GAZA – In the enclave of Gaza, furious Palestinians burnt pictures of US, Emirati and Bahraini leaders on Saturday to protest against the move of the two Gulf countries to forge ties with Israel.
On Friday, Bahrain decided to normalise ties with Israel.
Ruling Islamist group Hamas organised the protests.
“We have to fight the virus of normalisation and block all its paths before it succeeds, to prevent it from spreading,” said Hamas official Maher al-Holy.
Protesters burnt the photographs of US President Donald Trump, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the UAE’s Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nayhan.
Palestinians see the move as a betrayal of their cause in the Arab world.
They are apprehensive that the normalisation of ties with Israel would come at a price – the weakening of a longstanding pan-Arab position seeking Tel Aviv’s withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territory and acceptance of the Palestinian statehood.
Despite a deep political rift going back to 2007, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority has limited rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and his Hamas rivals have been united against the Gulf states’ move.
Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Saeb Erekat, said the normalisation of diplomatic ties will not lead to peace in the region as long as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved first.
“The Bahraini, Israeli, American agreement to normalise relations is now part of a bigger package in the region, it isn’t about peace, it is not about relations between countries. We are witnessing an alliance, a military alliance being created in the region,” Erekat said.