Le Monde: UAE Undermines Arab Unity Against Trump’s Gaza Displacement Plan
The French newspaper Le Monde highlighted the UAE’s deliberate effort to break the Arab front opposing U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to forcibly relocate the population of Gaza to neighboring countries.
According to the newspaper, a “discordant voice” from the UAE emerged within the unified Arab stance against Trump’s proposal to expel two million Palestinians from Gaza.
Le Monde pointed out that when asked about the existence of an alternative Arab proposal to counter Trump’s plan, Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE’s influential ambassador in Washington—who has held this role since 2008—expressed skepticism.
The UAE ambassador stated that he saw “no alternative” to Trump’s plan for the removal of Gaza’s residents.
Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, he said: “I don’t see an alternative to what is being proposed. Honestly, I don’t see anything else. If anyone has an alternative, we are happy to discuss it and explore it, but nothing has emerged so far.”
He also mentioned that Abu Dhabi would attempt to find common ground with the Trump administration, adding: “I think the current approach will be challenging. But in the end, we are all working toward solutions. We just don’t yet know where this will lead.”
Le Monde noted that Al Otaiba’s stance contradicts the firm position of other Arab countries determined to block Trump’s plan. Egypt and Jordan—both of which strongly oppose the forced displacement of Gaza’s residents and consider it a red line—were quick to reject the plan once they realized it was a serious initiative rather than a passing idea.
During his meeting with Trump in Washington on Tuesday, Jordan’s King Abdullah II was the first to challenge the U.S. president, appearing visibly uneasy about this highly sensitive matter.
On Wednesday, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed received a call from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during which they discussed the importance of achieving a “comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East” based on the two-state solution.
This raises questions about the UAE’s official position on Trump’s plan. While Abu Dhabi publicly opposes any forced displacement of Palestinians, its actions behind the scenes suggest otherwise.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to enforce a devastating blockade on Gaza, which has lasted for 18 years, severely restricting access to food, water, and medicine. Nearly two million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced internally due to the ongoing war.
A few days ago, Arab diplomatic sources exposed details of an Emirati maneuver within the Arab League to push forward Trump’s plan in coordination with Israel.
The sources revealed discussions surrounding the upcoming emergency Arab summit in Cairo on February 27. While there was broad agreement on rejecting the forced displacement of Gaza’s population in the final summit statement, the UAE caused controversy by demanding modifications to the wording.
An Arab diplomat said that negotiations led by Egypt and Jordan in recent days resulted in a consensus on several key principles, including a firm rejection of Palestinian displacement from Gaza or the West Bank.
However, the diplomat added that the UAE insisted on modifying the wording as a condition for approving the statement. It demanded the inclusion of the word “forced” before “displacement,” limiting its opposition strictly to coerced relocation rather than displacement in general.
Days ago, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry announced that Cairo would host an emergency Arab summit on February 27 to address the critical developments in the Palestinian issue.
Recently, diplomatic sources revealed that the UAE is backing Trump’s plan for the mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, viewing it as an opportunity to eliminate Palestinian resistance factions entirely.
Sources told Emirates Leaks that the UAE regime sent identical verbal messages to several senior officials in the Trump administration, expressing Abu Dhabi’s support for Trump’s plan and its willingness to contribute positively to its implementation, including providing the necessary financial funding.
The sources explained that the UAE offered to receive a limited number of Gaza residents, particularly members of the reformist faction affiliated with Mohammed Dahlan—who serves as the special advisor to the UAE president—along with their families, as part of the implementation of Trump’s plan.
According to the sources, the UAE believes that displacing Gaza’s population is the only means to completely destroy Palestinian resistance capabilities, eliminate its members, and permanently rid itself of the crises caused by ongoing tensions in the territory.
They added that the UAE views Trump’s plan for U.S. “control” over Gaza and the necessity of Palestinian displacement as a strategy that may create short-term tensions but guarantees a long-term resolution, even if it involves a dangerous escalation of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians in Gaza.
The UAE also disregards the fact that international humanitarian law prohibits the permanent forced displacement of populations from occupied territories, which constitutes a war crime when carried out with criminal intent. Furthermore, if such forced displacement is conducted as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population reflecting a state policy, it qualifies as a crime against humanity.
Within UAE ruling circles, the severe destruction in Gaza is seen as an Israeli policy that has rendered vast areas of the enclave uninhabitable. They argue that it would be “futile” to rebuild Gaza with Gulf funds as long as Hamas and other resistance factions remain, given the likelihood of renewed conflict with Israel.
Trump has proposed large-scale displacement of Palestinians and U.S. “control” over Gaza as a potential policy in light of the destruction there. He made this statement while standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government is responsible for this policy and remains a key UAE ally.
Since October 2023, Israeli authorities have deliberately engaged in mass forced displacement of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, with some being displaced multiple times. Senior Israeli officials have openly declared their intent to remove Palestinians from the enclave.
Additionally, Israeli authorities have deliberately created living conditions designed to destroy a segment of the Palestinian population in Gaza by systematically depriving them of food, water, and other essential survival needs. These actions constitute crimes against humanity, including genocide and acts of extermination.
Trump’s statements about Gaza were widely rejected, not only by neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan but also by several other governments, including Germany, Australia, Ireland, the UK, Brazil, China, and Russia, as well as the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Previously, Hebrew media outlets exposed details of a UAE-Israel conspiracy to suppress Palestinian resistance in Gaza after the war by imposing new governance arrangements for the enclave, should the ceasefire hold and the Israeli war come to an end.
Reports published by Israel Hayom indicate that Abu Dhabi initially agreed to assume responsibility for managing Gaza post-war, with the goal of reconstructing the region in a way that neutralizes any potential threats to Israel.
Additionally, diplomatic sources revealed details of an Emirati-Israeli plan designed to impose what is known as the “day after” strategy following Israel’s war on Gaza, which primarily aims to eliminate all resistance from the territory.
According to the sources, Abu Dhabi’s plan includes deploying military contractors (mercenaries) in Gaza, granting Israel overarching authority to govern and monitor the enclave, and marginalizing Hamas and Palestinian resistance factions in the long term.
