Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed has stressed the urgent need for ending the Gaza war during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, WAM reported.
It was Netanyahu’s first meeting with a senior Arab official since Israel’s 9 September attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, The meeting reviewed the latest regional developments and the efforts of the international community to end the war in the Gaza Strip. Sheikh Abdullah also stressed the urgent need to reach a permanent and sustainable ceasefire, prevent further loss of life, and put an end to the crisis and the tragic conditions faced by civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The UAE top diplomat reaffirmed the UAE’s support for international efforts aimed at securing the release of all hostages and detainees, while emphasising the importance of concerted global action to confront extremism and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and to safeguard the lives of all civilians.
He further noted that the dire humanitarian situation of civilians in Gaza requires the mobilisation of all possible efforts to ensure the unimpeded and sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid. Sheikh Abdullah reiterated the UAE’s unwavering commitment to supporting all initiatives aimed at achieving a comprehensive peace based on the twostate solution, in a way that fulfils the aspirations of both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, as well as all peoples of the region, for lasting security and stability.
He underlined the importance of upholding the values of tolerance, coexistence, and human fraternity in the region to help realise the aspirations of its peoples for security, stability, prosperity, and sustainable development. The meeting was attended by Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Minister of State, and Mohamed Mahmoud Al Khaja, UAE Ambassador to Israel.
The UAE, a major oil producer and regional trade and commerce hub with diplomatic sway across the Middle East, signed a US-brokered normalisation agreement with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020, which paved the way for close economic and security ties, including defence cooperation.
