Abraham Accords 'overturned' by Hamas and Israeli extremists, senior Emirati official says

Lana Nusseibeh stresses that future of Palestine is cornerstone of peaceful future for Middle East

The Abraham Accords have been derailed by Hamas and Israeli extremists, a senior Emirati official warned on Monday.

"We always knew that there was an inherent risk that extremists would seek to overturn the vision of the Abraham Accords," said Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, addressing the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi.

"That is what happened when Hamas's terror attack on Israel on October 7 and Israel's horrific war in Gaza exploded the risk of radicalisation and instability in the region."

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The accords, signed in 2020 during US President Donald Trump's first term, led the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco to establish relations with Israel. Ms Nusseibeh said last week that the Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank would constitute a red line for the UAE and undermine the vision and spirit of the accords.

Her comments came after far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich 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 the territory.

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

"The future of Palestine continues to be the cornerstone of a peaceful future for the Middle East," Ms Nusseibeh told the forum. "Five years ago, when the UAE signed the Abraham Accords, it was not simply a diplomatic act or a bilateral relationship with the state of Israel. It was a statement of belief that mistrust can give way to coexistence, and that the children of a region deserve a future different from our past, one predicated on the full integration of Israel in our region and the creation of an independent state of Palestine. Today, those hopes are being tested."

Ms Nusseibeh said that "annexation by Israel of Palestinian land, if pursued, would not only close the door to peace and integration, it would betray the very spirit of the Abraham Accords".

"For the UAE, this is not a matter of politics alone. It is a matter of principle, and it is a matter of peace for our region," she added.

Regional and global frustration has been growing over Israel's actions in Gaza, where more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army and millions have been displaced, with the UN declaring famine in Gaza city and warning that starvation is being used as a weapon of war.

Last week, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman emphasised the need to forge a path to peace in Gaza during talks in Riyadh. They reiterated that a two-state solution is crucial to efforts to bolster security and stability after nearly two years of war in the besieged enclave.

Iran's nuclear programme

Ms Nusseibeh said Gaza was not the "only fault line in the region", adding that, across the Middle East, instability and opportunity sit side by side.

"Iran's nuclear programme has long unsettled our region's security," she said. "Unaddressed, it risks a dangerous confrontation, as the strikes on Iranian facilities earlier this summer remain painfully clear. That moment should have underscored the urgency of diplomacy."

Tehran has repeatedly said it will not return to the negotiating table under the same conditions that existed before the June war with Israel. In April, the US and Iran embarked on a series of nuclear negotiations, hosted in Muscat and Rome, that aimed to revive dialogue on uranium enrichment and sanctions relief after years of stalemate.

But in June, Israel launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure. The US joined in the attacks, escalating the conflict into a broader war that severely disrupted diplomatic progress.

During the 12-day conflict, Iran chose to strike a Gulf country to retaliate against the US attacks on its underground nuclear sites. It launched a ballistic missile strike on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar – the largest US military site in the Middle East. The attack was condemned by all Gulf states.

Before, during and after the war, the UAE and its Gulf partners consistently pressed for diplomacy to de-escalate tensions. "Consider Iran's nuclear programme, by pressing for negotiations, we are not acting just to protect the Gulf from confrontation. We are also helping to sustain the non-proliferation regime," said Ms Nusseibeh.