In a statement on Wednesday, UAE Assistant Minister for Political Affairs Lana Nusseibeh said that any such move by Tel Aviv would also endanger the Abraham Accords, a series of US-brokered agreements that saw several Arab states normalize their relations with Israel.
“Annexation of the West Bank would constitute a red line for the United Arab Emirates. It would severely undermine the vision and spirit of the Abraham Accords,” Nusseibeh was quoted as saying by media reports.
While calling on the Israeli regime to suspend its annexation plans, the statement further said that Abu Dhabi, from the very beginning, viewed the Accords “as a means to enable its continued support for the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspiration for an independent state.”
The warning followed the recent Israeli announcement about its decision to annex the West Bank, with two Israeli ministers, including the foreign minister, telling European officials that if they recognize the State of Palestine, Tel Aviv would move to annex parts of the West Bank.
In 2020, the UAE and Bahrain were the first two Arab states that signed the so-called Abraham Accords, brokered by US President Donald Trump, forging formal diplomatic ties with the Israeli regime, followed by Morocco. The normalization deals sparked public outrage and drew sharp criticism from the Palestinians, who called them “a stab in the back.”
Sudan, which had been under US pressure, also signed a similar agreement with the Israeli regime in 2021, received a loan worth $1.5 billion from Washington, and was removed from the list of terrorist countries.
IRNA