“Under the accord, which U.S. President Donald Trump helped broker, Israel agreed to suspend its planned annexation of areas of the occupied West Bank. It also firms up opposition to regional power Iran, which the UAE, Israel and the United States view as the main threat in the conflict-riven Middle East.”

Also See: “UAE, Israel Move To Normalize Relations As Israel Halts Planned West Bank Annexations” (NPR); “Israel to delay West Bank annexation plans for now in deal to discuss normalizing ties with UAE” (LA Times)

“The announcement in Washington that the United Arab Emirates had agreed to a “full normalization of relations” with Israel in exchange for Mr. Netanyahu’s agreement to “suspend” his annexation push amounted to a breathtaking turnabout for the veteran Israeli premier.”

“At the end of June, Al-Otaiba approached Jared Kushner and White House envoy Avi Berkowitz with a proposal: the UAE would agree to normalization with Israel in return for an Israeli announcement that West Bank annexation was off the table.”

“A joint statement issued by the three nations said “Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank areas. However, in a television address after US President Donald Trump’s announcement of the deal, Netanyahu said he had only agreed to “delay” the annexation, and that he would “never give up our rights to our land”. “There is no change to my plan to extend sovereignty, our sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, in full coordination with the United States,” Netanyahu said in Jerusalem, using the biblical name for the occupied West Bank.”

“US Ambassador to the US David Friedman clarified that the word which had been chosen to describe the situation was “suspended” and that word had been chosen “very carefully” because it means a temporary halt. Sovereignty, Friedman said was “off the table” not but not “off the table permanently.” But at an earlier stage in the conference Friedman noted that the application of sovereignty to West Bank settlements was incompatible with the overall goal of normalized ties between Israel and the Arab world. Friedman has been one of the strongest supporters of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. On Thursday night, as he spoke with Trump in Washington, he said, however, “we are putting our eggs into the basket  of peace.”

“Asked about Netanyahu’s statement that he considers this a ‘temporary suspension,’ and that the option of annexation will still exist in the future, Trump responded that “Right now it’s off the table, I can’t talk about sometime in the future, that’s a big statement, but right now it’s off the table.””

“An Israeli delegation will travel to the United Arab Emirates early next week to meet with the Gulf state’s top leadership, according to a Friday report, a day after the two nations announced an agreement to normalize relations. Channel 12 news said a senior Israeli official would lead the team, while the Ynet news site reported this would be Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, who is said to have led normalization efforts over the past year.”

“The announcement on Thursday of normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates drew harsh responses from Palestinian officials and organizations, with senior PLO official Hanan Ashrawi accusing the crown prince of “selling out” her people and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas convening an emergency meeting of Palestinian leaders ahead of a statement. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he “rejects and denounces the surprising announcement by Israel, the United States and the UAE,” and called it a “betrayal of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian cause.” A senior adviser to Abbas read the statement from outside the PA president’s Ramallah headquarters.”

“The United Arab Emirates has become the first Gulf Arab country to reach a deal on normalising relations with Israel, capping years of discreet contacts between the two countries in commerce and technology. The so-called “Abraham Agreement”, announced by United States President Donald Trump on Thursday, secures an Israeli commitment to halt further annexation of Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank.”

“Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the U.S.-brokered deal a “dagger that was unjustly struck by the UAE in the backs of the Palestinian people and all Muslims.” Turkey said the peoples of the region “will never forget and will never forgive this hypocritical behavior” by the UAE.”

“Other Arab governments mostly stayed silent, as signs of anger from some of the region’s citizens trickled out. In Saudi Arabia, thousands of people posted messages on Twitter condemning the UAE’s move, under the hashtag “Normalization is treason.” A prominent political scientist in the UAE, also posted a reaction on Twitter: a crying emoji that tested the country’s strict rules forbidding dissent.”

“Several left-wing and liberal US Jewish organisations rejected an announcement by Israel and the United Arab Emirates that they plan to normalise relations, saying it was “nothing to celebrate”. “Until Israel is no longer oppressing Palestinians and violating their rights, building illegal settlements, maintaining an apartheid regime and attacking human rights defenders – Trump and Netanyahu’s latest ploy, aided and abetted by the UAE, is nothing more than theatrics,” Stefanie Fox, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace, told Middle East Eye on Thursday.”

“But Palestinians and progressive Jewish groups dismissed the reasoning put forward by the UAE, arguing that Israel had long been annexing land recognized as belonging to Palestinians under United Nations agreements. They said this agreement would simply end the formal annexation process launched by Netanyahu.”

“‘It’s tragic Netanyahu hasn’t seized the moment and hasn’t had the courage to extend sovereignty even over an inch of the Land of Israel,’ far-right leader Bennett says”

Also See: “Outraged by annexation halt, rightist leaders suggest time for Netanyahu to go” (The Times of Israel)

“”The fact that the UAE is championing that it was able to get Israel to sort of promise not to formally annex is really empty, and frankly shameful. They should know better, but they’re doing this for their own benefit,” said Amer Zahr, law professor and president of New Generation for Palestine. The Palestinian-American community has also largely asserted that regardless of Israel’s official position, it has for decades assumed de facto annexation over the West Bank through its occupation and continuous expansion of illegal settlements. “

“This is not a “historic peace agreement” but a repackaging of an ongoing reality of normalisation between the UAE and Israel against the backdrop of de facto annexation and occupation of Palestinian territories. Repackaging reality and selling it as a diplomatic breakthrough is a show we’ve seen from the Trump administration before. Deal of the century to sell apartheid anyone? It’s not diplomacy, its marketing spin. But, this is also not inconsequential business as usual. The UAE’s decision to proceed in this way is a dangerous precedent in the post-Arab Peace Initiative era, where official normalization has become possible despite continued Palestinian subjugation. Bahrain next? This is the latest in a long history of Arab leaders selling the Palestinian issue or manipulating the Palestinian struggle to further their own interests, from the very inception of the PLO on. Sadat? Two ways to read Bibi. 1. Annexation may have always been a house of mirrors. Now he can be rewarded for not annexing: peace for occupation. 2. This is an admission of defeat; he was unable to annex, and needs a shiny new object to detract attention…Two things are certain. First, this agreement is one more step in the effort to formalise a new vision for the Middle East that is even further away from the calls of the Arab street that resonated in 2011. Second, this is another indication that the Palestinian leadership remains a spectator to events that determine their fate, unable to influence the unfolding trends. And finally, after a whole lot of fanfare around annexation, where are we now? Everyone breathing a sigh of relief that Israel continues to control the same territory.”

“ 1) There is nothing “historic” or “groundbreaking” about this agreement: Israel & the UAE have been strong allies under the table for many years! This is merely making that friendship public (which is still interesting). Israel didn’t “halt” the annexation for the West Bank (annexation is ALREADY a de facto reality on the ground). Israel merely “suspended” its announcement of a reality it has already illegally imposed on Palestinians. It is FALSE to say Israel suspended it at the UAE’s request. Israel suspended (put off) its annexation announcement after realizing it was going to be costly to Israel, with many US Democrats threatening for the first time to cut off military aid to Israel. The suspension came long before this UAE deal was reached. The claim that the UAE deal is responsible for halting Israel’s annexation announcement is merely a PR stunt for the UAE government, which knows full well that normalization with Israel WHILE Israel continues to brutalize Palestinians is extremely unpopular in the region. The Arab Peace Initiative already promised full normalization of relations between Israel and all Arab countries in exchange for ending Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories to allow a tiny Palestinian state to exist. Israel rejected this generous offer. Some Arab governments see “the Palestinian cause” as a burden, feigning concern for their human rights while secretly working with Israel on “more important” partnerships: economic, intelligence, undermining Iran’s influences in the region…etc. Israel may be able to normalize w/these dictatorial governments w/out treating Palestinian like human beings who deserve basic rights, but Israel will never be truly accepted by the PEOPLE of the region so long as Palestinians live without freedom under the boot of occupation.”

“Now that Israel has magnanimously agreed to “suspend declaring sovereignty”, all can calmly get back to underwriting Israel’s tried-and-tested perpetual oppression of Palestinians: arbitrary killings, land theft, controlling every aspect of an entire people’s life. Biz-as-usual.”

“If that was presented as some kind of a balm for the Palestinians, many of them considered it, instead, a stab in the back or a dagger to the heart. The diplomatic coup for Israel ruptured decades of professed Arab unity around the Palestinian cause. It swapped one Palestinian nightmare — annexation, which many world leaders had warned would be an illegal land grab — for another, perhaps even bleaker prospect of not being counted at all. “This agreement is very damaging to the cause of peace,” said Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestinian mission to the United Kingdom, speaking from London, “because it takes away one of the key incentives for Israel to end its occupation — normalization with the Arab world. It basically tells Israel it can have peace with an Arab country,” he added, “in return for postponing illegal theft of Palestinian land.” “Whatever happens, I’m the only thing that needs to be resolved,” said Saeb Erekat, the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee and its veteran chief negotiator. Insisting that ultimately, the Palestinian question could not be dismissed or ignored, he added, “I’m the fact on the ground. I’m the real fact on the ground.”Further, Mr. Erekat noted, “There was never a single Emirati who fought the Israelis in any war. There’s no war between the Emirates and Israel.”

“But the fact that the agreement required nothing of Israel on the Palestinian front underscored a shift underway in at least parts of the Arab world.”

“Locally, Thursday’s event may block Israel’s sliding on the slippery slope to a fourth election campaign in less than two years. The settlers’ hue and cry about the death of sovereignty in the West Bank included a clear threat that they won’t vote for Likud. For them, this broken promise is one too many. Even they see there’s no more air left in this balloon.”

“But increasing Israel’s sense that its occupation of the Palestinians bears little cost makes diplomacy less viable for Palestinians and their supporters. Some countries, such as Turkey and Qatar, will likely move to identify themselves as the leaders in supporting the Palestinian cause, but that will do little to improve Palestinians’ ability to assert their claims diplomatically. The more certain Israel is that it can get the ties with the Arab world it covets without ending its occupation, the less incentive it has to do so. In the long run, Israel’s ongoing occupation and resistance to reaching a settlement that grants Palestinians their full and equal rights reinforces regional instability. This latest development puts more obstacles in the path of diplomacy, and eventually, that cannot lead to anything but violence.”

“Qatar is supposed to transfer $30 million to Hamas in Gaza, as it does every month. Furthermore, the Qatari envoy is also not keen on visiting Gaza until the atmosphere calms down, Haaretz has learnt. For the time being, intensive talks between Hamas and Israel using Qatar and Egypt as intermediaries have failed. On Friday morning, Israel struck Hamas sites in Gaza in retaliation for the launching of incendiary balloons, as it had on Thursday as well.”

“Israel launched airstrikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip for the third night in a row early Friday, the military said, as the government was said to be planning to step up its response to a spate of attacks using balloon-borne arson and explosive devices launched from the Strip into Israel in recent days.”

“The barrier acts mostly as a symbol, and does not really separate Israelis and Palestinians, because Palestinians travel past it all the time. Israel’s security system is relatively indifferent to this movement; it only cares that people don’t talk about it. The only purpose the separation barrier serves, says one of the retired officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, is to transform the Israeli mind — to create an illusion of separation.”

“With its groves of trees, wading pools and peacocks, Omer’s Farm stands opposite a site we visited recently, where Palestinians trying to build a new village are being sabotaged by settlers. A conversation with its owners”