Israel’s FM Sa’ar visits Abu Dhabi as UAE said to consider role in post-war Gaza administration

Amid new reports that the United Arab Emirates is considering taking part in a post-war administration of the Gaza Strip, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited the country on Tuesday.

“Happy to visit the UAE at the invitation of [Abdullah bin Zayed (known as ABZ)], UAE’s Foreign Minister, to his official residence in Abu Dhabi. We discussed regional developments, as well as the bilateral relations between our countries,” Sa’ar posted on his 𝕏 account without providing further details about the discussions.

Also on Tuesday, Reuters reported that the UAE, Israel and the United States have been discussing Gaza's post-war administration, with the UAE considering involvement in a provisional government until a “reformed” Palestinian Authority (PA) can assume control.

שמחתי להתארח הערב באבו דאבי, באיחוד האמירויות בהזמנתו של @ABZayed, שר החוץ של איחוד האמירויות. קיימנו פגישה טובה, משמעותית וארוכה בה דנו בהרחבה בהתפתחויות באזור ובקידום היחסים הבילטרליים בין שתי המדינות.
🇮🇱🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/2wMpW400In

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) January 7, 2025

Israel has not yet presented a clear, officially endorsed plan for how the Gaza Strip will be run after the war, nor has it identified a preferred candidate to lead there.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated several times that he would not allow Hamas to stay in power, nor allow the PA to govern the Gaza Strip again.

According to Reuters, the ongoing discussions “include the possibility” that a coalition of several countries, including the U.S., UAE, and others, could create a temporary administration to guarantee security and reconstruction of the largely destroyed enclave.

Despite Netanyahu’s public misgivings, the end goal of the discussions continues to be the transfer of power to a Palestinian administration, reported foreign diplomats and Western officials to Reuters.

Over the past year, Israeli officials have discussed several ideas about how to govern Gaza after the war.

An early idea was to give local clans, many with their own armed forces, the power to govern their areas in the Gaza Strip. Following reports that clan chiefs, who had been in contact with Israel, had been assassinated by Hamas, the plan appeared to have been abandoned.

While the UAE and Israel made peace under the Abraham Accords in 2020, their relations were strained by the Gaza War, with the UAE at times strongly criticizing Israel’s conduct. Despite this, two former Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel wants the UAE to be involved in the post-war Gaza Strip.

Other sources told the news outlet that the discussions between the U.S., Israel and the UAE were still informal and lacked detail. The UAE is reportedly advocating for strong reforms within the PA but eventually wants it to govern Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and East Jerusalem and to create a Palestinian state.

“The UAE will not participate in any plan that fails to include significant reform of the Palestinian Authority, its empowerment, and the establishment of a credible roadmap toward a Palestinian state,” one UAE official told Reuters.

The UAE and PA have a charged history. Reports in June suggested that the UAE was angry with the PA’s lack of progress in its reforms, with ABZ even calling its leadership, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.”

“These elements – which are currently lacking – are essential for the success of any post-Gaza plan,” the official added.

“These have been deliberative discussions that continue, as we seek the best way forward,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed without going into further detail.

Emirati officials also raised the idea of using private military contractors to maintain security in post-war Gaza, Reuters reported. However, a Western official cautioned against this, arguing it would cause concern in Western nations.

With discussions set to continue as the ceasefire negotiations seem stuck and the fighting continues, it looks as if Israel is intentionally not publicly endorsing any plan at the moment.

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, seen as one of Netanyahu’s closest confidants, gave a glimpse into the thinking among the prime minister’s inner circle about the issue last March: “You can’t end [Hamas’] political rule in Gaza without dismantling their military capabilities.”

“It’s impossible to have a conversation about the ‘day after’ plan until Hamas knows they’re gone,” Dermer stressed. The idea that any other force would enter Gaza before Hamas was decisively defeated is “ridiculous.”