The United Arab Emirates on Friday said it had summoned the deputy Israeli ambassador over Israel's attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's subsequent "hostile and unacceptable" remarks, in another sign of strain between the two countries with close economic and defence ties.
The UAE told David Ohad Horsandi "the continuation of such hostile and provocative rhetoric ...solidifies a situation that is unacceptable and cannot be overlooked," the Emirati foreign ministry said in a statement.
Even before Tuesday's strike on the Qatari capital Doha, relations between Abu Dhabi and Israel's government had been uneasy over a planned Israeli annexation in the West Bank, which the UAE said would constitute a "red line".
Israel's attempt to kill Hamas political leaders prompted international condemnation, but on Wednesday an unrepentant Netanyahu warned Qatar to either expel Hamas officials or "bring them to justice, because if you don't, we will".
The UAE signed a US-brokered normalisation agreement with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020, which paved the way for close economic and security ties, including defence co-operation.
UAE President Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the first state leader to visit Doha after the attack, and he toured Gulf Arab countries to co-ordinate positions on the Israeli strike.
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