The United Arab Emirates president and ruler told visiting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday that it opposes the forced displacement of Palestinians, UAE's state media reported.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan "reaffirmed the UAE's firm stance, rejecting any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land," the Emirati state's news agency WAM said.

The exchange came during Rubio’s four-day tour of the Middle East this week.

Tami Bruce, a spokesperson for the US State Department, said Rubio’s tour would focus on regional cooperation, freeing American captives and getting to the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

President Nahyan told Rubio during a meeting in Abu Dhabi that it was important to link the reconstruction of Gaza “to a path that leads to a comprehensive and lasting peace based on the two-state solution" to ensure stability in the region.

The UAE's stance will come as a surprise to many because it was the first Persian Gulf Arab country that normalised ties with Israel during the first Trump administration, capping years of discreet contact between both states.

Both states signed bilateral agreements on investment, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications and other issues. The UAE also inaugurated its embassy in Tel Aviv in 2021.

The UAE’s position is significant because the UAE has played a role financing reconstruction work after previous conflicts. Nearly 2.3 million people in Gaza are homeless as a result of Israel’s military assault on Gaza over the last 16 months. According to the United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs, almost all homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.

Moreover, President Nahyan’s position will throw a spanner in the works of Trump’s proposals to turn Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East” and resettle Palestinians in Egypt and Jordan amidst a US "takeover" of Gaza, which has provoked widespread condemnation across the world and has been called "ethnic cleansing".

Leaders from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE and Qatar are expected to discuss the plan in Riyadh this month before an emergency Arab summit in Cairo.

In a statement about Rubio’s meeting with President Nayhan, Bruce, said: “Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

“The meeting affirmed the vitality of the US-UAE strategic partnership. The Secretary conveyed his appreciation for the strength and enduring nature of the relationship, one marked by strong economic ties, defense cooperation, and mutual interests in regional stability.

“The conversation also encompassed the remaining challenges in Gaza, ways to advance stability in Syria, Lebanon, and across the region, and ways to address threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.”

(Source: Middle East Eye)