DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has warned that stabilising Gaza requires simultaneous progress on Palestinian statehood and Israeli security, built through regional and international cooperation, saying that the same political urgency is required to prevent tensions with Iran from spiralling into another Middle East crisis.
The message was delivered by Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during a session at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Tuesday, where he said the region could not afford to deal with either Gaza or Iran through force or repeated confrontation.
“The way forward in Gaza is political,” Gargash said. “The Middle East has already witnessed calamitous confrontations, and it does not need another escalation, whether in Gaza or with Iran.”
He said any sustainable outcome for Gaza must emerge from a joint framework involving Palestinians, Egypt, Israel, Jordan and key international partners, with the United States playing a central role in shaping a political settlement.
Gargash reiterated that the UAE has no ambition to administer Gaza, rejecting speculation that Abu Dhabi could take on a civilian governing role in the enclave.
“The UAE has no separate national agenda for Gaza,” he said, adding that while the country remains a major humanitarian donor, governance and reconstruction must be rooted in a broader political process.
Turning to Iran, Gargash said unresolved tensions over Tehran’s nuclear programme and regional posture risk opening a second major crisis in a Middle East already shaken by the Gaza war.
“From everything that I know, Iran today needs to reach a deal,” he said, pointing to the economic pressure and geopolitical strain facing Tehran. He added that rebuilding Iran’s relations with the United States through a broader political and geostrategic agreement was essential for long-term stability.
He called for direct US-Iran negotiations, warning that without an understanding, Iran’s nuclear file would remain a persistent source of instability for the region.
Gargash said the same principle applied to both files: Gaza’s future and Iran’s nuclear dispute must be resolved through political processes rather than open-ended confrontation.
A credible path towards Palestinian statehood that guarantees Israel’s security, alongside a deal that curbs Iran’s nuclear ambitions and eases its isolation, would help defuse regional tensions and create space for reconstruction and economic recovery, he said.
