Mounting Arab Demands to Sideline the UAE
Mounting criticism targets Abu Dhabi over its deepening ties with Israel, its stance against Palestinian resistance, and its growing divergence from Arab consensus.
Watan-Calls are growing to isolate the Emirati regime from the Arab system amid mounting evidence of Abu Dhabi’s alignment against Arab security and its hostility toward the Palestinian cause, as it continues to pursue a full alliance with Israel.
For decades, the UAE has taken a stance opposing Arab revolutions and has consistently sided against democratic movements. This aligns with Israel’s position on regional change and has brought the UAE increasingly closer to the occupying entity itself.
The UAE spearheaded normalization agreements with Israel during the final year of Trump’s first term. But it did not stop at political normalization — it pushed for public normalization to a degree unseen in Egypt or Jordan, despite those countries having established official relations with Israel decades earlier.
UAE Normalizes Israeli Presence Amid Regional Silence
In fact, an Israeli citizen cannot walk around Cairo or Amman openly displaying their flag or religious symbols — even under heavy security. Yet, in the UAE, Israeli presence in public spaces and entertainment venues has been made entirely normal, violating all Arab, religious, and even security principles.
The genocidal war on Gaza revealed yet another dimension of the UAE’s bias toward Israel — especially in its official statements criticizing resistance movements. In contrast, Egypt’s official criticism of these groups has been limited, and Jordan has barely done so at all, despite both regimes having political disputes with Palestinian resistance factions and Islamist movements.
But the UAE has repeatedly condemned Hamas and described its attacks as “brutal,” with Emirati spokespersons emphasizing what they call the killing of “civilians” in the occupying entity.
In this context, it’s important to note the nature of aid provided to Palestinians. While aid is limited overall and strictly controlled by Israel, relief workers, journalists covering the issue, and even drivers know that some aid trucks arrive empty or half-loaded, merely for photo ops — and don’t even make it into Gaza.
Additionally, the UAE served as a launch point for the land bridge bypassing the Houthi naval blockade of Israeli ports — a bridge that has extended to other Arab countries. Egypt also plays a role in allowing the passage of military or arms-carrying ships to Israel, which cannot be ignored.
UAE Aligns with Israeli Far-Right, Breaks Arab Consensus
Just before the current Israeli assault on Gaza began, the Emirati embassy held a Ramadan iftar in occupied Jaffa (Tel Aviv), hosting several officials who have incited for the expulsion and extermination of Gaza’s population — including Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi.
Meanwhile, a delegation from West Bank settlements visited Abu Dhabi, where they were hosted by Rashid Al Nuaimi — a member of the UAE’s Federal National Council and head of its Defense, Interior, and Foreign Affairs Committee.
But perhaps most alarming is what the UAE’s ambassador to the U.S., Yousef Al Otaiba, said regarding Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza: “There are no real alternatives to Trump’s plan for Gaza.”
This wasn’t a casual remark — no Emirati official has publicly rejected it, making it a clear break from the Arab consensus that opposes the forced displacement of Palestinians. The UAE’s stance places it squarely alongside the far-right in Israel and the United States — in direct opposition to Arab national security interests.
UAE’s Silence on Gaza War Underscores Western Alignment
Now, with the latest Israeli war on Gaza underway this month, the UAE has remained silent — unlike other surrounding Arab states. And amid this U.S.-backed war, the White House announced that the UAE would invest $1.4 trillion in the U.S. over the next 10 years.
That massive sum could likely solve the collective crises of the Arab world if invested locally — but the Emirati regime seems more interested in buying influence over poor Arab countries at bargain prices, in exchange for controlling their decisions.
At the same time, the UAE offers tributes to the powers that sustain its regime — the U.S. and Israel — once again highlighting the contradiction in its dealings with Arab nations versus the West, and making clear the side it has chosen: one that threatens Arab security.
