Gaza ceasefire, UAE leader hold telephonic talk with Trump

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US President Donald Trump discussed in a phone call efforts for reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, Reuters says, citing a report from Emirati state news agency WAM.

In his phone call with Trump, the Emirati president also urged making aid available for Gaza residents as well as supporting the two-state solution, WAM reported.

Arab states, including the UAE, adopted an Egyptian alternative reconstruction plan for Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians. WAM’s report did not mention if the two leaders discussed those plans.

Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to UAE’s president, said on February 26 that a Gaza reconstruction plan cannot happen without a clear path to a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.

The UAE is among the few Arab states that normalised ties with Israel in 2020 in US-brokered agreements under Trump.