US official: Israel knows UAE could cut ties if it annexes

9 September 2020, 6:36 pm

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Israel is aware that the UAE could reverse its decision to normalize relations if West Bank annexation comes back on the table, US Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker says.

“I think the Israelis are aware of sensitivities in the region,” he says. ‘They must have different calculations based on politics in the region and in the United States.”

He specifically notes the case of trade offices Israel once maintained in Qatar, which were shut down in 2000 in reaction to Israeli military actions at the start of the Second Intifada in 2000.

He adds that “I think they have been pretty savvy with how they have dealt with their Arab partners to build relationships, and they are protective of those relationships.”