UAE warns Israeli annexation of West Bank undermines vision of Abraham Accords

Lana Nusseibeh says move would be a 'red line'

A Palestinian woman near her house in Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, which was reportedly confiscated the previous night by Israeli settlers. AFP

The UAE on Wednesday warned Israel that annexation of the occupied West Bank would constitute a red line for the country and undermine the vision and spirit of the Abraham Accords.

“Annexation of the West Bank would constitute a red line for the UAE,” said Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“It would severely undermine the vision and spirit of [Abraham] 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.”

Lana Nusseibeh, UAE Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, warned Israel against the annexation of the occupied West Bank. AP

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Wednesday presented a plan to annex the majority of the West Bank, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “make a historic decision to apply Israeli sovereignty to all open areas in Judea and Samaria”.

Israel has taken other steps in recent weeks that undermine the prospect of a Palestinian state, in particular approving construction of E1 – an illegal settlement with thousands of homes near Jerusalem.

“We call on the Israeli government to suspend these 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,” Ms Nusseibeh said.

The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020 during US President Donald Trump's first term, saw the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco normalise diplomatic relations with Israel after American mediation.

“The Abraham Accords, signed under the leadership of US President Donald Trump, were built on a vision of peace anchored in prosperity, coexistence and tolerance. For the UAE, they reflected a conviction that the Middle East could move beyond conflict towards a more stable and hopeful future,” Ms Nusseibeh added.

“When we signed the Abraham Accords, our Foreign Minister, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, described them as the beginning of a 'new trend' towards a better Middle East. At that moment, he thanked Prime Minister Netanyahu for halting annexation of Palestinian territory – a decision he said reinforced “our shared will to achieve a better future for generations to come.

“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. That was our position in 2020, and it remains our position today.”

Change the trajectory

Last month, the UAE issued a strong condemnation of Israel's latest settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and the continuation of large-scale military operations in Gaza, warning that such actions threaten peace, stability, and humanitarian conditions across the region.

It also condemned statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the “Greater Israel” vision.

UAE aid ship to Gaza bound for Al Arish, Egypt at Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Ms Nusseibeh warned the proposals to annex parts of the West Bank were part of an effort that would, in the words of an Israeli minister, “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”.

She called for an end to the war in Gaza, securing the release of all hostages and for Hamas to be “disarmed and no longer able to control Gaza or its people”.

“But it cannot stop there,” Ms Nusseibeh said. “What follows must change the trajectory of this conflict and deliver a genuine horizon to two states which requires the restoration of law and order in Gaza, credible and reformed Palestinian governance, and the reunification of Gaza and the West Bank.”

Vice President of Palestine Hussein Al Sheikh welcomed the UAE position.

"We highly appreciate the stance of the state of the UAE in rejecting the Israeli measures to annex any parts of the West Bank, considering it a red line for the Emirates, which undermines regional integration and destroys the two-state solution," he wrote on X.

The UAE has delivered more than $1.5 billion in critical humanitarian support to Gaza since the start of the war with Israel.