UAE Delivers Stern Warning: West Bank Annexation a ‘Red Line’ Threatening Regional Peace

ABU DHABI – The United Arab Emirates has issued a forceful warning to Israel, declaring that any annexation of the West Bank would constitute a “red line” that could dismantle prospects for regional integration and peace. The stark message comes just as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to convene a crucial ministerial consultation today, Thursday, September 4, to deliberate on the highly controversial move.

Emirati special envoy Lana Nusseibeh conveyed the gravity of the situation in an interview on Tuesday, stating, “Annexation would be a red line for my government, and that means there can be no lasting peace. It would foreclose the idea of regional integration and be the death knell of the two-state solution.” This urgent alarm from Abu Dhabi precedes the fifth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, a landmark agreement initiated by the UAE to normalize relations with Israel.

The warning underscores the UAE’s deep aversion to Israel revisiting annexation plans, especially given that Emirati officials have consistently presented the Abraham Accords as an irreversible strategic choice. The carefully articulated message, emphasizing a potential “strategic loss,” marks the first time such a direct public statement has been made since the Accords were signed.

The timing is critical, following Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s proposal on Wednesday to annex 82% of the West Bank, urging Netanyahu to adopt it. The current political climate, with a new US administration perceived as potentially more amenable or indifferent to such actions, has emboldened hardline coalition partners in Israel.

Nusseibeh also directed a subtle message towards the current US administration, expressing trust that President Trump would safeguard the Abraham Accords’ legacy from being undermined. The UAE official stressed that while an “outstretched hand” for regional integration still exists, annexation would irrevocably withdraw it, urging the Israeli public to consider the profound implications for future peace and cooperation in the Middle East.

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