- Title: Palestinians dismayed by UAE-Israel peace deal
- Date: 13th August 2020
- Summary: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (AUGUST 13, 2020) (REUTERS) WASEL ABU YOUSEF, A SENIOR MEMBER OF THE PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION ENTERING OFFICE BANNER WITH PALESTINIAN FLAG AND READING IN ARABIC 'NO ALTERNATIVE TO RIGHT OF RETURN' (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) WASEL ABU YOUSEF, A SENIOR MEMBER OF THE PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION, SAYING: "I think, the Emirates position was supposed to be supportive to the Palestinian position; and it was supposed to be supportive to the Arab position and not to weaken the Palestinian position by stabbing the Palestinian people in the back. This Emirates position is rejected and we think that we should have a supportive position that doesn't weaken us. So saying that this Emirates position may stop annexation is wrong, because we know that which stopped the annexation is the Palestinian position." PALESTINIAN FLAG GAZA CITY, GAZA (AUGUST 13, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF HAZEM QASSEM, A HAMAS SPOKESMAN IN GAZA IN OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HAZEM QASSEM, A HAMAS SPOKESMAN IN GAZA, SAYING: "This deal will not serve the Palestinian cause at all, but will serve the zionist narrative. This kind of behaviour encourages the occupation to deny the rights of the Palestinian people and continue its crimes against the Palestinian people. What we always request is to support our right of resistance against the occupation and not make relations with this occupier. We can resist the annexation through a Palestinian resistance supported from the Arab and international world and not through these normalisation agreements." QASSEM IN OFFICE
- Embargoed: 27th August 2020 20:08
- Keywords: Israel Palestinians Trump UAE annexation peace agreement
- Location: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK/GAZA CITY, GAZA
- City: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK/GAZA CITY, GAZA
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001CR32Y4N
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Palestinians talked of being "blindsided" after Thursday's surprise announcement of a deal to normalize relations between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas seemed to be taken by surprise by the Israel-UAE deal and was holding meetings with key aides. He has refused all political dealings with the Trump administration for more than two years, accusing it of taking a consistently pro-Israel stance.
Much use was made of the word "normalisation" - a term that has very different connotations on either side.
For Israel and the White House it signified a welcome rapprochement with a key Gulf player in a region from which Israel has long been isolated, aside from two peace treaties with its immediate neighbours Egypt and Jordan.
But for many Palestinians, the word has overwhelmingly negative connotations.
The deal provides a diplomatic achievement for Netanyahu after weeks of domestic criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the economy, but also angered right-wing Israeli settlers who want to annex the West Bank.
(Production: Roleen Tafakji/Arafat Barbakh/Saed Hawari) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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