The United Arab Emirates has warned Israel that annexation of the West Bank would cross a “red line,” jeopardising the Abraham Accords and extinguishing hopes for the two-state solution….reports Asian Lite News
The UAE has issued its strongest warning yet to Israel, declaring that any annexation of the occupied West Bank would cross a “red line” and shatter the fragile trust underpinning the Abraham Accords.
The rare rebuke came from senior Emirati diplomat Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs, who said that annexing large swathes of the West Bank would “be the death knell” of the two-state solution, the foundation on which much of the international community still pins hopes for peace in the Middle East.
Her remarks followed a controversial proposal unveiled by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a hardline ultranationalist, who called for applying Israeli sovereignty over approximately 82 per cent of the West Bank. The plan, presented with maps at a Jerusalem press conference, envisions Palestinian population centres confined to enclaves around six cities — Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, Ramallah, Jericho and Hebron — while much of the territory would fall under direct Israeli control.
The UAE’s ‘red line’
Nusseibeh’s response was unusually blunt for a nation that has normalised relations with Israel under the 2020 US-brokered Abraham Accords. “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,” she said.
“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 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.”
The statement was welcomed by the Palestinian Authority, which said the UAE’s position echoed the international consensus that Israel’s settlement expansion and unilateral actions in the West Bank are illegal under international law.
Israeli push for annexation
Smotrich, who wields significant power over settlement planning, framed annexation as a decisive move to block the establishment of a Palestinian state. “The idea of dividing the country and establishing a terrorist state at its centre must be put off the table once and for all,” he declared, advocating for “maximum land with minimum Arabs”.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war and has since built around 160 settlements, now home to more than 700,000 Israelis. Roughly 3.3 million Palestinians live alongside them, often under military restrictions. The settlements are widely regarded as illegal under international law and considered one of the main obstacles to peace.
Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has convened discussions with his ministers, including Smotrich, on whether to advance annexation in response to mounting European momentum toward recognising Palestinian statehood at the upcoming UN General Assembly. France, the UK, and other countries are expected to formalise recognition this month. Netanyahu has dismissed such moves, warning they amount to “a reward for terrorism” in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 and the ongoing war in Gaza.
The UAE’s warning was joined by criticism from Jordan, which condemned Smotrich’s proposal as a flagrant violation of international law. Amman stressed that Israel “has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories” and warned that unilateral moves would fuel instability across the region. Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Fuad Majali described the remarks as “provocative and hostile” and said they risked plunging the region into “cycles of violence and conflict”.
Palestinian factions across the spectrum also rejected Smotrich’s plan. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry denounced it as “a direct threat” to statehood and accused Israel of incitement. Hamas issued a separate statement warning that annexation would “only bring further confrontation” and called on Arab and Islamic states to resist what it termed “colonial policies”.
International law has consistently sided with the Palestinians on the matter. UN Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted in 2016, reaffirmed the illegality of Israeli settlements and measures aimed at altering the demographic composition of the occupied territories. The International Court of Justice has also deemed annexations of occupied land unlawful.
The Abraham Accords under strain
When the Abraham Accords were signed in 2020, one of Abu Dhabi’s key conditions was that Israel halt plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Netanyahu at the time said he had agreed to “suspend” annexation, though he made clear the option remained “on the table”.
For Emiratis, Smotrich’s proposal risks tearing away the veneer of regional integration carefully built since 2020. The UAE was the first Gulf nation to formally recognise Israel, followed by Bahrain and Morocco, in a breakthrough touted as a new era for the Middle East. But Emirati officials repeatedly underlined that normalisation was not meant to come at the expense of Palestinian aspirations.
Today, with annexation once again on the agenda, the Abraham Accords face their sternest test yet. Analysts warn that if Israel moves ahead, it could not only rupture relations with Arab partners but also embolden regional tensions already heightened by the Gaza war.
