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UAE denounces Netanyahu plan for governing post-war Gaza, refuses to ‘provide cover for Israel’

UAE FM ‘The state refuses to be drawn into any plan aimed at providing cover for the Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The United Arab Emirates’ Foreign Minister took issue with remarks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made to Dr. Phil, suggesting that the UAE could play a role in governing Gaza after the war.

Following Netanyahu’s remarks on Dr. Phil’s new prime-time show, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on Saturday that his country would not be involved in governing post-war Gaza.

Al Nahyan took the X platform and wrote, “The United Arab Emirates denounces the statements of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, about calling on the state to participate in the civil administration of the Gaza Strip, which is under Israeli occupation.”

He added, “The UAE stresses that the Israeli prime minister does not have any legal capacity to take this step, and the state refuses to be drawn into any plan aimed at providing cover for the Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip.”

The UAE, which normalized relations with Israel in the 2020 Abraham Accords, appears to be distancing itself from the United States and Israel following Iran’s direct attack against Israel last month.

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For his part, Netanyahu spoke to Dr. Phil MacGraw about the future of governance in Gaza following the war and the possibility of establishing a government that is not hostile to Israel and run by Gulf states allies.

Al Nahyan said that although the UAE is concerned with giving aid to Gazans, it isn’t planning to take further steps in governing Gaza.

He told Media Line, “The UAE is ready to take a leading role in providing any necessary aid to the two million newly displaced Palestinian refugees.”

Al Nahyan added, “However, this does not mean that we will extend our focus beyond [into] the reconstruction of Gaza, which is a separate issue.”

It was reported that during recent hostage and ceasefire negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, Abu Dhabi was growing impatient with the US and Israel and became frustrated when Iran directly attacked the Jewish State.