Israel, UAE reach US-brokered agreement to establish full diplomatic ties
Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reached a deal that will lead to a full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two sides, in an agreement that US President Donald Trump apparently helped broker.
Under the agreement announced on Thursday, Israel has allegedly agreed to suspend applying its own rule to further areas in the occupied West Bank and the strategic Jordan Valley that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pledged to annex, senior White House officials told Reuters.
Trump, in a tweet, called the agreement a "HUGE breakthrough," describing it as a "historic peace agreement between our two GREAT friends."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who spoke to reporters accompanying him on a trip to central European countries, said for his part that the agreement was an "enormous" step forward on the "right path."
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also tweeted that the deal marked "a historic day."
Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed said on Twitter on Thursday that an agreement had been reached on normalising relations between the two countries.
LIVE: #Israel, #UAE reach US-brokered agreement to establish full diplomatic ties https://t.co/LYTgoMAgZA
— Press TV (@PressTV) August 13, 2020
The deal, however, has elicited sharp negative reactions from various Palestinian groups as well as their supporters from across the world.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement reacted rapidly by condemning the deal between the UAE and Israel.
The movement noted that normalization of ties between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi was a sign of submission on the latter’s part without having any effect on reducing conflicts in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Islamic Jihad movement also noted that the deal will, on the other hand, further embolden the Israeli occupiers.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a statement, calling for an urgent meeting of Palestinian leadership to be held on the Israel-UAE deal to discuss its consequences.
Meanwhile, senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi accused the United Arab Emirates of "normalization" with Israel after Thursday's announcement of the so-called peace deal.
Ashrawi, who is a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said on Twitter, "The UAE has come out in the open on its secret dealings/normalization with Israel. Please don't do us a favor. We are nobody's fig leaf!"
Israel got rewarded for not declaring openly what it's been doing to Palestine illegally & persistently since the beginning of the occupation. The UAE has come out in the open on its secret dealings/normalization with Israel. Please don't do us a favor. We are nobody's fig leaf! https://t.co/6e8x7EhF2v
— Hanan Ashrawi (@DrHananAshrawi) August 13, 2020
Ashrawi also responded to Abu Dhabi's crown prince's tweet in a counter-tweet in which she reminded him of the sufferings of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli occupiers.
May you never experience the agony of having your country stolen; may you never feel the pain of living in captivity under occupation; may you never witness the demolition of your home or murder of your loved ones. May you never be sold out by your "friends." https://t.co/CBaNl1QQqx
— Hanan Ashrawi (@DrHananAshrawi) August 13, 2020
The spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, Fauzi Barhum said the normalization of ties between the UAE and Israel is a reward for occupiers in return for their crimes and violations of Palestinian’s rights.
Sarah Leah Whitson, a pro-Palestinian activist, also took to Twitter to condemn the deal, saying it would not lead to any recognition of Palestinians’ rights.
“Israel won't formally annex and exercise sovereignty over the land it has for all intents and purposes already annexed and exercises sovereignty over... ZERO for the rights of Palestinians,” she wrote.
BREAKING: #UAE and #Israel "normalize" relations.
— Sarah Leah Whitson (@sarahleah1) August 13, 2020
The trade? Israel won't formally annex and exercise sovereignty over the land it has for all intents and purposes already annexed and exercises sovereignty over... ZERO for the rights of Palestinians https://t.co/GLlSalGWba
The UAE - like many Arab states before it - is using the Palestinians (we stopped the annexation!) as a fig leaf for a relationship it has had with Israel for years. It will portray itself as a pan-Arab hero that made a bold move for the sake of the region.
— Dalia Hatuqa (@DaliaHatuqa) August 13, 2020
QUICK THREAD on the Israel/UAE normalization of relations: 1) There is nothing "historic" or "groundbreaking" about this agreement: Israel & the UAE have been strong allies under the table for many years! This is merely making that friendship public (which is still interesting).
— Omar Baddar (@OmarBaddar) August 13, 2020
2) Israel didn't "halt" the annexation for the West Bank (annexation is ALREADY a de facto reality on the ground). Israel merely "suspended" its announcement of a reality it has already illegally imposed on Palestinians. It is FALSE to say Israel suspended it at the UAE's request
— Omar Baddar (@OmarBaddar) August 13, 2020
The information minister of the Yemeni government in Sana'a also reacted by saying that the deal between the Israeli regime and the UAE was a show of defiance shown by the enemies of Islam to all Muslims.
Popular Resistance Committees, which is a coalition of a number of Palestinian groups, also reacted to the UAE-Israel deal by noting that the agreement reveals the high volume of conspiracies against the Palestinian people and their sanctities.
“This is like a poisonous dagger in the back of the Islamic Ummah,” the committees added.
Yemen’s Ansarullah movement has also vehemently slammed the deal as a provocative move.
Ansarullah’s spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam said the agreement brought to light what had been kept secret and proved that Zionist and American enemies will continue to destroy the region.
He added that this is not an anti-Iran deal alone, but is against the interests of the entire Arab and Islamic Ummah.
Meanwhile, deputy secretary general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Abu Ahmad Fuad, was quoted by al-Mayadeen news agency as saying that the UAE-Israel deal is a crime against the Palestinian people and their martyrs and will have no effect on the resistance front.
He added that the Palestinian people will continue to confront Israel's daily attempts to annex more Palestinian territories.
“It is the Palestinian people who prevent further annexation of their lands by Israel, not the UAE and its leaders,” he said.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, however, welcomed the agreement, saying, “I followed with interest and appreciation the joint statement between the United States, United Arab Emirates and Israel ... I value the efforts of those in charge of the deal to achieve prosperity and stability for our region."
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