MEE: The UAE Pressures Trump Administration to Reject Egypt’s Gaza Plan

According to American and Egyptian officials speaking to the British news outlet “Middle East Eye,” the UAE is pressuring the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to reject the post-war Gaza plan formulated by Egypt and approved by the Arab League.

The report, translated by “Arabi21,” noted that this reflects increasing Arab competition over who should make decisions regarding the future governance of Gaza and its reconstruction. It also highlights the differing opinions on the level of influence that Hamas should retain in the region.

The report mentions that the UAE’s pressure presents a dilemma for Egypt, as both the UAE and Egypt generally support the same influential Palestinian intermediary in Gaza, Mohamed Dahlan, a former official in the Fatah movement.

An American official noted that the UAE cannot be the only country to oppose the Arab League’s plan when it was initially agreed upon, but it strongly opposes it in conjunction with the Trump administration.

UAE Influence

The UAE continues to leverage its unprecedented influence in the White House to criticize the plan, calling it unworkable and accusing Cairo of granting Hamas excessive influence.

An American and Egyptian official familiar with the matter told “Middle East Eye” that the UAE’s powerful ambassador to the U.S., Yousef Al-Otaiba, has been pressing Trump’s inner circle and American lawmakers to force Egypt to accept Palestinian refugees displaced into the country.

The report also noted that Al-Otaiba has previously stated publicly that he sees no “alternative” to Trump’s call for forcibly displacing Palestinians outside Gaza.

The UAE’s criticism of Egypt’s Gaza plan stems from its failure to outline how Hamas would be disarmed and removed from the region.

Egyptian officials, however, argue that the plan clearly states that the Palestinian Authority will assume governance. The plan calls for the establishment of a security force in Gaza to be trained by Jordan and Egypt. It also leaves the door open for the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces in Gaza and the West Bank.

According to “Middle East Eye,” Hamas has expressed its acceptance of the plan, but regional diplomats claim that Israel opposes internationalizing the conflict in this manner.

The article noted that the United States had mediated a ceasefire in Gaza, but it collapsed, with the U.S. recently proposing a plan to Hamas for the release of 27 Israeli prisoners still alive in Gaza, in exchange for extending the temporary truce. However, Hamas insisted on a permanent end to the war, as stipulated in the agreement made in January.

Emirati Anger

The article also highlighted that U.S. talks with Hamas triggered anger from both Israel and the UAE. It added that senior Trump advisers remain hesitant about the Arab League’s post-war Gaza plan.

The Emirati campaign has already impacted U.S.-Egypt bilateral relations, with Washington warning Cairo that it would reduce military aid in 2026, according to both an Egyptian and an American official speaking to “Middle East Eye.”

The report pointed out that a complex factor in the conflict is that both Egypt and the UAE view Dahlan as a strong mediator for post-war Gaza. When the Arab League approved Egypt’s plan, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a pardon for Fatah officials who had been expelled from the movement.

This decision broadly referenced Dahlan, who had been Fatah’s executor of orders in Gaza before Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections. He later moved to the UAE following a fallout with Abbas in the West Bank.

“Middle East Eye” also reported that the UAE is pressuring Dahlan to oversee a committee governing Gaza, to eventually replace Abbas as president. It pointed out that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has close ties with Dahlan, and Abu Dhabi is a major supporter of el-Sisi’s government, which is facing financial distress.