Emirati ambassador: West Bank annexation will make region ‘unstable’

“Sit down, give it a try, see if it works,” he said, adding, “It may or may not produce anything, but we haven’t seen any negotiations.”

Otaiba said Jordan in particular would be harmed by annexation. Jordan’s population largely descends from Palestinians who fled Israel during and after its independence war against Arab states in 1947 and 1948. Many in the country oppose the government’s peace treaty with Israel.

“It will put an incredible amount of political pressure on our friends in Jordan,” he said.

The UAE does not have formal relations with Israel, although the first-ever direct commercial flight from the UAE to Israel took place last month.

Otaiba’s comments were preceded by criticism of West Bank annexation by the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash, who said Israel’s goal to incorporate parts of the Palestinian territory will harm peace prospects.

“Continued Israeli talk of annexing Palestinian lands must stop,” Gargash said in a tweet. He continued, “Any unilateral Israeli move will be a serious setback for the peace process, undermine Palestinian self determination constitute a rejection of the international Arab consensus towards stability peace.”

Last year, Gargash criticized comments Netanyahu made about Palestinian citizens of Israel.

The comments by Gargash and Otaiba, therefore, represent a potentially ongoing disagreement between the two countries amid their warming in relations.