The UAE will not be involved in the Israeli election, Emirati state minister on Wednesday said in sharp comments amid new reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned to visit ahead of Israeli elections next Tuesday.
Israel and the UAE established ties last year in a diplomatic coup for Netanyahu shattered by his strong ally, former US president Donald Trump.
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Likud’s election poster throws Benjamin Netanyahu’s close connection to former president Donald Trump. The caption reads: Netanyahu, a different league
(Photo: EPA)
The agreement, known as the Abraham Accords, made the UAE the only Arab state to establish relations with Israel, following Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.
Netanyahu, in power since 2009, has tried to fire his credentials as Israel’s top statesman as part of his re-election pitch ahead of March 23 polls. The UAE could have helped with that effort.
“From a UAE perspective, the purpose of the Abrahamic Accords is to provide a strong strategic foundation to promote peace and prosperity with the State of Israel and in the region in general,” tweeted Anwar Gargash, adviser to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed.
“The UAE will not be part of any internal election in Israel, now or ever,” he wrote, without explanation.
The comments from Gargash, who until recently opposed UAE diplomacy as minister of state for foreign affairs, were surprisingly honest for an Emirati official.
They came after Netanyahu last week canceled a historic trip to the UAE, citing disagreements with Jordan over the main crossing point of its airport.
The UAE had never confirmed the trip, but said the same day it was setting up a $ 10 billion investment fund aimed at strategic sectors in Israel.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the White House for the signing of the Abrahamic Treaties in September. 2020
(Photo: EPA)
The decision, said UAE official news agency WAM, was taken after a “helpful” phone call between Netanyahu and Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed at the Abu Dhabi Crown.
There was new speculation on Wednesday that Netanyahu could book a trip again, but there was no official comment from either side.
The prime minister said last week that he had spoken to Sheikh Mohammed, the de facto leader of the UAE, and that the pair agreed to meet “very soon.”