Today's Edition
By Dr. Mohamed Abdulla Alali
The Palestinian cause has always been present in the UAE’s policies, and supporting it has been, and will remain, a firm Emirati principle since the establishment of the country by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may God rest his soul in eternal peace). It is a continuous policy followed and upheld by the President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (may God protect him), who entrenched the rule that “Arab national security is an integral whole”.
Throughout its history, the UAE has spared no effort to support the cause of the Palestinian people in various ways and methods. “Our support for the Palestinian people will continue until they achieve their aspirations for an independent state,” the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may God rest his soul in eternal peace), famously declared when announcing the formation of the Union. Since then, that statement has become an unwavering Emirati promise of support for the Palestinian cause.
That commitment has not changed and never will. Since the outbreak of the current war in Gaza, the UAE has set the protection of the Palestinian people as its top priority. His Highness, the President (may God protect him), has led intensive, wide-ranging diplomatic efforts to calm down the situation. The UAE’s efforts in this regard are part of an active diplomatic movement to halt escalation, including telephone calls and meetings with world leaders, ministers, the UN, and international officials in order to control the situation, safeguard civilians, and secure corridors to deliver humanitarian aid.
In the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, the UAE has persisted in taking proactive steps to mobilise global efforts to halt the escalation in Gaza, protect civilians, deliver humanitarian aid, and create a conducive environment for comprehensive peace in the region. As a non-permanent member of the Security Council, the UAE has presented an example of representing the Arab countries, by insisting on an immediate ceasefire and safe, sustained humanitarian access to Gaza.
The UAE’s vote at the Security Council manifested its independent and principled position and its well-founded, balanced policy. It rejected draft resolutions put forward by international powers concerning Israel’s escalation in Gaza because they did not address Arab demands to stop the war and solve the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, but instead, they would have given Israel legal justification for a ground invasion of Gaza.
Past and present records will remain a testament to the UAE’s various forms of support for the Palestinian cause and Palestinians. As the Palestinian cause is an issue of an entire people, not a faction or a certain movement, the UAE is always keen to support the Palestinian people through various means. At the political level, the Palestinian cause is central to the UAE’s foreign policy, with the country offering support for the Palestinian people at all stages of their just cause.
In terms of financial support, the UAE is the fourth among the ten largest financial supporters of Palestine since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994. Also, the UAE has been the largest donor to UNRWA in recent years, in addition to relief and humanitarian projects, especially in the Gaza Strip.
In the current crisis, and with the continued escalation, the UAE provided urgent aid worth $20 million to the people of Gaza and opened hospitals to treat the wounded inside the UAE. Indeed, the UAE offered to receive a thousand injured and wounded for treatment in its hospitals based on the directives of His Highness, the President of the UAE, may God protect him. The UAE has also launched the “Tarahum - for Gaza“ or “Compassion for Gaza” campaign to provide relief to the Palestinians affected by the war in the Gaza Strip, a campaign in which the people and all segments of society participated on a large scale to provide relief to civilians and victims in Gaza.
The UAE has taken a number of steps at different levels to reaffirm its unwavering support for the Palestinian cause. Indeed, the signing of the peace agreement with Israel was not at the expense of the Palestinian cause; rather, it was within the framework of a clear UAE position that aimed to provide the appropriate conditions to support the rights of the Palestinian people. The UAE has always been supportive of the Palestinian people, both historically and currently. These are not, in and of themselves, temporary positions; rather, they represent a well-established approach that the UAE has employed to work towards de-escalation and stability in order to arrive at a just political settlement that guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people. The writer is a researcher and writer at Trends Research and Advisory Since the outbreak of the current war in Gaza, the UAE has set the protection of the Palestinian people as its top priority In terms of financial support, the UAE is the fourth among the ten largest financial supporters of Palestine
