U.S. and Egyptian officials have revealed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is exerting pressure on President Donald Trump’s administration to reject the post-war plan for Gaza, which was drafted by Egypt and approved by the Arab League.
According to the British news site Middle East Eye, the UAE is using its unprecedented influence on the White House during Trump’s presidency to criticize the Arab plan, deeming it unfeasible and accusing Cairo of granting too much influence to the Palestinian movement, Hamas.
As the divide deepens, U.S. diplomats fear the growing rift could harm American interests in the region. This reflects a rising Arab rivalry over who will control the future governance and reconstruction of Gaza, as well as differing views on the level of influence Hamas should retain in the territory.
The UAE’s pressure on Egypt creates a dilemma because both the UAE and Egypt widely support the same Palestinian decision-maker in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, the exiled former Fatah official.
An American official stated, “The UAE cannot be the only country opposing the Arab League’s plan, which had been agreed upon, yet it strongly rejects it alongside the Trump administration.”
An American official and an Egyptian official familiar with the matter mentioned that the powerful Emirati Ambassador to the U.S., Yousef Al Otaiba, has been pressuring Trump’s inner circle and U.S. lawmakers to pressure Egypt into accepting forcibly displaced Palestinians.
Earlier, Al Otaiba had stated that he sees “no alternative” to Trump’s earlier call for the forced displacement of Palestinians outside of Gaza.
Hamas is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded in Egypt, and the UAE has spent years attempting to eliminate the group across the Middle East.
The Egyptian government, led by the military, has crushed the Muslim Brotherhood, yet allowed some degree of freedom of movement for Hamas officials. Egypt’s intelligence services have long-standing relations with Hamas members, including the Qassam Brigades, which Egypt used to mediate ceasefires in Gaza.
The UAE has criticized the Egyptian plan for Gaza, claiming that it does not specify how to disarm Hamas and remove it from the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian officials argue that the plan is clear in stating that the Palestinian Authority will take over governance. The plan calls for the formation of a security force in Gaza trained by Jordan and Egypt, leaving the door open for the deployment of UN peacekeepers in Gaza and the West Bank.
Hamas has expressed acceptance of the plan, but regional diplomats say Israel opposes internationalizing the conflict in this manner.
The U.S. mediated a ceasefire in Gaza in January, but it effectively collapsed as Israeli occupation forces resumed military attacks on the region.
The U.S. proposed a plan for Hamas to release 27 living prisoners in Gaza in exchange for an extension of the temporary truce. However, Hamas insisted on a permanent ceasefire, as outlined in the January ceasefire agreement.
The Trump administration has expressed its support for Israel’s return to warfare in Gaza. U.S. diplomacy suffered a serious blow after Adam Bohler, Trump’s former hostage affairs nominee, met directly with Hamas officials in Doha.
The White House stated that Bohler met with Hamas to negotiate the release of one remaining U.S. hostage, but Bohler publicly declared that he discussed a ceasefire lasting between five and ten years, which would see the group abandon its politics and guarantee the disarmament of Gaza by the U.S. and its Arab allies.
These statements, alongside Bohler’s remark to CNN that he did not rule out future meetings with Hamas, sparked outrage from the Israeli government and pro-Israel U.S. lawmakers.
Egyptian and American officials said the meeting also angered the UAE. Senior Trump advisers were initially hesitant about the Arab League’s plan for post-war Gaza.
During his visit to the region last March, Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, did not endorse the plan, though he described it as “the basis for reconstruction efforts.”
Some American and Egyptian officials believe that the UAE’s campaign has already impacted U.S.-Egyptian relations, with the U.S. warning Egypt that military aid will be reduced in 2026, according to both an Egyptian official and an American official.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, based in London, was the first to report U.S. warnings that the White House intends to cut military aid to Egypt, last week.
The American official said Egypt was informed that the U.S. is reevaluating its military assistance, though it was not explicitly told that the future reduction was a trade-off for Egypt accepting the forced displacement of Palestinians.
The Trump administration is reducing foreign aid globally. Egypt and Israel received exemptions from a 90-day freeze on foreign aid. Other Arab countries, such as Lebanon, have also received exceptions in recent weeks.
Egypt receives $1.3 billion in annual military aid. The U.S. has already conditioned $300 million of this aid to support human rights issues.
U.S. influence over Egypt has declined since the peace treaty with Israel. In 1978, U.S. aid accounted for six percent of Egypt’s GDP. Today, this has dropped to less than half a percent, and it is unclear if the Trump administration sees the aid as an asset worth maintaining.
Among the complexities in the conflict is that both Egypt and the UAE view Dahlan as a significant mediator in Gaza after the war.
When the Arab League approved the plan crafted by Egypt, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pardoned former exiled Fatah officials.
This was widely seen as a signal to Dahlan, who had been Fatah’s Gaza commander before Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections in 2006. Dahlan moved to the UAE after his falling-out with Abbas in the occupied West Bank.
The UAE is pushing for Dahlan to oversee a Gaza ruling committee, and then later replace the aging Abbas as president of the Palestinian Authority.
Complicating matters, the Financial Times reported that the Trump administration continues to pressure Sudan and the unrecognized government of Somaliland to accept the forcibly displaced Palestinians.
Peter Pham, a likely candidate for Trump’s Africa affairs nominee at the State Department, is a strong supporter of the UAE and Somaliland’s independence.
The UAE is the primary political power in Somaliland, where it trains security forces and controls the main port through its state-owned company, DP World.
Trump’s disregard for Egypt’s Gaza plan has angered professional U.S. diplomats, who watched as France, Germany, Italy, and the UK endorsed the framework.
American diplomats said the White House has ignored warnings from professional officials not to pressure Egypt into accepting forcibly displaced Palestinians.
