(Bloomberg) -- The US must not “shy away” from exercising its influence over Israel and pushing for a cease-fire in conflicts that threaten to expand across the wider Middle East, according to a senior United Arab Emirates’ official.
“There are times where we would like them to do more in terms of leveraging their relationship with Israel,” Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, said on a Bloomberg Television interview in New York on Thursday.
Still, “the US is a positive agent in the region,” Gargash added. A lack of American presence in the region “will actually lead to a vacuum that is problematic.”
Earlier this week, Israel launched air strikes on targets across southern Lebanon, killing more than 600 people and injuring thousands, one of the deadliest days of fighting in nearly two decades. At the same time, the war in the Gaza Strip continues nearly a year after the assault on Israel by Hamas militants.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Thursday that his country’s military would maintain its bombardment of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon indefinitely, undermining efforts by the US and allies to secure a cease-fire accord.
Earlier: Netanyahu Goes From War to Diplomatic Hostility With UN Trip
“We are very, very worried about the escalation in Lebanon,” said Gargash. “The last thing we want to see for Lebanon is a humanitarian catastrophe and more escalation.”
Efforts toward reaching a cease-fire agreement must be directed in a way to prevent a full-fledged confrontation that would bring in even more countries into the conflict, according to Gargash.
Emirati officials have accompanied the Gulf country’s president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, on his trip to Washington this week, where he met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He has also had a meeting with former President Donald Trump, Gargash said on Thursday, as well as former President George W Bush.
The leader widely known as MBZ has placed a priority on discussions of economic ties instead of geopolitics, Gargash told reporters in Dubai last week. He has already met with BlackRock Inc’s Larry Fink, Microsoft Corp.’s Satya Nadella and Nvidia Corp.’s Jensen Huang.
The UAE’s relationship with the US “is institutional,” Gargash said. Whether a Democrat or Republican president, “consistency in US policy” is what matters the most, he said.
(Updates with Video.)
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