Abraham Accords hold firm despite Gaza conflict
Economic interests and a negative view of Hamas mean that the fighting in Gaza is low down on the UAE agenda.
The current fighting with Hamas has provided the first test for the Abraham Accords. If the Palestinians were expecting that the conflict would damage the peace agreements between Israel and the UAE and the other Arab countries that established full diplomatic relations with Israel last year, then those hopes have been dashed.
The way that the Gulf states view the current events can be seen from the main headlines in the region's media and on social media. Most of the headlines in the past few days have not been about the Gaza Strip or even the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem but rather the provocative comments by Lebanon's Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe who was forced to resign after accusing the Gulf states of supporting the rise of ISIS. He called the Saudis Bedouin and caused a storm in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia mulled expelling the Lebanese Ambassador Fawzi Kabbara from Riyadh and breaking diplomatic ties altogether.