Turkey Says History Will Not Forgive UAE for Making Deal With Israel

The deal between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, mediated by Washington, stipulates the normalisation of relations between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, with Jewish authorities halting their plans to extend Israeli sovereignty over portions of the West Bank.

Ankara has slammed the United Arab Emirates for striking a deal with Israel, claiming that the UAE had no right to strike the deal.

"The history and conscience of the nations in the region will not forget and will never forgive this hypocritical act by the UAE, who betrayed the Palestinian cause for the sake of their narrow interests and is now trying to present it as a selfless step", the Foreign Ministry said.

Turkey also vowed support to the Palestinian Authority, who previously condemned the agreement. The PNA even called for an emergency session of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, demanding that the deal, known as "The Abraham Accord", be rejected.

Israeli national flag flying next to an Israeli building site of new housing units in the Jewish settlement of Shilo in the occupied Palestinian West Bank.

© AFP 2023 / Ahmad Gharabli

The deal was announced on Thursday by US President Donald Trump, who has published the full text of a joint statement by Israel and the UAE on Twitter. According to the US president, the decision to suspend the extension was "a great concession by Israel", adding that the deal "will bring together two of America’s most reliable and capable regional partners".

Israel previously planned to extend its sovereignty over parts of the West Bank marked for its appropriation under Trump's "deal of the century", but later suspended the annexation. As a result, Israel established diplomatic ties with the UAE, which becomes the third Arab country to do so after Egypt and Jordan.