Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE’s ambassador to the United States of America, addressed the Israelis directly in an article he wrote for the local Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, in which he highlighted the repercussions of Israel annexing parts of the West Bank.
UAE Ambassador to USA Yousef Al Otaiba addresses the Israelis directly with a video and an article
Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba said in his published article, Friday:
The article was also accompanied simultaneously, a video clip published by the Emirati English newspaper The National, in which Al-Otaiba explains the reason for writing the article where he said: “We want to talk directly to the Israelis, and the message was that all the progress that you saw in the impressions towards Israel and people turned to be more Acceptance and less hostile towards Israel, all of which may be undermined by the annexation decision.”
Yousef Al Otaiba continued, saying: “All the progress that you saw, exchanged, and openness may be undermined by a simple step. I want to make sure that people understand how we see the opportunity and the risks involved as well. There is certainly a chance in the coming years as the impression towards Israel turns, but this (annexation) may be a setback for all These matters, especially for Israelis who are eager to open relations with Arab countries with whom they have no relations.”
It is noteworthy that the foreign ministers of the OIC member countries condemned the intention of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to annex parts of the West Bank, in the decision issued by the virtual extraordinary meeting held on Wednesday.
The decision issued at the meeting included 15 items that included a condemnation of the Israeli policies that the ministers described as “colonialism” and the attempts that the ministers said were aimed at changing the demographic composition, nature, and status of the Palestinian territories since 1967, including the status of the city of Jerusalem.
The UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba publishes in Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, warning against Annexation. He explained to TheNationalUAE why he did it, what’s at stake if annexation happens:
UAE Ambassador: Why I wrote an article in the Israeli press https://t.co/iBfTQahlaS pic.twitter.com/zQHuR7qj7J
— The National (@TheNationalUAE) June 12, 2020
The goals of Yousef Al Otaiba’s article
It is to warn the Israeli side against annexing the Palestinian territories as a threat to peace in the Middle East
The UAE mocked the diplomatic side to serve the case, and Yousef Al Otaiba’s article won the attention of Israeli and Western public opinion so that the article might be a reason for Israel to review any step, and this is what the American writers went to by taking into account Emirati warnings.
Populist rhetoric toward the Palestinian cause does not reach a solution, so Emirati diplomacy tended to address the Israeli public.
The UAE has employed its network of diplomatic ties against Netanyahu’s expansion of the occupation of the Palestinian territories and has not used it to serve an anti-issue agenda.
Media outlets affiliated with the Brotherhood organizations have altered Yousef Al Otaiba’s article to serve her party’s agenda and turned a blind eye to the goals Yousef Al Otaiba sought.
Politics is the art of the possible and this is done by the UAE. Israel desires to establish relations with Arab countries, but from the point of view of Emirati diplomacy, this does not contradict Palestinian rights and Israeli intentions to expand the annexation of lands.
The UAE is keen on the stability and security of the region and that this tense region becomes a starting point for global successes.
