The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement stressing that as a member of the UN Security Council and the Quartet, it supported the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He noted that the agreement suspended the annexation of parts of the West Bank, which he described as an important element of the agreement, and said that the annexation plans were a major obstacle to the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue. [120] Russian President Vladimir Putin said on August 24 in a telephone conversation with Netanyahu that he hoped the agreement would strengthen the stability and security of the Middle East. [121] British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the agreement as a path to peace in the Middle East and welcomed the suspension of the annexation of territories in the West Bank. British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed similar sentiments, with the former adding that it was time for direct dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, while the latter said it created an opportunity to resume talks. [106] France and Germany saw the agreement as the hope of a two-state solution. [34] German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi to congratulate him. [107] Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a senior adviser to President Mahmoud Abbas, read an official statement in which Palestinian leaders rejected the agreement and called it a betrayal of Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinians. [63] The Palestinian Authority (PNA) recalled its ambassador from Abu Dhabi. [64] [65] Palestinian leaders also said that Hamas leader called Ismail Haniyeh Abbas and rejected the agreement, which Reuters called a “rare manifestation of unity.” [66] Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official Hanan Ashrawi criticized the agreement and wrote on Twitter: “Israel has been rewarded for not openly declaring what it has done illegally and stubbornly to Palestine since the beginning of the occupation.” [6] Fatah accused the United Arab Emirates of “despising their national, religious and humanitarian duties” towards the Palestinian people, while Hamas declared it a “traitor sting in the back of the Palestinian people”[6], saying that the agreement was a “free reward” for the “crimes and violations of the Palestinian people”. [40] With or without a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
So, with Otaiba`s agreement, one of the guests slipped to the table and went around the restaurant, introduced himself to the Prime Minister and said, you know, when you finished dinner, why didn`t you and your wife come and say hello to Yousef Otaiba and his guests? And Netanyahu said he would. But the agreements were condemned by Palestinian leaders as a “black day” for the region. Developments on the ground in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip could further derail these new relationships. The government of Oman has publicly supported the agreement (which it described as “historic”). [58] The Grand Mufti of Oman, Ahmed bin Hamad al-Khalili, indirectly criticized the treaty. [59] Ahmed Mulla Talal, spokesman for the Iraqi government, said that Iraq would not interfere in the sovereign affairs of other countries, but that its laws did not allow for the normalization of relations with Israel. [60] Malaysia stated that the agreement was a sovereign right of the United Arab Emirates, but that it would continue to support Israel`s withdrawal from the Palestinian territories. [128] The Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement in which it welcomed the agreement and hoped it would contribute to peace and security in the Middle East. [129] Joe Biden, Trump`s opponent in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, praised the agreement, building on “the efforts of several governments to promote greater Arab-Israeli openness, including the Obama-Biden administration`s efforts to build on the Arab peace initiative.” [42] The agreements are also expected to open up new security relations in a region where many Gulf Arab states share a common adversary in Iran with the Israelis.