UAE could downgrade diplomatic ties if Israel annexes West Bank, sources say
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Israeli troops standing guard during a weekly settlers’ tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Aug 30, 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
JERUSALEM - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) could downgrade diplomatic ties with Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government annexes part or all of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to three sources briefed on the Gulf Arab state’s deliberations.
The UAE is one of just a few Arab states with diplomatic relations with Israel, and downgrading ties would be a major setback for the Abraham Accords
Israel’s government has recently taken steps that could presage annexation of the West Bank, which was captured along with East Jerusalem in a war in 1967. The UN and most countries oppose such a move.
For Mr Netanyahu, whose coalition relies on right-wing nationalist parties, annexation could be seen as a valuable vote winner before an election expected in 2026.
Abu Dhabi warned Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition in September that any annexation of the West Bank would be a “red line” for the Gulf state, but did not say what measures could follow.
The UAE, which established ties with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords, was considering withdrawing its ambassador in any response, the sources told Reuters.
The sources, who all spoke on condition of anonymity, said Abu Dhabi was not considering completely severing ties, although tensions have mounted during the almost-two-year-old Gaza war.
A source in Israel said the government believed it could repair its strained ties with the UAE, a major commercial centre seen as the most significant of the Arab states to establish ties with Israel in 2020. The others were Bahrain and Morocco.
No other Arab state has since established formal ties with Israel, which also has diplomatic relations with Egypt and Jordan, and direct contacts with Qatar, though without full diplomatic recognition.
Israeli companies barred from UAE air show
In a sign of growing tension with Israel, the Gulf state last week decided to bar Israeli defence companies from exhibiting at the Dubai Airshow in November, three of the sources said. Two other sources, an Israeli official and an Israeli defence industry executive, confirmed the decision.
Israel’s Defence Ministry said it had been made aware of the decision, but did not elaborate. A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi said discussions over Israel’s participation in the week-long trade show were continuing.
Israel’s media was the first to report the move to block the firms from the UAE’s flagship aerospace and defence event.
The UAE Foreign Ministry did not respond to questions on whether it was weighing downgrading diplomatic ties with Israel.
The spokesperson at the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi said Israel was committed to the Abraham Accords and it would continue to work towards strengthening ties with the UAE.
Emirati Foreign Ministry official Lana Nusseibeh told Reuters and Israeli media on Sept 3 that any annexation of the West Bank would jeopardise the Abraham Accords and end the pursuit of regional integration.
That warning preceded Israel’s air strike on Qatar last week
At an emergency meeting of Muslim nations in Qatar, convened in response to the strike, a communique was issued urging countries to review diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.
As part of the Abraham Accords, Mr Netanyahu promised to hold off annexing the West Bank for four years. But that deadline has passed, and some Israeli ministers are now pressing for action.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in September that maps were being drawn up to annex most of the West Bank, urging Mr Netanyahu to accept the plan. Mr Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, backs annexing the territory.
Ties with Israel deteriorated after 2023
After establishing ties, the UAE and Israel built a close relationship, focusing on economic, security and intelligence cooperation. This followed years of discreet contacts.
But differences began emerging after Mr Netanyahu returned to power in 2023, leading the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. Abu Dhabi has condemned repeated efforts by Mr Ben-Gvir to alter the status quo of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa compound to allow Jews to be able to pray there
The UAE has also criticised Israel’s policies in the West Bank and its military siege of Gaza, which began in October 2023 after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli soil.
Abu Dhabi has said that an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel was necessary for regional stability. Mr Netanyahu declared in September that there would never be a Palestinian state. REUTERS
