Emirati Ambassador to Washington Yousef al-Otaiba has appeared to back US President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, saying he does not see “an alternative”.
His comments, made at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Wednesday, come amid fierce regional and international opposition to the proposal, which has been condemned as advocating ethnic cleansing. Â
During the summit, al-Otaiba was asked whether Abu Dhabi could find common ground with the Trump administration regarding Gaza.
“We’re going to try,” he responded, acknowledging that Washington’s approach to the crisis was “difficult”.
“But at the end of the day, we’re all in a solution-seeking business, we just don’t know where it’s going to land yet,” the diplomat said.
When pressed on whether the UAE was working on an alternative to Trump’s proposal, al-Otaiba added: “I don’t see an alternative to what’s being proposed. I really don’t. So if someone has one, we’re happy to discuss it, we’re happy to explore it, but it hasn’t surfaced yet.”
His remarks come as Egypt announced on Tuesday that it would propose a plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing its population.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II have reiterated their opposition to any forced relocation of Palestinians, stressing the urgent need to begin reconstruction while ensuring that Gazans remain in their homeland.Â
On Wednesday, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed received a phone call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during which he stressed the importance of working towards a “just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East” based on a two-state solution, according to Emirati official news agency WAM.Â
However, Israel continues to impose a devastating siege on Gaza, maintaining an 18-year blockade and enforcing severe restrictions on food, water, and medicine. Nearly 2 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are also now internally displaced as a result of the Gaza war.Â
Trump’s displacement proposal comes amid a troubled ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement that took effect on January 19.
The ceasefire has appeared increasingly fragile in recent days, with Israel threatening to resume its indiscriminate war and Hamas previously saying it would delay captive releases unless Israel abided by all the terms of the deal.
While it has temporarily halted Israel’s military onslaught, over 15 months of relentless bombing Israeli bombing has killed at least 61,709 Palestinians since October 2023, with over 14,000 more believed to be trapped under rubble, presumed dead.Â
The UAE normalised ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020, in a deal widely condemned by Palestinians and the Arab public. Since then it has maintained close ties to Israel despite the Gaza War.
It has however officially been committed to a two-state solution while rejecting any attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians.
