(Photo: AFP)
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While some are hailing the event as the start of a bright and peaceful future for the Middle East, others are calling it a dangerous pre-election gift the UAE and Bahrain are handing Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu that will create a NATO-Arab-Israel alliance.
Some Arab lawmakers in the Israeli parliament argued that the agreements are mainly in the interests of the US and Israel, anyone allied with Israel cannot stand with the Palestinian people. They are dismayed that the people of Bahrain and the UAE would side with Israel against Palestine or let Israel use their territory to spy on or sabotage Iran, which would disrupt security and stability in the Gulf. Many continue to insist that Middle East peace cannot truly begin until Israel ends its occupation and an independent Palestinian state is established in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with Jerusalem as its capital.
Saudi Arabia claimed it is still on the side of the Palestinian people and will support all efforts to achieve a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue. Saudi Arabia is concerned about the unity, sovereignty, and integrity of Arab lands and will not accept any arrangement that threatens regional stability. Saeb Erekat, Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the US is aiming to create a NATO-Arab-Israeli alliance, and this will be very dangerous because Arab security will then depend on Israel.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani accused the UAE and Bahrain of giving Israel bases in the Gulf, and warned them of dire consequences.