Dubai, UAE – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) pledged on Thursday $15 million to support the rebuilding efforts in the Palestinian city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank. The announcement comes in the wake of a major Israeli operation in the area earlier this week, which resulted in significant damage to infrastructure and homes.
In a phone call between UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and UNRWA Secretary-General Philippe Lazzarini on Wednesday, Sheikh Abdullah conveyed the UAE’s commitment to providing financial assistance. The funds will be channeled through the UNRWA to aid the organization’s operations and extend assistance to affected Palestinian families.
The aid aims to address the losses incurred by Jenin and its camp as a result of recent Israeli attacks, according to the official Emirates News Agency (WAM). The UAE’s contribution will be administered through a joint account based in the UAE and has been directed by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.
Jenin, a city that has experienced heightened tensions in recent months due to the presence of Palestinian armed groups, suffered extensive damage during the Israeli operation. Israeli authorities launched the operation in response to an increase in attacks by Palestinian militants targeting both Israelis in Israel and the West Bank, as well as incidents of violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
The UAE’s decision to provide aid to Jenin could be seen as an effort to strengthen its relations with the Palestinian Authority (PA). The UAE has had a strained relationship with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, particularly after the UAE’s normalization of ties with Israel in 2020 through the Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States. However, the UAE’s move to support the reconstruction of Jenin underlines a potential thaw in relations.
The UAE has previously condemned Israeli actions in Jenin in both March and June of this year.
Sheikh Abdullah also held a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday. Although the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not mentioned in the State Department’s readout, the two officials discussed various regional matters, highlighting the ongoing diplomatic engagements in the Middle East.