The United Arab Emirates warned that any Israeli attempt to annex parts of the occupied West Bank would represent a “red line” for Abu Dhabi and would jeopardize the Abraham Accords.

Lana Nusseibeh, UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs and Minister’s Envoy, told Reuters: “From the beginning, we viewed the accords as a means to continue supporting the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspirations for an independent state. This was our stance in 2020 and remains so today.”

Nusseibeh confirmed that annexing the West Bank “would seriously undermine the vision and spirit of the Abraham Accords, end regional integration efforts, and change the international consensus on the conflict’s path based on the two-state solution.” She added: “We call on the Israeli government to suspend these plans. Extremists from any side cannot be allowed to dictate the region’s course.”

The UAE’s position comes after hardline Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich proposed a plan to annex most of the West Bank, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “make a historic decision to apply Israeli sovereignty over all open areas in ‘Judea and Samaria.'” Israel also recently approved the construction of thousands of settlement units in the E1 area near Jerusalem, undermining the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state.

Nusseibeh explained that the Abraham Accords, signed in 2020 with US mediation during President Donald Trump’s administration, were based on “a vision of peace founded on prosperity, coexistence, and tolerance.” She added: “For the UAE, the accords reflected a conviction that the Middle East can move beyond conflict toward a more stable and hopeful future.” She noted that Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed described them at the time as “the beginning of a new direction towards a better Middle East,” and thanked Netanyahu for freezing the annexation decision on Palestinian lands.

Nusseibeh accused the Israeli government of seeking through these plans to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.” She said: “Violence must stop, all hostages must be released, Hamas must be disarmed and no longer able to control Gaza or its people.” She stressed that the next phase must change the conflict’s course and open a real horizon for the two-state solution by restoring order in Gaza, establishing reliable and interested Palestinian governance, and unifying the West Bank and Gaza.

Last month, the UAE issued a strong condemnation of Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and ongoing military operations in Gaza, affirming that these practices threaten peace, stability, and humanitarian conditions in the region. It also condemned Netanyahu’s statements about a “Greater Israel.”