By Joseph Krauss
Associated Press
August 14, 2020
JERUSALEM -- Iran and Turkey lashed out at their regional rival the United Arab
Emirates on Friday over its decision to normalize diplomatic relations
with Israel, accusing it of betraying the Palestinian cause, even as
much of the international community welcomed the move.
Iran’s
Foreign Ministry called the U.S.-brokered 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 behavior” by the UAE.
The
UAE, which has never fought Israel and has quietly been improving ties
for years, said the agreement put a hold on Israel’s plans to
unilaterally annex parts of the occupied West Bank, which the
Palestinians view as the heartland of their future state.
But 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.”
The
agreement would make the UAE the first Gulf Arab state — and the third
Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan — to have full diplomatic ties with
Israel.
The Palestinians say the deal amounts to “treason” and have
called on Arab and Muslim countries to oppose it.
The
historic deal delivered a key foreign policy victory for U.S. President
Donald Trump as he seeks re-election and reflected a changing Middle
East in which shared concerns about archenemy Iran have largely
overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians. Trump has
predicted that other countries in the region will follow the UAE’s lead.
Israel,
the UAE and other Gulf countries that view Iran as a regional menace
have been cultivating closer ties in recent years. Turkey has had
diplomatic relations with Israel for decades, but under President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan has positioned itself as a champion of the Palestinians.
Turkey and the UAE support rival camps in the conflict in Libya.
Later on Friday, Erdogan said he was considering downgrading Turkey’s relations with the UAE and recalling its ambassador.
Oman, a Gulf country that has cultivated closer ties with Israel in recent years, even hosting a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year,
meanwhile welcomed the agreement. The Foreign Ministry statement,
carried by the state-run Oman News Agency, did not say if the sultanate
would make a similar move.
Germany’s
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas welcomed both the agreement and the
decision to suspend annexation, and called to congratulate his Israeli
counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi on “this historic step.”
“We
stand by our position that only a negotiated two-state solution can
bring lasting peace to the Middle East,” Maas said in a statement.
“Together with our European partners and the region we have campaigned
intensively in past months against an annexation and for the resumption
of direct negotiations.”
Italy
said the normalization of relations was an “important step that can
contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East.” It said it hoped
the “positive” suspension of Israel’s annexation plans would help
restart direct peace negotiations.
China
meanwhile said it welcomes “any measure that helps in easing tensions
between Middle Eastern countries and promotes regional peace and
stability.”
Foreign
Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Beijing will “continue to firmly
support the Palestinian people’s just cause of restoring their
legitimate national rights and building national independence.”
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