The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday lashed out at a suggestion by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to join a potential civilian administration in the post-war Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu suggested in a recent interview that a civilian administration involving Gazans and possibly with the help of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries could govern Gaza after the war.
On Saturday, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed said his country denounces Netanyahu’s call, adding that Gaza is currently under Israeli occupation.
“The Emirati State emphasizes that the Israeli Prime Minister has no legitimate capacity that authorizes him to take this step,” the Emirati official said in an Arabic post on X.
“The [UAE] The state rejects involvement in any plan designed to provide cover for the Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip,” he added.
The UAE became the first Gulf state to establish diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020. But the wealthy country has repeatedly criticized Israel’s ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier this week, the UAE condemned Israeli control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, an operation that has halted the delivery of humanitarian aid through the facility to the densely populated strip.
Israel has been bombing Gaza for months, since Hamas militants launched unprecedented bloody attacks on Israel last October, including civilian massacres.
