AXIOS: UAE President rejects Israeli request for unemployment benefits for Palestinian workers

Shafaq News/ UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed reportedly dismissed a request from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to have Abu Dhabi cover unemployment benefits for Palestinian workers prevented from returning to their jobs since October 7.

According to the Axios news site, bin Zayed sarcastically advised Netanyahu to "ask Zelensky for money," implying that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could bear the cost with the international support Kyiv has garnered following Russia's invasion.

Speaking to Axios, an Emirati official dismissed the notion that Arab countries would financially contribute to addressing the issue, stating, "The notion that Arab countries will come in to rebuild and pay the bill for what's currently happening is wishful thinking."

Before the conflict in Gaza, approximately 150,000 Palestinians from the West Bank held permits to work in Israel, according to the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).