UAE backs establishment of Palestinian state under 2-state solution

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) supports the establishment of a Palestinian state within the framework of a two-state solution, Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State, said during an event here on Sunday.

The UAE normalised ties with Israel following the signing of the Abraham Accords in September 2020 and Al Marar reaffirmed that the historic pact will not affect the UAE’s support for the Palestinian cause.

“The signing of the Abrahamic Accords has not changed the view of the UAE regarding the Palestinian issue and the need for a solution between Israel and Palestine. The UAE reaffirms its support for the establishment of a Palestinian state within the framework of a two-state solution,” he said.

Al Marar was speaking on the opening day of the Emirates Policy Center’s (EPC) eighth Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate (ADSD) held on Sunday.

The Minister said the Abraham Accords is a relationship between the UAE and Israel and is not against any third party.

“From the UAE’s perspective the signing of the Abrahamic Accords was not to target any third party. The Accords has come at a very important point in the Arab-Israeli conflict and the trajectory of the peace process.”

He noted the signing of the Accords was part of a strategic vision for the Arab-Israeli problem.

“It will not change the demands and the outstanding issues related to the Israel-Palestinian issues,” he said.

Al Marar said the UAE does not believe in using force as a tool of foreign policy and is committed to not using hard power.

“The story of the UAE in the past 50 years is a success story in all fields from building a modern state and a successful federal structure and developing a diversified economy, as well as developing human capacity,” the Minister said during a panel on ‘UAE’s 50th Anniversary: A Regional Power with a Global Vision’.

The UAE was formed in 1971, and Al Marar said the guiding values of the UAE’s foreign policy over the next 50 years are tolerance, fraternity, rights and justice.

“The nature and goal of the UAE’s foreign policy over the next 50 years is to promote goodwill and good neighbourliness. We want to reconnect and build new bridges with the international community not just to reduce tensions but also find solutions for ongoing crises.”

He stressed that the UAE will never interfere in any countries’ internal affairs but seeks to mitigate tension in the region.

The two-day Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate brings together top decision-makers, strategic studies experts, and scholars from all over the world to focus on the regional and international environments in the post-Covid-19 era.