Emirati businessman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, one of the senior advisers of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, spent the last few days in Israel and met with senior Israeli officials.
According to a report by Kan 11 News on Wednesday, Al Mubarak conveyed a message from the leadership of the UAE which included a stern warning.
Al Mubarak reportedly told his interlocutors that "the direction the government is taking is in complete opposition to the Abraham Accords. The actions of the Israeli government endanger any further progress with the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries. Some politicians even encourage violence - and this goes against the spirit of the agreements and the current conduct and endangers the regional stability."
He added that "the continued escalation against the Palestinians harms regional stability, and plays into the hands of the extremists who are looking for a confrontation."
The UAE was one of four Arab nations to normalize relations with Israel in the Abraham Accords, which were brokered by the US in 2020.
Wednesday’s report comes a day after the Saudi Elaph news website reported that the United Arab Emirates is considering reducing the level of its diplomatic representation in Israel.
Sources in the United Arab Emirates told the Saudi website that the country was surprised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's silence in the face of the actions and statements of politicians from the Religious Zionist Party, which they view as harming the stability of the region, inflaming hatred and serving only extremists. The report also said that Jordan, Egypt and Morocco are considering similar measures.
The report specifically cited the statements of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said during a speech in Paris this week that "there is no such thing as a Palestinian people", as well as his previous statement calling to “wipe out Huwara”, for which he ultimately apologized.
An Israeli official quoted in the report denied there is a desire on the part of the United Arab Emirates to reduce relations between the countries.