Turkey mulls withdrawing envoy, suspending ties with Abu Dhabi over deal with Israel

ANKARA/BERN/ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Aug. 14 that Turkey was considering closing its embassy in Abu Dhabi and suspending diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates over its accord to normalize ties with Israel.

“I gave an order to the foreign minister. I said we could suspend diplomatic relations with the Abu Dhabi administration or withdraw our ambassador because we stand with the Palestinian people. We have not let Palestine be defeated, or let it be defeated,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu accused the UAE of “cullying to undermine the Palestinian administration for years.”

“It is a country that puts pressure on some Arab countries regarding Palestine. We say clearly that it betrayed the Palestinian cause for its interests” he said on Aug. 14 speaking at a press conference in Switzerland.

Turkish Foreign Ministry said history will never forgive the “hypocritical behavior” of the UAE in agreeing such a deal.

“The UAE, which is trying to make secret calculations over the U.S. plan, which is already stillborn and has no validity, in this way ignores the will of Palestine,” the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement over the deal which will lead to full normalization of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Israel.

Ankara justifies the strong and joint response by the Palestinian people and administration to the joint declaration announced by the U.S., Israel and the UAE, which envisions the full normalization of Israel-UAE relations, said the statement.

The UAE’s efforts to “eliminate” the Arab Peace Plan, which was developed by the Arab League under the leadership of Saudi Arabia in 2002 and supported by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), is “extremely worrying,” said the statement.

“Nevertheless, there is no credibility to present the trilateral declaration in support of the Palestinian cause,” said Ankara, stressing that history will “not forgive” the UAE for its behavior in making such a deal.

“History and the conscience of the peoples of the region will never forget and will never forgive this hypocritical behavior of the UAE, which tries to present it as a sacrifice for Palestine while betraying the Palestinian cause for its own narrow interests,” read the statement.

“History will not forget those who betray the Palestinian people and sell out the Palestinian cause. Their miserable policies will not deter but give only strength to those who believe in justice, freedom and nobility. Turkey will continue to stand by the Palestinian people.” Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın tweeted.

On Aug. 13, U.S. President Donald Trump announced an agreement between Israel and UAE which envisages to carry out work for “full normalization of relations,” a deal the Palestinians called a “treacherous stab in the back.”

Tel Aviv said it has agreed to “delay” the annexation of Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank, but the plan “remains on the table.”

“Delegations from Israel and the United Arab Emirates will meet in the coming weeks to sign bilateral agreements regarding investment, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare, culture, the environment, the establishment of reciprocal embassies, and other areas of mutual benefit,” the joint statement said.

The UAE is the first Gulf Arab state and the third Arab nation - after Egypt and Jordan - to announce active ties with Israel.