Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Yousef Al-Otaiba, the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Washington, stressed in an op-ed published in an Israeli newspaper that Israeli annexation in the West Bank will destroy all efforts to achieve normalization between Israel and the Arab world — mainly the Gulf states.
Why it matters: The op-ed was an unprecedented message from a senior official in the UAE to Israeli public opinion through the Israeli press. Yediot Ahronot is a mainstream newspaper with the largest circulation in the country which speaks to a center-right audience.
- Al-Otaiba wrote in the last few years a lot of progress have been made in getting Israel and the Gulf states closer together due to shared interests and less hostility towards Israel in public opinion.
- “Annexation will certainly and immediately upend Israeli aspirations for improved security, economic and cultural ties with the Arab world and with UAE… Normal is not annexation. Instead, annexation is a misguided provocation of another order. And continued talk of normalisation would be just mistaken hope for better relations with the Arab states."
The big picture: Al-Otaiba published the article as part of a wider diplomatic campaign by the UAE against Israeli annexation. The campaign included private messages to both the White House and the Israeli government warning of the consequences of annexation and public messages — the latest one in the Israeli newspaper.
- In an interview with the Emirati newspaper “The National,” Al-Otaiba explained the op-ed in the Israeli newspaper was inspired by Egyptian president Sadat’s trip to Jerusalem in 1977.
- “He did that to make a point because it was in the interest of his country. While I am not going to Tel Aviv to give a speech I think this has the same kind of value of speaking directly to an audience to make sure your message gets across."
The bottom line: “We wanted to speak directly to the Israelis. The message was all the progress that you have seen and the attitudes that have been changing towards Israel – people becoming more accepting of Israel and less hostile – all of that could be undermined by a decision to annex the West Bank."
- I wanted to make sure people understood how we see this possibility and the risks associated with it. There’s opportunity for sure – but this could be a set back for all of those things."