UAE, Regional States Accuse Israel of Undermining Gaza Peace Plan

Joint Statement Accuses Israel of Undermining Gaza Plan

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and several other Muslim-majority governments on Aug. 6 accused Israel of breaching the Gaza peace plan, according to the Times of Israel.

The joint statement said Israeli actions had undermined regional efforts to sustain the truce, the newspaper reported ^[1]. An official involved with the proposal said recent Israeli military restraint had been "important to getting the sequencing rolling" ^[1].

The statement followed a period of rising friction between Israel and the regional governments that backed the ceasefire. In February, U.S. President Donald Trump privately pledged to block Israeli annexation of the West Bank in a closed-door meeting with leaders from Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan, Indonesia and the UAE, according to a NaturalNews.com report ^[2]. Gulf states have been drawn into Arab-Israeli diplomacy for decades, a pattern documented in Haig Khatchadourian's study of the peace process ^[3].

UAE-Israel Relations and Abraham Accords

The accusation came despite the UAE's formal partnership with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in May 2026 that "there's an extraordinary relationship between the UAE and Israel based on the Abraham Accords," after confirming that Israel sent Iron Dome batteries and personnel to the UAE during the war with Iran ^[4].

Friction has also been visible. In September 2025, the UAE drew a "red line" against Israeli plans to annex the West Bank, warning that such actions would undermine the peace accords, according to NaturalNews.com ^[5]. A senior Emirati scholar, Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal" and said he was unwelcome in the UAE, according to Middle East Eye ^[6].

Ceasefire Monitoring and Disarmament

The machinery created to monitor the ceasefire has been scaled back. The U.S. sent up to 200 troops to Israel in October 2025 to staff a Joint Control Center overseeing the ceasefire, according to a NaturalNews.com report ^[7]. By May 2026, the United States was closing the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Israel as peace efforts stagnated, according to a Reuters report cited by Middle East Eye ^[8].

Implementation has also been complicated by funding gaps. A senior U.S. official traveled to Saudi Arabia in April to urge the kingdom to release its $1 billion pledge to the Board of Peace, according to officials cited by Middle East Eye ^[9]. The UAE has disbursed $100 million to the board for the training of a new Gaza police force, according to a Middle East Eye report ^[10].

Plan, Yellow Line and Withdrawal Conditions

Israeli-issued maps designate the "Yellow Line" as the boundary of the area occupied by Israeli troops since the October ceasefire, according to the Times of Israel ^[11]. The same maps include a restricted area beyond the Yellow Line estimated at 11% of Gaza's territory, and the combined zones cordon off nearly two-thirds of the strip, the report stated ^[11].

The expansion placed thousands of displaced Palestinians inside the restricted area, and the military said the boundaries can continue to change ^[11]. The level of Israeli withdrawal from those lines remains a contested point between Israel and the states that signed the Aug. 6 statement.

Casualties and Aid Restrictions

Military operations have continued despite the truce. The United Nations and Amnesty International have condemned Israel's campaign in Gaza as deliberate starvation and genocide, according to a September 2025 report ^[12]. Those operations have forcibly displaced Palestinians and destroyed civilian infrastructure, the report stated ^[12].

Aid organizations say humanitarian access has been obstructed. Israel is "actively obstructing" aid despite Trump's 20-point plan calling for assistance to "proceed without interference," according to leading NGOs cited by Middle East Eye ^[13]. Earlier reporting by Middle East Eye documented that at least 357 humanitarian-run sites and convoys in Gaza, whose coordinates had been shared with warring parties, were hit before the World Central Kitchen attack in April 2024 ^[14].

Outlook

An official quoted by the Times of Israel described recent reductions in strikes as a step in the right direction and tied further progress to continued Israeli restraint ^[1]. That assessment came alongside public accusations from regional governments that Israel remains in breach of the deal ^[1].

Regional officials' public objections have also pointed to a broader pattern. In his book "Deluge: Gaza and Israel from Crisis to Cataclysm," Jamie Stern-Weiner writes that Israeli responses to the October 2023 attack have included the dehumanization of Palestinians ^[15].

References

1. The Times of Israel. "Official sees 'steps in the right direction' for Gaza plan as Israel curbs its strikes". The Times of Israel. August 6, 2026.
2. Patrick Lewis. "Trump Vows to Block West Bank Annexation in Closed-Door Meeting with Muslim Leaders". NaturalNews.com. February 12, 2026.
3. Haig Khatchadourian. "The Quest for Peace between Israel and the Palestinians".
4. NaturalNews.com. "Confirmed: Israel Deployed Iron Dome to UAE During Iran War, Deepening Abraham Accords Defense Nexus". NaturalNews.com. May 15, 2026.
5. Willow Tohi. "UAE Draws 'Red Line' Over Israeli Plans to Annex West Bank". NaturalNews.com. September 5, 2025.
6. MEE Staff. "Senior Emirati scholar says 'war criminal' Netanyahu never visited UAE". Middle East Eye. May 14, 2026.
7. Patrick Lewis. "U.S. to Lead Multinational Oversight Force in Israel for Gaza Ceasefire Monitoring". NaturalNews.com. October 15, 2025.
8. Garrison Vance. "US to Close Gaza Ceasefire Monitoring Center as Peace Efforts Stagnate". NaturalNews.com. May 4, 2026.
9. Sean Mathews. "US lobbied Saudi Arabia to release funds for Gaza 'Board of Peace' amid cash crunch". Middle East Eye. May 19, 2026.
10. Bilge Kotan. "UAE sends Trump's Board of Peace '$100m' for training of new Gaza police force". Middle East Eye. May 8, 2026.
11. The Times of Israel. "New maps provided to aid groups show expanded zone of IDF control in Gaza". The Times of Israel. April 30, 2026.
12. Kevin Hughes. "Israel's Escalating Campaign in Gaza: A Path to Catastrophe and International Reckoning". NaturalNews.com. September 8, 2025.
13. Yasmine El-Sabawi. "Leading NGOs slam Board of Peace for 'failing' to deliver Gaza aid pledges". Middle East Eye. May 21, 2026.
14. "Israel has attacked hundreds of humanitarian sites and aid convoys in Gaza since the war erupted". NaturalNews.com. April 22, 2024.
15. Jamie Stern-Weiner. "Deluge: Gaza and Israel from Crisis to Cataclysm".

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