3 Min Read
The recent summon continues a pattern of condemnations but stops short of suspending the Abraham Accords
-
The Emirati and Israeli flags fly overhead as Israeli President Isaac Herzog gives a speech at Expo 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jan 31, 2022 (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, File)
The United Arab Emirates has summoned David Ohad Horsandi, deputy head of the Israeli mission in Abu Dhabi, to protest "Israel's" recent strike on Doha, which targeted senior Hamas negotiators and killed four Palestinians in addition to a Qatari security officer.
Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, the UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, summoned the diplomat to register the UAE’s protest, denouncing what she described as a “cowardly and blatant attack” on Qatar’s sovereignty.
She stressed that the escalation violated international law and the UN Charter, warning that such actions undermine both regional and international security.
The UN Security Council, including the United States, labeled the assault a “flagrant violation” of sovereignty, while Qatar convened an emergency Arab-Islamic summit in response.
A record of UAE condemnations
This latest protest is part of a broader record of UAE diplomatic actions against "Israel" throughout the war on Gaza. In July 2024, the UAE Foreign Ministry condemned "Israel's" strike on Al-Tabin school in Gaza, which killed nearly 100 civilians, stressing its "firm rejection of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure."
Fast forward to May 2025, Abu Dhabi summoned Israeli Ambassador Yossi Shelley following provocations during the Jerusalem Flag March and repeated violations at al-Aqsa Mosque. The UAE described these actions as a dangerous escalation that risked inflaming regional tensions.
Additionally, Emirati officials have regularly condemned settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, describing it as a “dangerous continuation of occupation policies,” and rejected "Israel’s" proposals for Gaza that excluded Palestinian statehood.
Strong words, limited measures
Despite repeated diplomatic protests, the UAE has never cut ties with "Israel" or suspended the Abraham Accords since the 2020 normalization deal. Instead, Abu Dhabi has relied on limited measures to signal disapproval.
Emirati officials have repeatedly warned that any annexation of the West Bank would constitute a “red line” that could jeopardize normalization. In April 2024, the UAE briefly halted humanitarian coordination following the killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers, though this suspension was short-lived.
Yet, despite such gestures, trade and business relations between the two sides have continued to expand, with Abu Dhabi attempting to leverage its ties to push "Israel" toward moderation, an effort that has yielded little practical restraint.
