The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is secretly lobbying the Trump government to undermine a post-war agenda for the Gaza Strip that Egypt prepared and which has been supported by the Arab League, United States.
As reported by the Middle East Eye, Abu Dhabi is using its unprecedented access to the White House to denounce the plan as unworkable and blame Cairo for giving too much influence to Hamas. Emirates’ powerful ambassador to the US, Yousef al-Otaiba, has been lobbying US President Donald Trump’s aides and congressmen to place pressure on Egypt to take in Palestinian refugees.
Earlier this year, Otaiba stated that he saw no alternative to Trump’s call for Palestinians to be displaced outside of the Gaza Strip. The UAE has targeted an offshoot of the Egypt-founded Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, across the Middle East.
Both the UAE and Egypt broadly support the same Palestinian powerbroker for Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, an exiled former Fatah official.
At the start of March, Egypt announced its strategy for political transition, rebuilding, and recovery in the Gaza Strip after the conclusion of Israel’s harsh offensive. Key points include governance by the Palestinian Authority (PA), the establishment of a Gazan security force trained by Jordan and Egypt, and the possibility of deploying UN peacekeepers in both the Strip and the occupied West Bank.
The Egyptian proposal emerged as a counter to US President Donald Trump’s plans for an American takeover of Gaza and the coercive displacement of Palestinians. This led to the rapid endorsement of Cairo’s initiative by the Arab League. Although several European nations supported the plan, it was unsurprisingly dismissed by the US and Israel.
The UAE has criticized Egypt’s Gaza plan for not specifying specifically how to disarm and oust Hamas from the Gaza Strip. It is believed by some US and Egyptian officials that the UAE campaign has already adversely impacted US-Egyptian bilateral ties, with the US cautioning Egypt that it will decrease military aid in 2026. The US warnings that the White House prepared to cut military aid to Egypt were first noted by London-based news portal Al-Araby Al-Jadeed last week.
In March, the Trump administration executed the previous Biden administration’s strategy to redirect $95 million in military assistance intended for Egypt to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The dispute is complicated by the fact that Egypt and the UAE see Dahlan as a power broker in post-war Gaza. When the Arab League endorsed the Egyptian-drafted plan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pardoned exiled former Fatah officials.
It was widely perceived as a nod to Dahlan, Fatah’s enforcer in Gaza before Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections in 2006. When Dahlan fell out with Abbas in the occupied West Bank, he relocated to the UAE.
It has been reported that the UAE is advocating for Dahlan to lead a committee governing Gaza and later replace octogenarian Abbas as president. Moreover, Sisi has a close relationship with Dahlan. The UAE is a pivotal backer of Sisi’s cash-strapped administration. In 2024, it arranged a $35bn investment in Egypt’s Mediterranean shore. However, the UAE and Egypt are supporting opposing flanks in a brutal civil fight in Sudan.
In addition to complicating matters, The Financial Times noted that the Trump administration is advocating for Sudan and the unrecognized government of Somaliland to get forcibly displaced Palestinians. According to reports, the Trump administration’s nominee for Africa Affairs at the State Department, Peter Pham, is a vocal advocate of the UAE and Somaliland’s independence. DP World, a state-owned company, operates the main port of Somaliland and trains the security forces there. DP World is the main power broker in Somaliland.
