French newspaper Le Monde has published a report highlighting the United Arab Emirates’ dual-policy approach toward the Gaza Strip.
The report, translated by Arabi21, described how the UAE publicly aligns itself with the Arab consensus supporting a Palestinian state and showcases its humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza. However, behind the scenes, the UAE is simultaneously advancing its strategic partnership with Israel.
The newspaper quoted the UAE ambassador to the United States, Yousef Al-Otaiba, who stated there are “no real alternatives” to Donald Trump’s plan, which envisages transforming Gaza into the “French Riviera of the Middle East” once Palestinians have been displaced.
Since assuming his position in 2008, Al-Otaiba has forged close relationships with various American political leaders and orchestrated extensive promotional campaigns for the UAE. He played a central role in negotiating the strategic partnership agreement between Israel and the UAE, signed in Washington in September 2020 as part of normalization agreements. During this period, he built strong ties with Donald Trump and his administration, relationships now at their peak.
The peace agreement between Israel and the UAE makes no mention of establishing a Palestinian state, instead aligning entirely with the “peace vision” proposed by Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January 2020. This vision presented an ultimatum to the Palestinians, who unanimously rejected annexing parts of occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
While Trump’s 2020 plan allowed the possibility of the Palestinian Authority regaining control over Gaza after disarming Hamas, Netanyahu currently strongly opposes this scenario, even if indirectly benefiting Hamas.
The report further indicated that the UAE seeks to weaken Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s influence in Gaza by supporting his rival, Mohammed Dahlan. Dahlan, originally from Gaza, leads a dissident faction within Fatah. Flags raised by Fatah supporters in Gaza’s refugee camps belong primarily to Dahlan’s followers. Dahlan, residing in the UAE, remains hesitant to return despite substantial support.
Opening this maritime corridor aimed to maintain the strict Israeli blockade on Gaza’s land crossings at a time when humanitarian organizations were demanding their reopening. However, UAE’s reliance on World Central Kitchen ended abruptly after an Israeli airstrike on April 1, 2024, killing three international volunteers, three British security guards, and one Palestinian driver.
Subsequently, the UAE began conducting humanitarian operations in Gaza under its own banner through the campaign “Noble Knights.” This initiative facilitated the entry of 2,500 aid trucks via Egypt within one year—a significant figure, yet only sufficient to cover Gaza’s basic needs for approximately five days. Efforts by Emirati officials to curb the greed of Egyptian intermediaries were unsuccessful.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed personally oversaw transferring hundreds of Gaza patients and wounded to Abu Dhabi. Although substantial, this number falls short of actual needs, which require evacuating around 12,000 patients for treatment.
Le Monde concluded by emphasizing that despite these humanitarian activities, the UAE has maintained silence since Israel resumed its war on Gaza on March 17, 2024—a silence interpreted as tacit approval. This silence coincides with Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, brother and advisor to the UAE president, visiting the White House just a day later for a dinner with Donald Trump, notably without addressing the catastrophic situation in Gaza.
