The United Nations said it hopes the agreement “will create an opportunity for Israeli and Palestinian leaders to re-engage in meaningful negotiations.”Palestinian leaders reacted with almost unanimous fury. “We vehemently denounce and refuse this agreement,” reads a statement posted on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Facebook page. “It could help Bahrain establish a more formal partnership with a powerful country in the Middle East that shares its perception as Iran as a major threat,” he said. Analysts say Sudan is also straining under the weight of Western sanctions, and normalizing relations with Israel might bring some relief. Deepening divisionsAcross the Middle East, other leaders have put out statements either for or against the deal, often taking sides against their established foes.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 14, 2020 22:07 UTC