DUBAI: The UAE has warned Israel that any move to annex parts of the occupied Palestinian territories would cross a “red line” and destabilize the region, underscoring the UAE’s support for Palestinian statehood despite its normalization of ties with Israel in recent years.
The Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported that Khalifa Shaheen Al-Marar, a UAE minister of state, confirmed the Emirati stance on Thursday following the conclusion of the 164th session of the Council of Arab Foreign Ministers.
The rebuke had been circulating in the press after statements made by Emirati special envoy Lana Nusseibeh in a Times of Israel interview earlier in the week.
“Israel’s annexation of the West Bank or any part of the occupied Palestinian territories represents a red line, and taking such a step would undermine regional security,” Al-Marar said.
He said the Emirates were committed to protecting Palestinian rights and pursuing a two-state solution as the only viable path to a comprehensive peace.
He added that the Cairo meetings, chaired by the UAE, produced a consensus among Arab states on the urgent need to halt the war in Gaza, reject Israeli displacement policies, and prevent any attempt to erase the Palestinian cause through annexation.
“The UAE continues to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and is proceeding, within the framework of its relations with sisterly Arab states, to find a solution that ensures halting the war and restoring stability in the Strip, followed by necessary political and humanitarian arrangements,” Al-Marar said.
The UAE normalized relations with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords, becoming the first Gulf state to formally establish diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. The move opened avenues for trade, investment, and technology cooperation, according to WAM, non-oil bilateral trade volume between the UAE and Israel reached more than $2.5 billion in 2022.
But the relationship has been complicated by Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza and the stalled peace process with the Palestinians.
Emirati officials have repeatedly balanced deepening economic and diplomatic engagement with Israel against firm rhetorical support for Palestinian rights.
In recent years, the UAE has also used its position as a regional mediator — engaging with the US, European powers, and Arab states to press for de-escalation in Gaza and for renewed international commitment to a two-state solution.
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