Israel postpones plans to annex West Bank following warning from UAE
(MENAFN) Israel has postponed plans to discuss annexing the West Bank after a public warning from the United Arab Emirates, the Washington Post reports. A senior UAE diplomat told Israeli media that such a move would be a “red line” that could block Israel’s path to regional integration.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to address the annexation plan at a government meeting on Friday. Earlier, UAE special envoy Lana Nusseibeh told a news agency that annexation would “foreclose the idea of regional integration.” She added that while regional cooperation remained possible with Arab capitals, annexation to satisfy “radical extremist elements” in Israel would end that possibility.
The UAE became the first Arab country in more than 25 years to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, brokered by US President Donald Trump. Israeli officials described the public warning from Abu Dhabi as “very unusual,” and the annexation issue was subsequently removed from the ministerial meeting agenda.
Washington has not taken a clear position on the matter. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called potential annexation “not a final thing” and declined to comment further.
The West Bank issue gained renewed attention earlier this year after some Israeli ministers, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, pushed for formal annexation, asserting that control could be asserted at any moment.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
