|
The UAE issued a warning to Israel and the United States that Israel’s proposed annexation of large portions of the West Bank undermines the founding principles of the Abraham Accords and would prevent their expansion. The Abraham Accords normalized relations between Israel and the UAE along with three other Arab states in 2020. UAE officials called annexation a “red line” and said that it would end the possibility of a two state solution. The UAE’s warning came as Israel’s Finance Minister and far-right politician unveiled his plan to annex roughly 82 percent of the West Bank. According to Israel’s i24 News, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu dropped a discussion of annexation from the agenda of Thursdays meetings after receiving pressure from the UAE. Senior Israeli defense officials have also pushed back on annexation describing the situation in the West Bank as a powder keg that could explode at any minute. Netanyahu also walked back comments he had previously made expressing openness to the idea of expanding the borders of Israel into neighboring Arab states. Netanyahu also dismissed reports that Hamas was committed to a comprehensive deal to end the war in Gaza describing them as “spin.”
|
