UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request that the Emirates pay the wages of Palestinian workers banned from entering Israel, Axios reported.
Quoting an unnamed Israeli official, the site said Netanyahu turned to Al Nahyan a few weeks ago, asking for his help in paying the wages of Palestinian workers who had been prevented from entering Israel after 7 October.
The Israeli official and a source familiar with the matter said Netanyahu also requested large-scale assistance for the Palestinians.
However, Al Nahyan responded, “Ask Zelenskyy for money,” in reference to the president of Ukraine who has received aid from Europe and the US.
The UAE president was shocked that Netanyahu believes that he would be willing to pay the price for the Israeli decision to prevent Palestinian workers from entering Israel and stop them accessing their jobs.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and the Emirati Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the report.
On 10 October, Israel revoked all work permits to about 18,500 Palestinian workers from Gaza and over 100,000 Palestinian workers from the occupied West Bank, leaving them without no income.
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