Following an agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to normalize ties, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is considering suspending diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates and withdrawing its ambassador. Al Jazeerah reports that Palestinian leaders have condemned the agreement as a “stab in the back”.

Erdogan said, “Now, Palestine is either closing or withdrawing it’s embassy. The same thing is valid for us now.” He said he had informed the foreign minister that Turkey would possibly also suspend diplomatic ties with the Abu Dhabi leadership or withdraw it’s ambassador.

The deal between the UAE and Israel was brokered by the United States. According to Al Jazeerah, this is the first such agreement between Israel and a Gulf Arab nation, in which Israel agreed to postpone its intended annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank.

The Turkish foreign ministry said, “History and the conscience of the region’s people will not forget and never forgive this hypocritical behaviour.” It added, “It is extremely worrying that the UAE should, with a unilateral action, try and do away with the 2002 Arab Peace Plan developed by the Arab League.”

The UAE is now the third Arab country to establish full relations with Israel. Egypt had, in 1979 been the first, and Jordan, the second, in 1994.

Umm Muhammed Umar