Israel and United Arab Emirates have maintained diplomatic ties amid Gaza war | Fact check

Chris Mueller, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: United Arab Emirates suspended diplomatic relations with Israel

An April 6 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows an image of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates.

"United Arab Emirates – UAE – SUSPENDS diplomatic relations with ISRAEL," reads the post.

The post was shared more than 100 times in four days. Similar posts appeared on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

There is no evidence the UAE has suspended diplomatic relations with Israel. The two countries have maintained ties during Israel's conflict with Hamas, though the UAE paused some relief efforts after several aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

No evidence UAE cut diplomatic ties with Israel

In late 2020, the UAE – and, at the same time, Bahrain – established normal diplomatic ties with Israel through a deal the U.S. helped negotiate. The two nations were the third and fourth Arab states to take such a step, following Jordan in 1994 and Egypt in 1979.

Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, though, has fueled anger throughout the region, claimed thousands of lives and strained Israel's relationships with its Arab neighbors, including the UAE, The New York Times reported.

However, no credible news reports support the post's claim that the UAE suspended diplomatic relations with Israel, and there is no mention of such a move in statements released by the foreign ministries of either country.

Neither country's foreign ministry responded to requests for comment from USA TODAY.

Fact check: Photo of Hamas leaders dining is from 2021, not taken amid war with Israel

UAE officials have repeatedly defended the country's ties to Israel amid the war in Gaza while also urging for a ceasefire. Though those diplomatic ties remain intact, the UAE did pause efforts to bring aid to Gaza through a maritime corridor after seven staffers with the nonprofit World Central Kitchen were killed April 1 by an Israeli drone strike, Axios reported.

In the wake of the aid workers' deaths, the Israeli Defense Forces announced it fired two officers and reprimanded other personnel after a preliminary investigation found the incident was "a grave mistake," USA TODAY reported. World Central Kitchen, though, has called for an independent inquiry, saying Israel "cannot credibly investigate its own failure."

The UAE minister of foreign affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, released a statement on April 2 condemning "in the strongest terms" the Israeli strike that killed the relief workers. It made no mention, though, of suspending diplomatic ties with Israel.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Reuters also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No credible news reports of UAE cutting ties with Israel | Fact check

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