UAE Slams Netanyahu for Saying the Gulf State Can Run Gaza
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) retaliated to Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal for the Gulf State to assist Israel in establishing a new administration in Gaza on Saturday. Previously on Thursday, Netanyahu had said during an interview on the Dr. Phil Primetime show, “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.”
The UAE’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, took to X on Friday, slamming Netanyahu’s suggestion that the UAE and other nations can help govern the local administration in Gaza. Zayed stated, “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.
Israel, on the other hand, has said that it will not opt for a two-state solution, citing the threat of Hamas insurgencies in the future. In retaliation for the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas last year, Israel launched a full-scale invasion of Gaza for the last seven months. The Palestinian-run Health Ministry of Gaza estimates over 34,950 civilians have been killed so far, with nearly 78,500 injured in Israeli attacks.
تستنكر دولة لإمارات العربية المتحدة تصريحات رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي، بنيامين نتنياهو، حول دعوة الدولة للمشاركة في إدارة مدنية لقطاع الغزة القابع تحت الاحتلال الإسرائيلي.
إذ تشدد دولة الإمارات بأن رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي لا يتمتع بأي صفة شرعية تخوله باتخاذ هذه الخطوة، كما ترفض…
— عبدالله بن زايد (@ABZayed) May 10, 2024
With indiscriminate killings of civilians in Gaza and repeated targeting of refugee camps, aid-distribution centres, and relief stations across Palestine, Israel faces multiple counts of “war crimes” and “genocide” at the International Criminal Court. An interim ruling in January found significant evidence that the IDF has been involved in many targeted killings of unarmed Palestinians over the course of the last seven months.
Many nations, like Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Oman, have already severed diplomatic relations with Israel, citing the acts of genocide committed on the IDF’s part. The Gulf nation of the UAE, however, maintained its diplomatic relations with the country. Despite the friendly relations, the Emirati leader has criticised Netanyahu’s dictatorial approach to constructing Palestine’s post-war government framework and has stressed that the Israeli PM does not have any legal capacity on the matter.
Israel has refused a two-state solution
In the course of the ongoing conflict, over 85% of the Palestinian cities have been reduced to rubble. International aid organisations have often accused Israel of carrying out airstrikes on civilian infrastructure like schools, hospitals, water treatment plants, and electrical substations as well. Back on April 7, aid workers at World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in an IDF airstrike, fuelling massive protests against Israel’s indiscriminate killings of civilians.
Many global leaders and international organisations have urged the Israeli government to stop its conflict in Gaza, but to no avail. On Tuesday, the IDF started its invasion of eastern Rafah. The last stronghold of Hamas, according to Israeli authorities, With the IDF now in control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing bordering with Egypt, the last point of contact between Palestine and the rest of the world has now been severed.
PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers have stated their strong opposition to a two-state solution, citing the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. Israeli officials believe that giving Gaza a free hand again will bolster the motives of terror outfits like Hamas and will be a permanent security threat to the existence of Israel.
The majority of Israel’s Islamic neighbours, including the UAE, have refused to partake in any post-war management plan for Palestine unless Israel agrees to the two-state solution like before.
Israel’s refusal to stop its military campaign into the Gaza Strip despite the rising death toll has further strained Jerusalem-Abu Dhabi relations, with interactions between Netanyahu and Emirati officials becoming a rare occurrence.
