Ahmed Murad, Abdullah Abu Daif (Gaza, Cairo) - Persistent political and diplomatic efforts, as well as continuous consultations and negotiations, are being conducted by the United Arab Emirates to achieve the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, protect civilians, and ensure the delivery of aid through safe humanitarian corridors.
The Emirati movement is present across various regional and international organisations, such as the United Nations and the Security Council, in an effort to promote political and diplomatic solutions to resolve the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.
The movement aims to achieve lasting peace and avoid the escalation of the conflict into a regional war, threatening the security and stability of the Middle East.
Emirati Movement
As the tensions escalated in the Gaza Strip following the events of October 7, the Emirati movement immediately started making efforts to ease the situation.
On October 8, the Security Council held a closed session where the UAE called for an end to the escalation, urging for peaceful mechanisms that lead to a two-state solution. The Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, urged the Security Council members to use international and bilateral channels to call for calm and de-escalate the situation, with a strong focus on protecting civilians.
On October 28, the UAE called for an emergency meeting of the Security Council, after Israel announced the expansion of its military operations in Gaza. The session witnessed significant Emirati efforts to achieve a ceasefire and prevent the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The UAE has always prioritised ending military escalations, securing the opening of humanitarian corridors, and ensuring the safe, urgent, and unhindered delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip. The country emphasised the necessity for civilians to enjoy full protection under international humanitarian law and international treaties that guarantee their protection, and the importance of ensuring they are not a target in the conflict.
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan participated in the Cairo Peace Summit held on October 21. During the summit, he expressed the UAE’s commitment to working alongside its friendly countries to find an urgent solution to the crisis.
This includes reaching an immediate ceasefire, avoiding the expansion of the conflict, which would threaten regional stability and security, finding a path to comprehensive peace, providing protection for civilians, and ensuring safe humanitarian corridors to support the residents of the Gaza Strip.
Just one day prior, on October 20, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also participated in the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit held in Riyadh, attended by leaders and heads of 16 countries.
Political Solutions
Palestinian academic and Professor of Political Science, Taysir Jum’a, stressed that political solutions are necessary and important tools to stop the ongoing conflict in Gaza, praising the humanitarian, political, and diplomatic roles played by the UAE to end the crisis peacefully, away from military escalation.
Jum’a told Aletihad that the UAE’s political, diplomatic, and humanitarian role is clear and appreciated by the international community. He commended the country for effectively utilising its seat on the Security Council to serve various Arab causes, foremost of which is the Palestinian issue.
Recent days have seen significant UAE activity within the Security Council and the United Nations, seeking political and diplomatic solutions to the conflict in Gaza. During the United Nations Security Council sessions, the UAE has expressed continuous support of peaceful and diplomatic solutions.
This was evident in the Security Council’s session held on October 25, where two resolutions regarding the war in Gaza were presented for a vote. The first resolution was presented by the United States and the second by Russia. The UAE voted against the American resolution for not urging a ceasefire in Gaza, while at the same time voting in favour of the Russian resolution, which calls for an immediate ceasefire. This reflects the UAE’s policy based on the principles of peace and security.
The UAE also actively participated in the Security Council’s quarterly open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue, held on October 24. During this, Her Excellency Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, delivered a speech calling for sustainable peace, ending the war in Gaza, protecting all civilians, and holding each party responsible for the current situation, including the Security Council itself.
The Palestinian academic mentioned that military solutions would inevitably fail, resulting in a loss for everyone. Therefore, political solutions should be a priority for everyone. Jum’a warned that the war in Gaza may turn into a regional and global conflict, which would lead to major consequences if political and diplomatic solutions are not prioritised.
Peace Mediator
The former Egyptian Foreign Minister and President of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mohamed El-Orabi, emphasised the importance of the UAE’s role as a mediator for peace and stability in the Middle East. The UAE has significant strategic relationships with various parties, which it continuously utilises to stop the war in Gaza and protect civilians.
The UAE’s efforts to stop the war and move towards a comprehensive peace process were evident in several meetings held by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. One such meeting was with the Jordanian King, King Abdullah II, who visited the UAE recently.
During this meeting, both parties stressed the need for a clear political horizon to achieve a fair, comprehensive, and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution that guarantees stability and security for all. They called for urgent international action to stop the dangerous military escalation, provide full protection for civilians according to international humanitarian law, and ensure relief aid is delivered to the people of Gaza by enabling international humanitarian organisations to perform their duty.
The former Egyptian Foreign Minister, in a statement to Aletihad, mentioned that rational actors work to protect the lives of innocent civilians. This is how the UAE is utilising its seat in the United Nations Security Council, in addition to regional and international meetings and communications. His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated in an important regional meeting in the Jordanian capital, Amman, with the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
The meeting was also attended by foreign ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan. He reaffirmed the UAE’s firm position in supporting peaceful and diplomatic solutions, including the two-state solution as the only way to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
El-Orabi highlighted the importance of the UAE’s approach to enhancing the prospects of political and diplomatic solutions to achieve a fair and comprehensive peace in the region, he said. President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a directive to host a thousand Palestinian children along with their families, enabling them to receive the necessary medical care in the country’s hospitals until their recovery and return.
Furthermore, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued another directive that includes hosting one thousand Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who suffer from cancer-related diseases, enabling them to receive the necessary medical treatments in the country’s hospitals.
This action embodies the UAE’s firm humanitarian approach, extending a helping hand to brotherly countries in various circumstances. Moreover, in the execution of the orders of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE decided to establish a fully equipped field hospital inside the Gaza Strip to provide the necessary medical support to the Palestinians, as part of the humanitarian operation “Gallant Knight 3”.
The Emirati field hospital, which has a capacity of 150 beds and will be implemented in several stages, includes general and orthopaedic surgery departments, paediatrics and gynaecology, anaesthesia and intensive care for children and adults.