The United Arab Emirates warned Israel on Wednesday that any move to annex the occupied West Bank would constitute a “red line”, following Israeli ministers’ threats to take over most of the territory.
The warning is the strongest sign of the Gulf state’s mounting frustration with Israel’s 22-month war in Gaza and operations in the West Bank. The UAE was the most important of four Arab states to sign the so-called Abraham Accords that normalised ties with Israel in 2020.
“Annexation in the West Bank would constitute a red line for the UAE,” said Lana Nusseibeh, the foreign ministry’s assistant minister for political affairs, in a statement. “It would severely undermine the vision and spirit of Accords, [and] end the pursuit of regional integration.”