UAE warns Trump that Israeli annexations could unravel Abraham Accords

The UAE has urgently cautioned Trump that Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank would jeopardize the Abraham Accords, a key achievement of his first term. Two sources confirm UAE officials told the White House and Netanyahu’s government that such a move would shatter regional integration prospects. “These plans, if carried out, will do substantial damage to the UAE-Israel relationship,” a senior Emirati official stated, calling annexation a “death knell for the two-State solution.”

Israel’s consideration of annexing large West Bank areas, driven by hardliners like Smotrich and Ben Gvir, responds to Western recognition of Palestinian statehood. Netanyahu, set to discuss plans Thursday, faces pressure as Rubio reportedly signals openness to annexation, while Witkoff warns it could derail Gaza post-war plans and Saudi-Israeli normalization.

The UAE, which conditioned the 2020 Accords on Israel halting annexation, sees this as a violation of the agreement’s spirit. “We trust that President Trump will not allow the Abraham Accords tenet of his legacy to be tarnished, threatened or derailed by extremists and radicals,” Nusseibeh told The Times of Israel. Abu Dhabi’s public and private lobbying underscores its alarm, leaving open the possibility of reevaluating ties with Israel.