'UAE, Israel deal blatant aggression on Palestinians'

ANKARA

The agreement between Israel and UAE to normalize relations is a clear attack against the Palestinians and their cause, the Palestinian National Council (PNC) said Friday.

Based in Jordan, the PNC is a body affiliated to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) responsible for formulating PLO policy.

Thursday's trilateral declaration by Israel, the UAE and the US was "a blatant aggression on the rights of our people and their sacred cause, the rights of the Arab and Islamic nations in Palestine and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque," the PNC said in a statement.

"The Palestinian issue is not subject to the principles of trade-offs, deals, false claims, or disgraceful uses, which were reflected in the agreement of the UAE with the Israeli occupation state on Thursday, under American auspices," PNC said.

It called on the heads of the Arab Parliamentary Union, the Islamic Parliamentary Union, and the Arab and Islamic parliaments to condemn and reject this agreement.

Urging the UAE to renounce the agreement, the statement said the move was a "blatant deviation" by an Arab country from the principles of the "Arab and Islamic consensus."

The PNC also called on the Arab countries that welcomed this declaration to withdraw from it and resume their commitment to the Palestinian cause.

The deal to normalize UAE-Israeli ties was announced by US President Donald Trump on Thursday, forestalling Israel's controversial plans to annex large swathes of the occupied West Bank.

A joint statement by the US, UAE and Israel said the "breakthrough" would promote "peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders," referring to Trump, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu.

Palestinian groups denounced the agreement, saying it did nothing to serve the Palestinian cause and ignores the rights of the Palestinian people. The UAE's peace deal with Israel is a "treacherous stab in the back of the Palestinian people," Hamas said in a statement.

Egypt, Oman and Bahrain expressed their support to the normalization of relations between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.