Concerns Raised by UAE Advisor About Israeli Statements on Long-Term Presence in Gaza

Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, expressed concerns on Saturday regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements about a long-term presence in Gaza. Speaking at the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain, he stated, "We are now hearing from the Israeli Prime Minister, and even the Israeli President, about some sort of long-term Israeli presence in Gaza. This is extremely concerning." He continued, "This suggests that perhaps the lesson we, as the majority in the region, are learning from the Gaza crisis is the necessity to return to the two-state solution; we need to go back to an Israeli and Palestinian state living side by side."