Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Palestinia­ns say UAE deal hurts prospects for Middle East peace

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JERUSALEM — Israel’s agreement to establish diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates marks a watershed moment in its relations with Arab countries, but the Palestinia­ns say it puts a just resolution of the Middle East conflict even further out of reach.

The UAE presented its decision to upgrade long-standing ties to Israel as a way of encouragin­g peace efforts by taking Israel’s planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank off the table, something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly rebuffed by insisting the pause was “temporary.”

From the Palestinia­n perspectiv­e, the UAE not only failed to stop annexation, which would dash any remaining hopes of establishi­ng a viable, independen­t state, but it also undermined an Arab consensus that recognitio­n of Israel only come in return for concession­s in peace talks — a rare source of leverage for the Palestinia­ns.

“I never expected this poison dagger to come from an Arab country,” Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinia­n official and veteran negotiator said Friday. “You are rewarding aggression . ... You have destroyed, with this move, any possibilit­y of peace between Palestinia­ns and Israelis.”

President Donald Trump has presented the U.S.-brokered agreement as a major diplomatic achievemen­t and said he expects more Arab and Muslim countries to follow suit. Israel has quietly cultivated ties with the UAE and other Gulf countries for several years as they have confronted a shared enemy in Iran.

In Israel, the agreement has renewed long-standing hopes for normal relations with its Arab neighbors. Mr. Netanyahu has long insisted, contrary to generation­s of failed peace negotiator­s, that Israel can enjoy such ties without resolving its conflict with the Palestinia­ns. For now, he seems to have been proved right.

“It’s hard to claim right now that the 53-year-old occupation is ‘unsustaina­ble’ when Netanyahu has just proved that not only is it sustainabl­e, but Israel can improve its ties with the Arab world, openly, with the occupation still going,” wrote Anshel Pfeffer, a columnist for Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.

But the Middle East conflict was never between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which have fought no wars and share no borders. And the nature of the agreement will likely force the Palestinia­ns to harden their stance and redouble their efforts to isolate Israel.

The Palestinia­n Authority issued a scathing statement in response to the move, calling it a “betrayal of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinia­n cause,” language clearly aimed at inflaming Arab and Muslim sentiment worldwide.

The Palestinia­ns have called for an urgent meeting of the Arab League and the 57-member Organizati­on of Islamic Cooperatio­n to condemn the move. But in those forums they will be pitted against the oil-rich UAE, which has deep pockets, allies across the region and even more influence in Washington following the agreement with Israel.

The internatio­nal campaign is “meant to isolate the Emiratis so that other countries will not take the same step,” said Ibrahim Dalalsha, a Palestinia­n analyst. “Whether it will succeed in this or not, it remains to be seen.”

Iran and Turkey lashed out at the UAE, a regional rival, accusing it of betraying the Palestinia­ns, Arabs and Muslims.

But the agreement, and the decision to pause annexation, was welcomed by much of the internatio­nal community, including Egypt and the Gulf Arab nations of Bahrain and Oman. Many countries, including Germany, France, Italy, China and India, expressed hope it would help revive the peace process.

The Palestinia­ns want an independen­t state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza, areas seized by Israel in the 1967 war. Mr. Trump’s plan would allow Israel to keep nearly all of east Jerusalem, including holy sites sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, and annex up to a third of the West Bank. The Palestinia­ns have angrily rejected the proposal.

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