Emirati FM pans Netanyahu’s suggestion country might help manage Gaza after war
Bin Zayed says Abu Dhabi will not join a plan ‘aimed at providing cover for Israeli presence in Gaza’; says will give all forms of support to a future Palestinian government
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed on Friday denounced a suggestion by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Abu Dhabi might assist local Palestinians in managing Gaza after the war.
Bin Zayed tweeted a denunciation of Netanyahu’s proposal his country “participate in civil administration of the Gaza Strip, which is under Israeli occupation.”
“The UAE stresses that the Israeli prime minister does not have any legal capacity to take this step, and the state refuses to be drawn into any plan aimed at providing cover for the Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip,” he added.
“The UAE affirms that when a Palestinian government is formed that meets the hopes and aspirations of the brotherly Palestinian people and enjoys integrity, competence and independence, the state will be fully prepared to provide all forms of support to that government,” Bin Zayed said.
Netanyahu was asked in a Thursday interview with Dr. Phil who he’d like to see run Gaza after Hamas.
“We’ll probably have to have some kind of civilian administration by Gazans who are not committed to our destruction, possibly with the aid of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other countries that I think want to see stability and peace,” Netanyahu responded, adding that Israel would maintain the right to enter the enclave as necessary to root out remnant terror elements.
Emirati leaders have repeatedly asserted that they will not take part in the post-war management of Gaza, absent an Israeli commitment to create a pathway to a future two-state solution — a framework opposed by Netanyahu and his hardline government.
Some officials have suggested that Abu Dhabi has privately shown more flexibility.
United States President Joe Biden said Wednesday that five Arab countries “are prepared to help rebuild Gaza, prepared to help transition to a two-state solution… to maintain the security and peace while they’re working out a Palestinian Authority that’s real and not corrupt.”
Biden said he didn’t want to name the five countries “because I don’t want to get them in trouble,” but he was likely referring to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Qatar.
Those five countries have established a forum in coordination with the US to craft a post-war vision for Gaza aimed at an eventual end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Netanyahu and his government have long faced criticism over their refusal to make a plan for the management of the Strip after the war.
Netanyahu has rejected efforts to include the PA in post-war planning, arguing that the more moderate foil to Hamas, which publicly backs a two-state solution, is no different than the Gaza-ruling terror group in that it too refuses to accept Israel’s existence, and promotes hatred of the Jewish state.
The UAE, a prominent and influential Gulf state, is one of few Arab nations with official diplomatic ties to Israel, which it has maintained through the months-long war, although relations appear to have become frayed.
Sources have said that Abu Dhabi’s relationship with Netanyahu has fractured over the military campaign, with Emirati officials now rarely speaking with him.
The UAE has frequently criticized Israel over the war, though it has asserted that diplomatic ties have allowed it to get aid into the Gaza Strip amid the humanitarian crisis.
Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.
