Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has reportedly dropped plans to discuss annexing the West Bank following a public warning from the United Arab Emirates. The UAE, the first Arab nation to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, cautioned that such a move would block Israel’s path to regional integration. The warning came as a surprise to Israeli officials, leading to the removal of the annexation issue from a major government meeting agenda.
The warning was delivered by UAE special envoy Lana Nusseibeh, who told the Times of Israel that annexation would ‘foreclose the idea of regional integration.’ She emphasized that for Arab capitals, the possibility of regional integration remains open, but such a step would close that door. The UAE’s stance reflects its strategic interest in maintaining ties with both Israel and Arab nations, as part of the Abraham Accords established under the Trump administration.
Israel has long been building settlements in the West Bank, a territory seized during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. While the international community widely considers these settlements illegal, Israel maintains its position. The country had previously come close to annexing the West Bank in 2020, but abandoned the idea in exchange for normalizing relations with the UAE and Bahrain. The current move appears to be a strategic shift driven by the pressure from regional partners, particularly the UAE, to avoid compromising its diplomatic standing.
Despite the UAE’s warning, the U.S. has not yet taken a clear stance on the potential annexation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that he is ‘not going to opine on that,’ suggesting a cautious approach by Washington. As the situation evolves, the implications for Israeli-Palestinian relations and regional diplomacy could be significant.