UAE, Egypt among Arab states who didn’t condemn Haniyeh’s assassination

The assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Wednesday has received wide political and media attention across the world, with several countries strongly and openly condemning his assassination.

Among them  were Iraq, Syria, Algeria, Jordan, Oman, Yemen, Kuwait, Tunisia, as well as Turkiye, Malaysia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Russia.

However, other prominent Arab countries have yet to issue a statement regarding the assassination, these include Saudi Arabia.

Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain did not condemn the crime but expressed concern about a possible “regional escalation”.

Egypt warned in a statement against the repercussions of the assassination policy and the violation of states’ sovereignty and the possibility of such action fueling conflict in the region.

Observers noted that the Egyptian statement did not directly address Haniyeh’s assassination, nor named him or Iran; where he was killed.

For its part, the UAE issued a brief statement saying it was “closely monitoring the rapid regional developments” and expressed “deep concern over the continued escalation and its repercussions on security and stability in the region.”

The UAE stressed the importance of exercising maximum restraint and wisdom to avoid risks and widening the scope of the conflict.

Similarly, the Foreign Ministry of Bahrain warned of the escalation in the region and the repercussions on security in the Middle East. It called on the UN Security Council and the international community to support the efforts of countries to prevent further escalation.

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