Palestine vows prevention of more Arab-Israel normalisations

Ramallah, Sep 20 (IANS) The Palestinian leadership is acting to “prevent more Arab countries from normalizing relations with Israel”, a senior official said here.

“The normalization agreements that both the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain signed with Israel are based on the principle of peace for protection,” Xinhua news agency quoted Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee, as saying in an interview on Saturday.

It is a responsibility of the Arab states and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to preserve their decisions on committing to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, he noted.

According to the Arab Peace Initiative, the Arab states can only normalize relations with Israel after Israel ends its military occupation of the Arab territories.

Erekat revealed that the Palestinian leadership will present 19 resolutions to the UN General Assembly at its upcoming session, including “the confirmation of the two-state solution and the previous resolutions of the international legitimacy related to the Palestinian cause”.

The Palestinian leadership “is expecting large international support for the Palestinian resolutions”, he added.

The remarks came after Israel signed agreements to normalise diplomatic ties with the UAE and Bahrain at the White House on September 15.

US President Donald Trump joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani in signing the three-way agreements.

The signing ceremony, which was held in the South Lawn at the White House, formally makes the UAE and Bahrain the third and the fourth Arab nation to establish diplomatic ties with Israel.

Egypt and Jordan signed their peace deals with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively.

–IANS

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