Zionist Escalation Shames Persian Gulf, Arab Partners
DUBAI (Dispatches) – The deadly escalation between the Zionist regime and the Palestinians has embarrassed Persian Gulf states which forged ties with the occupying regime and put a strain on their normalization deal that were billed as a ‘game-changer’.
The bloodshed has prompted condemnation from the regime’s new Arab partners, at a time when Muslims have been celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Less than a year after signing the deal with the Zionist regime, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco have been forced to change course and turn to critical rhetoric.
"These statements are largely intended as a public relations exercise towards a domestic and regional Arab audience that continues to overwhelmingly support the Palestinians,” Elham Fakhro, an analyst at the Crisis Group think tank, told AFP.
The Abraham Accords swept away decades of consensus and were condemned as "treason” by Palestinian leaders who feared they undercut their demands for a homeland.
They were struck at the urging of then U.S. president Donald Trump, who hailed the "dawn of a new Middle East” as his son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner dismissed the Zionist-Palestinian conflict as a mere "real estate dispute”.
It has now come roaring back into the headlines.
"The Abraham Accords were never intended to address the conditions of military occupation and land dispossession facing the Palestinians,” Fakhro said.
In Bahrain, daily demonstrations have been staged in support of the Palestinians.
Internet users have shared photos of themselves wearing the Palestinian chequered keffiyeh scarf, and civil society groups have called for ties with the Zionist regime to be severed.
In the UAE, which has tight curbs on social media, many users have shared videos and photos to denounce the occupation and brutality of Zionist troops.
For Hugh Lovatt, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, the crisis is "the first real test” for the UAE, which for years had quietly cultivated ties with the regime.
"From Netanyahu’s perspective, the Abraham Accords vindicated his long-held belief that Palestinians could be effectively sidelined as Israel developed its ties with neighboring states,” Lovatt said.
"Is the UAE prepared to put its relations with Israel on the line for the sake of the Palestinians? The answer appears to be ‘no’ at present,” he said, pointing to gains such as technology partnerships and access to military hardware from the U.S.
"Given the deep bilateral interest that underpin normalization for Israel and the UAE, escalation in Palestine is probably at most a speed bump, not a brick wall.”
While criticism is muted in the UAE, things are more complicated for the other Arab states that moved closer to the occupying regime because of active civil society groups which support the Palestinians.
Normalization is a strategic issue for Morocco, linked to U.S. recognition of its sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
Faced with pressure from the street, the North African country condemned the actions of Zionist troops.
The bloodshed has prompted condemnation from the regime’s new Arab partners, at a time when Muslims have been celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Less than a year after signing the deal with the Zionist regime, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco have been forced to change course and turn to critical rhetoric.
"These statements are largely intended as a public relations exercise towards a domestic and regional Arab audience that continues to overwhelmingly support the Palestinians,” Elham Fakhro, an analyst at the Crisis Group think tank, told AFP.
The Abraham Accords swept away decades of consensus and were condemned as "treason” by Palestinian leaders who feared they undercut their demands for a homeland.
They were struck at the urging of then U.S. president Donald Trump, who hailed the "dawn of a new Middle East” as his son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner dismissed the Zionist-Palestinian conflict as a mere "real estate dispute”.
It has now come roaring back into the headlines.
"The Abraham Accords were never intended to address the conditions of military occupation and land dispossession facing the Palestinians,” Fakhro said.
In Bahrain, daily demonstrations have been staged in support of the Palestinians.
Internet users have shared photos of themselves wearing the Palestinian chequered keffiyeh scarf, and civil society groups have called for ties with the Zionist regime to be severed.
In the UAE, which has tight curbs on social media, many users have shared videos and photos to denounce the occupation and brutality of Zionist troops.
For Hugh Lovatt, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, the crisis is "the first real test” for the UAE, which for years had quietly cultivated ties with the regime.
"From Netanyahu’s perspective, the Abraham Accords vindicated his long-held belief that Palestinians could be effectively sidelined as Israel developed its ties with neighboring states,” Lovatt said.
"Is the UAE prepared to put its relations with Israel on the line for the sake of the Palestinians? The answer appears to be ‘no’ at present,” he said, pointing to gains such as technology partnerships and access to military hardware from the U.S.
"Given the deep bilateral interest that underpin normalization for Israel and the UAE, escalation in Palestine is probably at most a speed bump, not a brick wall.”
While criticism is muted in the UAE, things are more complicated for the other Arab states that moved closer to the occupying regime because of active civil society groups which support the Palestinians.
Normalization is a strategic issue for Morocco, linked to U.S. recognition of its sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
Faced with pressure from the street, the North African country condemned the actions of Zionist troops.