CAIRO: An Arab League meeting on Wednesday will focus on the Palestinian cause after the Israel-UAE “normalisation” deal.
On Sunday, the Palestinian Authority (PA) accused the UAE and Bahrain of blocking a draft resolution that called on Arab states to adhere to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative plan before normalising ties with Israel.
The Arab Initiative put forth by Saudi Arabia calls for establishing ties with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal to the 1967 borders, a just solution for Palestinian refugees, and occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
A senior member of the PA’s governing Fatah faction, Hussein Hamayel, said Bahrain’s opposition to the draft resolution “places it on the side of the enemies of the Arabs and Muslims”.
Softened tone
However on Tuesday, in a bid to soften its tone, the official spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas said the leader “will not accept insulting the national symbols of Arab nations, including the UAE”.
The Arab League, in contrast to Abbas’ request to hold an emergency session in the aftermath of the US announcing Trump’s Middle East Plan, refused to do the same once news of the UAE-Israel agreement was announced.
This led to Saeb Erekat, the secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)’s Executive Committee, to call on Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit to condemn the UAE’s normalisation deal with Israel – or step down.
“If he is not able to issue a statement condemning the UAE-Israeli normalisation, he should resign,” Erekat told PalestineTV.
While Saudi Arabia has declared it will not normalise relations with Israel without securing Palestinian interests, Riyadh fell short of condemning the UAE’s decision.