Emirati official shuns notion of taking part in Israeli electioneering

The United Arab Emirates will not get involved in Israeli electioneering, an Emirati official says, in pointed comments amid new reports Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to visit ahead of elections next week.

Israel and the UAE established ties last year in a diplomatic coup for Netanyahu brokered by his staunch ally, former US president Donald Trump. The deal, known as the Abraham Accords, made the UAE only the third Arab state to establish relations with Israel, following Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

“From the UAE’s perspective, the purpose of the Abrahamic Accords is to provide a robust strategic foundation to foster peace and prosperity with the State of Israel and in the wider region,” tweets Anwar Gargash, advisor to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed. “The UAE will not be a part in any internal electioneering in Israel, now or ever,”

Anwar Gargash in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, June 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

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