Palestinian factions, Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank, have closed their ranks in reaction to the unprecedented normalization of ties between Israel and the UAE, announced Thursday. Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, held a phone conversation with Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh. Both Palestinian leaders adopted a joint stance in reaction to the US President Donald Trump’s announcement of the “historical peace deal” between Israel and the Gulf country. “The Palestinian leadership rejects the actions of the Emirati government, considering it to be a betrayal of the Palestinian people and Jerusalem and al-Aqsa,” Palestinian Authority spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement read out on Palestine TV. President Trump Thursday brokered the peace deal over the telephone between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 14, 2020 16:30 UTC