UAE: Israeli annexation would be red line, jeopardize Abraham Accords

The United Arab Emirates warned on Wednesday that any Israeli move to annex parts of the occupied West Bank would cross a red line for Abu Dhabi and could unravel the Abraham Accords, the landmark normalization deals between the UAE and Israel, officials said. The warning came as regional and international tensions rose over reports that Israel is weighing formal annexation in response to growing European efforts to recognize a Palestinian state, and ahead of Arab League meetings in Cairo set for early next week.

Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE assistant minister for political affairs and envoy of the foreign minister, framed the warning in stark terms, saying the Accords were designed to preserve the UAE's ability to support Palestinian aspirations and that annexation would destroy prospects for lasting peace. "From the very beginning, we viewed the Accords as a way to enable our continued support for the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspiration for an independent state," she said. "Annexation would be a red line for my government, and that means there can be no lasting peace."

Israeli media and other reports said leaders in Jerusalem have been discussing the possibility of...