The UAE has joined seven other countries in issuing a joint call for Israel to immediately suspend its E1 settlement plan, a long-contested development project in the occupied West Bank that critics say would sever the territorial link between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank and further isolate East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings. The joint appeal adds the UAE’s voice to a broader international chorus that has, for years, warned against the plan’s advancement, framing it as a direct threat to the viability of a future Palestinian state.
While the full text of the statement and the identities of the other signatory nations were not detailed in initial reporting, the involvement of the UAE signals continued Emirati engagement on the Palestinian file even as Abu Dhabi maintains normalized diplomatic and economic relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords. The UAE has repeatedly stated that its warming ties with Israel do not diminish its support for Palestinian statehood and territorial rights, and officials have previously described settlement expansion, including in the E1 corridor, as inconsistent with a negotiated two-state solution.
What the E1 Plan Involves
The E1 area lies between East Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim in the West Bank. Successive Israeli governments have periodically revived plans to build housing and infrastructure across this corridor, a move that international observers and Palestinian officials have long argued would effectively cut the West Bank into two disconnected halves, undermining the territorial contiguity considered essential to any future Palestinian state. Past attempts to advance construction in E1 have drawn objections from the United States, European governments and Arab states alike, though the project has not been fully implemented to date.
The renewed diplomatic pressure comes amid heightened international attention on developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, with settlement activity remaining one of the most sensitive and closely watched issues in regional diplomacy. Analysts have long noted that construction in E1 would carry outsized symbolic and practical weight, given its potential to physically separate Palestinian communities and complicate any future arrangement for Jerusalem’s status.
Why the Issue Resonates in the Gulf
For UAE and wider GCC audiences, the joint statement underscores the balancing act Gulf states continue to navigate between expanding economic and diplomatic ties with Israel and maintaining long-standing commitments to Palestinian statehood. The UAE, as the first Gulf state to normalize relations with Israel in 2020, has positioned itself as an advocate for regional stability while continuing to publicly oppose actions it views as jeopardizing prospects for a two-state solution.
Gulf governments have consistently linked the durability of regional normalization efforts to progress on the Palestinian issue, and settlement expansion has repeatedly emerged as a flashpoint capable of straining those relationships. The UAE’s participation in this latest joint appeal suggests Abu Dhabi is seeking to reinforce that its diplomatic normalization with Israel does not equate to silence on settlement policy, a distinction that officials have drawn in past public statements.
The development is likely to be watched closely across the GCC, where governments and publics alike continue to view the Palestinian question as central to regional diplomacy, even as economic integration between Gulf states and Israel deepens in sectors such as trade, technology and energy. Further details on the specific commitments sought from Israel, along with any response from Israeli authorities, are expected to emerge as the diplomatic exchange continues.
