How Will Israel-Hamas Conflict Impact COP28 Climate Summit?

Nov 21, 2023 | Cathrin Schaer
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Last year, the much-praised eco-power project shared by former foes Jordan and Israel was touted as an example of how environmentally friendly policies could bring about a better future in the Middle East. But as Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said during a TV interview on Al Jazeera last Thursday, "We will not sign this agreement any longer. Can you imagine a Jordanian minister sitting next to an Israeli minister to sign a water and electricity agreement, all while Israel continues to kill children in Gaza?"

This may only be one example of collateral damage to COP28 caused by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

There may well be protests during the summit, too. The UAE has said it will allow environmentally-focused protests and these "will likely raise the plight of Gaza, drawing attention to how an escalating Israeli invasion, with its attendant destruction of water infrastructure and services and massive displacement, will have catastrophic and generational effects on Palestinians' already severe vulnerability to climate change," Frederic Wehrey, a senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote in mid-October.

Despite the list of potential impacts, most observers believe that the host, the UAE, will do its best to partition COP28 from the conflict in Gaza.