The Palestinian Authority recalled its envoy to Manama after Bahrain and Israel announced a U.S.-brokered peace deal on Friday, undoing a decades-long policy not to establish ties with the Jewish state until a Palestinian state is created.
Bahrain followed the United Arab Emirates, which agreed last month to normalize ties with Israel.
“The UAE and Bahrain are contributing to Trump’s presidential campaign at the expense of the inalienable rights of the people of Palestine. The normalization race is not the answer to the achievement of Palestinian freedom and independence,” tweeted Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Saeb Erekat. “It’s an affirmation to the Palestinian leadership and people, in Palestine and around the world, of their approval of normalizing Israel’s annexation of occupied Jerusalem and the reality of apartheid it has created in Palestine.”
leadership and people, in Palestine and around the world, of their approval of normalizing Israel's annexation of occupied Jerusalem and the reality of apartheid it has created in Palestine.
— Dr. Saeb Erakat الدكتور صائب عريقات (@ErakatSaeb) September 11, 2020
In the Oval Office on Friday, shortly following the announcement of the Israel-Bahrain deal, U.S. President Donald Trump said these normalization deals will help the Palestinians.
“You’re going to have the Palestinians in a very good position, they’re going to want to come in because all of their friends are in,” he said.
