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UAE Says Israeli Normalization On Thin Ice As Israel Discusses Reunification

By Schwartz | July 31, 2020

A southern aerial view of Temple Mount and the Al-Aqsa Mosque
Image by Godot13 [1]

Since the release of President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ‘two-state’ peace deal between Palestine and Israel on Jan. 28 earlier this year, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been cautious on their path to normalization with the Jewish state over internal Israeli talks of reunification.

In an article published in Hebrew for the Israeli daily newspaper Yediot Aharonot, Emirati ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba discussed directly with the Israeli people the idea of annexation and the ramifications it poses between Israel and the Arab world, reported the Jerusalem Post.

“Now that annexation is on the table for Israeli policy makers, Emiratis at the highest levels are signaling a carrot-and-stick approach to annexation, offering greater normalization on the one hand, while emphasizing that such policies will be null if annexation goes forward.”

The mutual threat from the Iranian regime has forged a path of unheard-of cooperation and collaboration between the two nations.

A snippet of a path towards normalization came in early May of this year when the UAE’s Etihad Airways flew the first commercial flight from Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv. The flight’s mission was to bring aid for Palestinians affected by the Coronavirus, reported the Jerusalem Post.

However, despite improving relations, the UAE has not indicated their support for any concessions towards Israeli reunification. In fact, there are several major complications posed by the idea, issues said to jeopardize UAE national security writes the Jerusalem Post.

In regards to the UAE’s Arab friend, the Kingdom of Jordan, reunification will pose a direct threat to the Kingdom, known as one of the UAE’s most ardent allies. Furthermore, the Emiratis see reunification as a major upset to the power structure of the region.

This piece originally appeared on Tsionizm.com [11] and is used by permission.