UAE Foreign Minister Urges Netanyahu to End Gaza War in New York Meeting

The UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed stressed the need for an immediate end to the Gaza war during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the UAE’s state news agency WAM reported on Saturday.

This was Netanyahu’s first meeting with a senior Arab official since Israel’s September 9 strike on Hamas leaders, an attack the UAE condemned and formally protested by summoning Israel’s deputy ambassador.

The UAE, a leading oil producer and regional hub for trade and diplomacy, normalized relations with Israel under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, paving the way for closer economic and security ties, including defense cooperation.

WAM said Sheikh Abdullah reaffirmed the UAE’s “steadfast commitment to supporting all initiatives aimed at achieving a comprehensive peace based on a two-state solution that meets the aspirations of both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.” The report made no mention of the Abraham Accords, which have come under strain over Israeli policies in the region.

Earlier this month, the UAE warned Israel that any annexation of the occupied West Bank would be a “red line” for Abu Dhabi, undermining the spirit of the Abraham Accords. Sources told Reuters that if Netanyahu’s government proceeds with annexation of parts or all of the West Bank, Abu Dhabi may downgrade diplomatic ties, casting doubt on the future of the fledgling relationship.

France, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal recognized a Palestinian state last Sunday, citing frustration over the war in Gaza and the need to advance a two-state solution—drawing sharp criticism from Israel.

Netanyahu, who has categorically rejected the prospect of a Palestinian state, denounced the Western moves. Israel’s most right-wing government in history has declared there will be no Palestinian state as it continues its war against Hamas in Gaza, launched after the October 7, 2023 attacks in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed.