Iran, Turkey Lash out at UAE Over US-Brokered Deal with Israel

Tehran: Iran and Turkey lashed out at their regional rival the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday over its decision to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel in a US-brokered deal, accusing it of betraying the Palestinian cause.

Iran's Foreign Ministry called the deal a “dagger that was unjustly struck by the UAE in the backs of the Palestinian people and all Muslims.”

Turkey said the peoples of the region “will never forget and will never forgive this hypocritical behaviour” by the UAE.

Meanwhile, the official Palestinian news agency said the Palestinian Ambassador to the UAE was being recalled.

The move comes after the UAE and Israel announced a deal on Thursday to establish full diplomatic ties that would see Israel suspend its plans to annex parts of the West Bank.

The Palestinians have slammed the deal, calling it a “betrayal” of the Palestinian cause and have demanded its retraction.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced Thursday they are establishing full diplomatic relations in a U.S.-brokered deal that required Israel to halt its contentious plan to annex occupied West Bank land sought by the Palestinians.

The historic deal is seen as a key foreign policy victory for President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election and reflected a changing West Asia in which shared concerns about archenemy Iran have largely overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the deal amounts to “treason,” and should be reversed.

The agreement makes the UAE the third Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan, to have full diplomatic ties with Israel. They announced it in a joint statement, saying deals between Israel and the UAE were expected in the coming weeks in such areas as tourism, direct flights and embassies.

Trump called the deal “a truly historic moment.” “Now that the ice has been broken I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.

In a nationally televised news conference, Benjamin Netanyahu echoed Trump's remarks.

“Today we usher in a new era of peace between Israel and the Arab world,” he said. “There is a good chance we will soon see more Arab countries joining this expanding circle of peace.” But Netanyahu said the annexation plan was on “temporary hold,” appearing to contradict statements from Emirati officials who said it was off the table.

Emirati officials described the deal in pragmatic terms, saying they had dealt a “death blow” to an aggressive Israeli move and hoped to help reshape the region.

“Is it perfect? Nothing is perfect in a very difficult region,” said Anwar Gargash, a top Emirati official.

Next year, Israel will take part in the UAE's delayed Expo 2020, the world's fair being hosted by Dubai. A secret synagogue also draws practicing Jews in Dubai.

Still, the timing of the deal was unexpected, and perhaps tied to the upcoming US election.

Israel and the UAE are among Trump's few close international allies, and Thursday's deal may have been seen as an election gift.

The Gulf state of Bahrain welcomed the deal.

The Palestinians have, however, rejected Trump's West Asia plan out of hand.

Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, convened a meeting of his top leadership Thursday night, and afterward his spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh, said the agreement amounted to “treason.”

He added that the UAE must reverse the decision and urged other Arab countries not to follow suit “at the expense of Palestinian rights.” In Gaza, Hamas called the deal a “stabbing in the back of our people.”

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the UAE had no authority to negotiate with Israel on behalf of the Palestinians or “to make concessions on matters vital to Palestine.”

(This is an edited version of the original story)