Sept. 19 (UPI) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with United Arab Emirates leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Washington next week as Israel’s war in Gaza shows no signs of slackening.
Biden will meet with Sheikh Mohammed, commonly known as MBZ, Monday at the White House to discuss “a number of bilateral and regional matters, including efforts to strengthen regional stability and reduce tensions,” the U.S. administration said in a statement.
Also on the agenda will be advanced technology, artificial intelligence, investments and space exploration, while the two leaders will discuss “areas of robust partnership on security, defense, and counter-terrorism coordination, collaboration to address the climate crisis and energy transition, and efforts to promote peace and prosperity.”
Harris, the Democratic nominee to succeed Biden in November’s presidential election, will meet separately with MBZ, the White House said.
While the war in Gaza was not specifically mentioned in the statement, it is likely to on the table as the energy-rich UAE has increasingly voiced frustration with the lack of a cease-fire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas 11 months into the conflict.
The fighting now also appears to be spreading to Lebanon, where Hezbollah Secretary-General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday that Israel crossed “all the red lines” by detonating thousands of communication devices used by his group’s members.
Although the UAE has established a working relationship with Israel through the 2020 Abraham Accords and is not participating in Gaza cease-fire talks, its leaders have made recent public statements criticizing the actions of right-wing members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the need for an independent Palestinian state following the Gaza war.
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a social media post last week that “the UAE is not prepared to support a day after the war in Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
The UAE’s close ally, Saudi Arabia, has similarly expressed frustration with Netanyahu’s lack of commitment to an independent state while instead promoting a post-war vision in which Israel would continue to occupy Gaza while the enclave is rebuilt in cooperation with Arab neighbors.
The Saudis had been working with Israel to establish formal ties before Hamas launched its deadly surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7.
“The kingdom will not stop its tireless work toward the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital, and we affirm that the kingdom will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Wednesday in Riyadh.
