UAE Foreign Minister Urges End to Gaza War in Meeting with Netanyahu

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed called for an urgent end to the Gaza conflict during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the UAE state news agency WAM reported on Saturday.

This marked Netanyahu’s first meeting with a senior Arab official since Israel’s September 9 strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, an attack that drew strong condemnation from the UAE, which summoned Israel’s deputy ambassador in protest.

The UAE, a leading oil producer and regional trade hub with significant diplomatic influence, normalised relations with Israel under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, paving the way for closer economic, security, and defence cooperation. Sheikh Abdullah reiterated the UAE’s “unwavering commitment to supporting all initiatives aimed at achieving a comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, in a way that fulfills the aspirations of both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples,” according to WAM.

Earlier this month, the UAE warned that any Israeli annexation in the occupied West Bank would constitute a “red line,” threatening to severely undermine the spirit of the Abraham Accords. Sources told Reuters that Abu Dhabi could downgrade diplomatic ties if Israel proceeds with annexation plans.

Amid escalating tensions, several Western nations, including France, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal, recognised a Palestinian state last Sunday to advance the two-state solution, prompting a sharp rebuke from Netanyahu. Israel’s far-right government has ruled out Palestinian statehood while continuing military operations against Hamas in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attack that killed over 1,200 people.