Palestinian leaders “blindsided” by UAE-Israel peace deal, angrily denounce it as “betrayal” and “stab in the back”

“The Palestinian leadership rejects what the United Arab Emirates has done and considers it a betrayal of Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian cause,” said Nabil Abu Rudeinah, spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

He called the deal “a de facto recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel” and demanded the UAE withdraw from this “disgraceful agreement.”

“Neither the Emirates nor any other party has the right to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian leadership shall allow nobody to interfere in the Palestinian affairs or decide on their behalf regarding their legitimate rights in their homeland,” Rudeinah added.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki announced Thursday that he had “immediately summoned” the Palestinian ambassador to the UAE to return to Ramallah, reported Newsweek.

In Gaza, Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, told Reuters: “Normalization is a stab in the back of the Palestinian cause, and it serves only the Israeli occupation.”

Asked if Palestinian Authority or Palestine Liberation Organization were aware the deal was coming, Hanan Ashrawi told Reuters: “No. The PLO, the PA, the Palestinian leadership did not know this was coming. We were blindsided. Their secret dealings are now completely out in the open. It is a complete sell-out.”