Directly after Iran’s egregious 23 June attack on Qatar, the United Arab Emirates joined our Gulf partners at an emergency Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Doha. We affirmed the indivisibility of our collective security and offered practical pathways forward for peace in the Middle East.
The latest round of fighting should not have surprised anyone. It is the result of decades of missed opportunities, ineffective leadership, and the proliferation of proxy conflicts that have undermined the chances for lasting peace in the region.
Debunking Myths of Statebuilding in the Region
For years, two false notions have taken hold in the Middle East: first, that force alone can secure stability and security. Second, that states in our region can be built securely on the basis of a zealous ideology. In fact, military victories in the Middle East are often hollow and fragile.
Extremist ideology can never create safe, stable, and successful societies.
As the window to de-escalate closes, there is an opportunity for U.S. President Donald Trump to forge a second-term legacy of peace in the Middle East, by building on his landmark first-term achievement: the Abraham Accords.
Over the past 20 months of war in Gaza and the ongoing expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, UAE leaders have worked relentlessly with regional and international partners to advance ceasefire efforts. Through diplomacy and engagement with all sides, the UAE has consistently stressed the need to restore dialogue.
Peace: Iran-Israel, Now Gaza?
Last week, the GCC asked Trump to go even further.
While commending him for “achieving a ceasefire between Iran and Israel”, Gulf states called on him “to exert efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza."
The ongoing war in Gaza is the consequence of a collective failure to build a inclusive, just, and sustainable peace. The conflicts that followed in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran have left the region at the precipice.
The path we choose now will shape the Middle East’s future for decades, just as when its destiny and borders were defined by outside powers at the end of the first world war.
A Proactive Actor: Innovation and Dynamism
Today, the region lies at the heart of global stability; its waterways are the lifeline of global trade.
Nearly 30 per cent of global seaborne oil shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz and the region is rapidly becoming a hub for future-facing industries such as AI powered zero-carbon electricity. The fate of the Middle East is tied to the fate of the global economy and the security of billions of people. And yet, the cycle of violence threatens to drag us backward once again.
Amid so much suffering and despair, we face a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape the region.
In doing so, we must not repeat the mistakes that have bedevilled it for more than a century, including the arbitrary redrawing of borders and the pursuit of great power rivalries on the backs of local populations.
Across the region, non-state actors and militias are tearing societies apart and states have struggled to meet the basic needs of their people. As long as these root causes of instability remain unaddressed, any flare-up risks spiralling into broader conflict. The UAE has long advocated a “moderate agenda”: seeking a comprehensive vision of interconnected economies, peoples, and shared prosperity.
Going beyond short-term ceasefires will require addressing these systemic failures. States will have to muster the courage to come to the peacemaking table with a bolder and more ambitious outline for the future.
Regional Security Architecture
Importantly, Arab partners, along with the U.S., Israel, and Iran, must forge a regional security architecture that offers incentives, deterrence, and security guarantees.
A full economic integration and investment blueprint to turbocharge growth; stabilisation plans for Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen; final settlement agreements on all outstanding border issues; and a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.
That means Israel must engage in negotiations towards a genuine and just political solution. As long as Palestinians are denied a state of their own, conflict in the region will continue.
Unlike previous agreements where key regional stakeholders were excluded, the region itself must play a central role. The UAE is ready to build bridges where others see only walls, because we understand that ultimately no “iron wall” strategy can ever bring full victory to any one country or people.
This historical juncture will determine whether the Middle East remains a source of conflict around the world or becomes a cornerstone of peace and prosperity fuelled by the technologies of the future.
The time for a comprehensive deal is now. The question is: who will dare lead the way?
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