UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan sharply condemned Netanyahu’s statements in a post on X early Saturday.
The United Arab Emirates criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday following his remarks that the Gulf nation might help establish a government in Gaza post-war, Reuters news agency reported.
The UAE, a key Gulf state and one of the few Arab countries that maintains formal diplomatic relations with Israel, has reportedly seen tensions with Israel rise during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan sharply condemned Netanyahu’s statements in a post on X early Saturday.
He stated that Abu Dhabi strongly opposes Netanyahu’s suggestions and emphasized that the Israeli prime minister does not possess the authority to propose such plans involving the UAE in Gaza-related activities.
Dr.Phil interviewing Netanyahu – arguing all Palestinians are “complicit” and “occupying” Gaza
– The shift of rhetoric from unfortunate collateral damage to collective guilt is alarming pic.twitter.com/QArMYl26dW— Glenn Diesen (@Glenn_Diesen) May 11, 2024
“The UAE stresses that the Israeli prime minister does not have any legal capacity to take this step, and the UAE refuses to be drawn into any plan aimed at providing cover for the Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip,” he said in an Arabic post.
Sheikh Zayed expressed the UAE’s readiness to support a Palestinian government that seeks to fulfill the Palestinian desire for independence.
He reiterated the UAE’s support for a Palestinian state, which aligns with Palestinian hopes for sovereignty in the West Bank and Gaza.
What Did Netanyahu Say
In a recent interview, Netanyahu mentioned that the UAE, along with Saudi Arabia and other nations, could potentially aid a civilian government in Gaza following the war.
Netanyahu was asked in a Thursday interview with Dr. Phil who he would like to run Gaza after the war.
UAE condemns Israel’s PM Netanyahu for naming the Gulf country in its proposal to rule the Gaza under Israeli occupation pic.twitter.com/R54TNzPboz
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) May 11, 2024
“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 Strip.
Gaza Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 34,971 Palestinians have been killed, and 78,641 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(The Palestine Chronicle)