The United Arab Emirates has warned the White House that an Israeli move to unilaterally annex parts of the West Bank will severely impair Gulf states’ cooperation with the Trump administration’s peace plan and will end all efforts at public rapprochement with Israel, Channel 12 reported Saturday.
UAE diplomats conveyed the message to Washington at the same time as a top diplomat for the country published an unprecedented op-ed in a leading Israeli newspaper, warning against the push to apply sovereignty to settlements and the Jordan Valley, the report said.
Abu Dhabi was said to warn that an American green-light for annexation would severely curtail Gulf states’ support for the plan, and lead them to take a step back from the US efforts.
In addition, it said such a step would end all efforts to bring Israel and the Gulf States publicly closer together, including efforts that were discussed to sign non-aggression pacts.
The network also reported that with two weeks left until Netanyahu’s July 1 target date to start the ball rolling on annexation, defense officials have not seen any maps or been given a timetable. READ MORE
