UAE defends decision of normalising ties with Israel

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates has defended its decision to normalize ties with Israel and criticised interference in Arab affairs, an apparent reference to its foes Iran and Turkey.
Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the brother of Abu Dhabi’s powerful crown prince, made the remarks during a speech Tuesday before the U.N. General Assembly.
He proclaimed that the UAE’s decision announced in August to formalize ties with Israel froze a controversial Israeli plan to annex occupied territory in the West Bank claimed by Palestinians.
Israel’s prime minister, however, has insisted that plans have only been temporarily suspended.
We hope this peace accord will provide the opportunity for the Palestinians and the Israelis to re-engage in negotiations to achieve peace, Al Nahyan said.
Palestinians have blasted the deals signed by the UAE and Bahrain with Israel, which were brokered by the United States, as acts of betrayal. President Mahmoud Abbas used his U.N. speech on Friday to stress that his government has not given a mandate to anyone to speak or negotiate on behalf of the Palestinian people.