Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the United Arab Emirates' ambassador to the United Nations, stood firm on Monday in defending her country's decision to maintain ties with Israel despite growing concerns over its conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Lana Zaki Nusseibeh
Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the United Arab Emirates' ambassador to the United Nations, stood firm on Monday in defending her country's decision to maintain ties with Israel despite growing concerns over its conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The UAE, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords negotiated by the United States, has expressed solidarity with Gazans since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7. However, they have faced criticism for their relationship with the Israeli state.
At the summit of world governments in Dubai, an annual event bringing together business and political figures, Mrs. Nusseibeh stated, 'Through this cooperation, we have a field hospital in Gaza and a maritime hospital that docks in the port of Al-Arish, Egypt.'"
"For the people of Gaza, this is not enough. What we need is a humanitarian ceasefire and a two-state solution," she added. "Will we achieve it by talking to those who agree with us? No. We will achieve it by talking to those who disagree with us, and the United Arab Emirates will always be proud to do so."
In recent days, the UAE, along with several other Gulf Arab states, has joined in warning Israel against launching an offensive in Rafah, Gaza Strip, where around 1.4 million people have sought refuge.
An apparent drone attack - claimed by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia - hit central Tel Aviv in the early hours of Friday, killing one man and slightly wounding four others, the Israeli military and emergency services said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told his U.S. counterpart that military operations in the Gaza Strip have created conditions that would enable a hostage deal to be reached, Gallant's office said on Wednesday.
A meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the Middle East was briefly interrupted on Wednesday when two protesters stood with signs and yelled for the release of Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.