UAE official warns West Bank settlement plans 'red line' for Abu Dhabi

AL-Monitor
Sep 3, 2025
A Palestinian walks next to an Israeli flag placed on the door of a house which was taken over by Israeli settlers in the old city, in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank September 3,2025. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
A Palestinian walks next to an Israeli flag placed on the door of a house which was taken over by Israeli settlers in the old city, in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank September 3,2025. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma — MUSSA ISSA QAWASMA

DUBAI (Reuters) -The United Arab Emirates warned Israel on Wednesday that any annexation of the West Bank would constitute a red line for Abu Dhabi that would severely undermine the spirit of the Abraham Accords that normalised relations between the two countries.

"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," Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, told Reuters.

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

The comments marked the UAE's strongest criticism of Israel's conduct since the start of the Gaza war in 2023.

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

""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," said Nusseibeh.

(Reporting by Maha El Dahan; Editing by Michael Georgy and Ros Russell)