Husain Mohamed – 14/08/2020 

Palestinians were left disappointed and surprised following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which will normalize ties between the two countries.

The agreement will fully normalize the relationship between the two countries in terms of security, tourism, technology and trade. In return, the move will forestall Israel’s controversial plans to annex large swathes of the occupied West Bank.

The move came as a surprise to both the Palestinian leadership and Public. Speaking to AlJazeera, the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) minister of social affairs, Ahmed Majdalani, said they had no prior knowledge of the agreement.

“The timing and speed of reaching this agreement were surprising, especially that it came at a critical moment in the Palestinian struggle.”

The Israel-UAE deal was also rejected by Hamas, saying it did not serve the cause of the Palestinians.

“This agreement does absolutely not serve the Palestinian cause, it rather serves the Zionist narrative. This agreement encourages the occupation to continue its denial of the rights of our Palestinian people, and even to continue its crimes against our people.”

The Palestinian government has since recalled its ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in protest over the country’s agreement to normalize ties with Israel. They are saying the deal was “a free gift to Israel” and was made to help the re-election of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.