'No peace' in Middle East without end to Israeli occupation: Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has harshly rebuked the normalization agreements signed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain with Israel at the White House, saying that peace in the Middle East region is only possible after Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories and recognition of Palestine’s rights to establish a state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.

Abbas made the remark in a statement carried by Palestine's official Wafa news agency on Tuesday, shortly after US President Donald Trump hosted a ceremony at the White House to sign agreements aiming to formalize ties between the UAE, Bahrain and the occupying regime of Israel.

The deals were signed between Emirati and Bahraini Foreign Ministers, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the US president also inking his blessing to the controversial accords.

UAE, Bahrain sign normalization deals with Israel at White House

Emirati and Bahraini foreign ministers arrive at the White House alongside the Israeli prime minister to sign controversial normalization deals with Israel.

Abu Dhabi and Manama signed the US-brokered deals after going back on their long-held assertions that they would normalize ties with the occupying regime only after Palestinians’ grievances were addressed and an independent Palestinian state was established with the holy city of Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.

"The main problem is not between the countries that signed the agreements and the Israeli occupation authority, but with the Palestinian people who are suffering under occupation," Abbas said in the statement.

“Everything that happened in the White House today in terms of signing agreements between the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Israeli occupation authority will not achieve peace in the region as long as the United States and the Israeli occupation authority do not recognize the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent and continuous state on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and resolve the Palestinian refugee issue in accordance with Resolution 194,” he added.

“No peace, security or stability will be achieved for anyone in the region without ending the occupation and the Palestinian people achieving their full rights as stipulated in the international legitimacy resolutions,” the Palestinian president underlined.

Abbas also warned that “attempts to bypass the Palestinian people and their leadership represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) will have serious repercussions, for which the US administration and the Israeli occupation authority will bear responsibility.”

Palestinian prime minister says normalization accords with Israel ‘black day’ for Arab world

The White House seeks to hammer out more similar deals between Arab states and Israel.

With the US-brokered deals on Tuesday, the UAE and Bahrain have become only the third and fourth Arab states to ever normalize their relations with Israel after Egypt and Jordan.

The normalization trend has been uniformly panned by all Palestinian people and factions as well as the Bahraini public that have been holding daily rallies since its inception.

Throughout the day, the Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and Tel Aviv-occupied West Bank witnessed raucous rallies against the deals, and passionate denunciation speeches and statements by Palestinian leaders and Muslim authorities worldwide.

Palestinians mark ‘Day of Rage’ as Arab states, Israel ink 'normalization' deals

People rally in key Palestinian cities hours before Bahraini and Emirati officials are expected to sign normalization deals with Israeli prime minister at the White House.

Washington was also the scene of a protest to lambaste the the contentious agreements. 

In London, protesters amassed in front of the Bahraini Embassy waiving Palestinian flags and staging a mockery of the signing ceremony by dressing up as American, Israeli, Emirati, and Bahraini officials.

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