In a groundbreaking move, the UAE has formally initiated the normalization of Israeli settlements with the Arab world by hosting senior Israeli settlement leaders from the occupied West Bank just days ago.
Israeli media viewed the visit of these settlement leaders to the UAE during Ramadan—marking their first visit to an Islamic country—as the clearest signal of Emirati support for bolstering Israeli “sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank.
The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth highlighted that West Bank settlement leaders, during their meeting with senior officials in Abu Dhabi, utilized their relationships with allies of U.S. President Donald Trump to influence normalization talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel, all while attempting to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and replacing the Palestinian Authority with local governance.
In what they described as a “moment with historical potential,” senior settlement leaders from the West Bank made their first-ever visit to an Islamic country, attending an official Iftar banquet last week in Abu Dhabi.
The delegation included heads of regional councils affiliated with the “Yesha” settlement council, hosted by Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, a member of the UAE’s Federal National Council.
Yisrael Gantz, head of the Yesha Council, declared that the visit marks the beginning of a new era in regional diplomacy, stating: “The new world order requires new alliances and thinking outside the box,” following meetings with Emirati officials, business leaders, influencers, and Israel’s Ambassador to the UAE, Yossi Shelly.
The visit, initiated quietly by Emirati hosts, represents a significant strategic shift. While Arab nations continue to publicly support the idea of a Palestinian state, officials in Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi are increasingly acknowledging the diminishing legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority, which is widely viewed as corrupt and ineffective.
Settlement leaders hope this growing frustration will pave the way for normalizing the status of Israeli settlements and reaching future peace agreements that do not require the mass evacuation of settlers.
According to sources familiar with the discussions, the UAE’s interest in engaging with Israeli settlement leaders stems from recognizing their considerable political influence within Israel’s current governing coalition.
The UAE also noticed the growing ties between the settler movement and the Trump administration during his first term, particularly regarding Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, or “Judea and Samaria” as it is called by its Jewish biblical name.
Although such discussions were previously considered off-limits, the current open dialogue between normalization advocates and Emirati diplomat Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi reflects a broader strategy by settlers to gain legitimacy in the Arab world and bypass traditional diplomatic channels centered around the Palestinian Authority.
While international diplomacy continues in the Gulf, the settler leadership is reshaping internal policies in Israel, accelerating the pace of settlement expansion through weekly meetings of the Civil Administration’s planning council.
Data obtained by Yedioth Ahronoth reveals that from January to mid-March 2025, over 10,500 housing units across various planning stages were advanced—a significant increase compared to only 3,400 units during the same period in 2024.
Sources report that security and government officials are now discussing dismantling the Palestinian Authority and replacing it with independently managed Palestinian areas, coordinated with the Israeli military. A pilot project for this model is reportedly being prepared in Hebron.
Settlement leaders, including the head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, have been building economic ties with the UAE for years. Their goal is to reshape the regional narrative: normalization with Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, should not be conditioned on the creation of a Palestinian state or the removal of settlements.
This growing behind-the-scenes alliance between settler leaders and Emirati officials could signal a profound shift in Middle Eastern diplomacy—where assumptions about land, sovereignty, and peace are being rewritten in real-time.
