ABU DHABI, September 8. /TASS/. The commitment to normalizing relations between Israel and the Arab countries laid down in the Abraham Accords was disrupted by the Hamas attack on the Jewish state on October 7, 2023, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and Envoy of the Foreign Minister Lana Nusseibeh.
"We have always been aware of the risk that extremists will try to disrupt the implementation of the Abraham Accords. This is exactly what happened when the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and Israel's terrible war in the Gaza Strip led to an explosive increase in the risk of radicalization and instability in the region," she told the Hili Forum political conference.
Nusseibeh also said that the UAE takes "an uncompromising position against extremism, whether it is the nihilism of Hamas or the expansionist ambitions of the far-right forces in Israel." According to the Emirati diplomat, Israel's desire to extend its sovereignty over the entire territory of the West Bank destroys the basis of normalization agreements.
"Israel's annexation of Palestinian territories, if carried out, will not only close the path to peace and integration, but will also destroy the very spirit of the Abraham Accords. For the UAE, this is not just a matter of politics. This is a matter of principle, a matter of peace in our region and a red line," she added.
Israel, with the mediation of the United States, joined the agreement on normalization of relations with the UAE and Bahrain in 2020. The three-way deal was called the Abraham Accords. Later Morocco and Sudan normalized relations with the Jewish state.
About the situation in the West Bank
The Palestinian National Authority intends to unilaterally declare the establishment of the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September. Earlier, the foreign ministers of 15 countries supported consideration of recognizing Palestine following an international conference in New York. The initiative was joined by Australia, Andorra, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Finland and France.
On July 23, the Israeli parliament adopted a declaration calling on the government to extend the country's sovereignty to the West Bank. Although the document is purely declarative, 10 Arab and Islamic countries, including Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, condemned this step as a violation of international law. In July, Reuters news agency reported that Israel was considering annexing the West Bank in response to the actions of European states.
On September 3, Nusseibeh said in an interview with The Times of Israel that Israel's possible annexation of the West Bank, on the territory of which the Palestinian National Authority is located, would be a red line for Abu Dhabi. She stressed that such a step would make normalizing relations between Israel and the Arab countries impossible.