UAE refused PM’s request to pay 150,000 Palestinian workers barred by Israel – report

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed reportedly rebuffed a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Abu Dhabi to pay unemployment benefits to the Palestinian workers who Israel has refused to allow to return to their jobs since October 7.

“Ask Zelensky for money,” bin Zayed told Netanyahu, according to the Axios news site, sarcastically suggesting that the Ukrainian president could foot the bill with all of the international support Kyiv has been getting since Russia’s invasion.

“The notion that Arab countries will come in to rebuild and pay the bill for what’s currently happening is wishful thinking,” an Emirati official tells Axios.

Prior to the Hamas onslaught and subsequent war in Gaza, some 150,000 Palestinians from the West Bank had permits to enter Israel for work, according to the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).

MBZ couldn’t believe Netanyahu thought the UAE would be willing to pay for a problem that was created due to Israel’s decision not to allow the workers in, a source familiar with the matter tells Axios.