The United Arab Emirates has been in discussions about the possibility of playing a role in postwar efforts to rebuild Gaza, but its conditions for doing so have yet to be met, a UAE official told
CNN.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has touted the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries as potential partners to help govern the territory after the war, but the UAE had previously said that it would refuse “to be drawn into any plan aimed at providing cover for the Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip.”
“While there have been many informal conversations taking place, parties involved have not aligned with the UAE preconditions for its involvement in any postwar effort in Gaza,” the UAE official told CNN on Tuesday.
The official was responding to a report by the Reuters news agency that behind-the-scenes discussions between the UAE, Israel and the United States included the possibility of the UAE, the US and other nations temporarily overseeing governance, security and reconstruction of Gaza after the war.
The UAE official told CNN its preconditions include a formal invitation from a “new, credible, independent” Palestinian Authority (PA) prime minister, “a serious reform process” in the PA, “an explicit commitment to the two-state solution” from Israel, and a “clear leadership role by the US.”
The UAE has long advocated for reforms within the PA, which is widely perceived as plagued by corruption, and has called for a change in its leadership. Mohammed Mustafa was sworn in as the PA’s prime minister in March, succeeding Mohammed Shtayyeh, who resigned in February.
Israeli officials have publicly rejected the possibility of the West Bank-based PA playing a role in postwar Gaza.
Reuters also reported, citing diplomats and Western officials, that UAE officials had suggested the use of private military contractors as part of a peacekeeping force in Gaza. The UAE official who spoke to CNN refuted this.
UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed met with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
The Israeli foreign ministry said the two were set to discuss regional developments and bilateral relations. Emirati state news agency WAM said the two ministers discussed the “escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip” and regional and international efforts to achieve a sustainable ceasefire.
