[ad_1]
Ongoing relations between Israel and various Arab and Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africa would raise concerns among Palestinian Authority officials, fearing that support for their cause will diminish among allies.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's senior advisor, Nabil Shaath, told Haaretz on Monday that Ramallah was seeking to hold emergency sessions for the Arab League and the Organization of Cooperation. Islamic, fearing that countries like Chad, Sudan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are getting closer. towards normalization with Jerusalem – relations that would thwart the resolutions adopted by the two federative bodies.
"There are a number of Arab and Islamic resolutions and declarations stating explicitly that there will be no normalization process with Israel without a settlement of the Palestinian problem based on the Arab Peace Initiative. and the decisions of the international community, "Shaath told Haaretz. .
Receive the daily edition of the Times of Israel by email and never miss our best stories
Free registration
At the last Arab League summit in April, member countries signed a declaration in which they pledged not to conclude reconciliation agreements without an agreed solution to the Palestinian issue.
Nabil Shaath's address to reporters in Ramallah, West Bank, on October 1, 2011. (Issam Rimawi / Flash 90)
"What we have seen in recent weeks – starting with Netanyahu 's visit to Oman and by the Chadian president to Israel, and now we are talking about Bahrain and Sudan and links of a kind or of a kind. another with Saudi Arabia – raises interrogation points, and so it is necessary to clarify the Arab and Islamic position, "said Shaath.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Chadian President Idriss Deby for a historic visit to the Jewish state, laying the groundwork for normalizing relations with the countries of Sudan, Mali and Niger to Muslim majority, according to a report published Sunday on Channel 10, Israel.
Deby told Israeli leaders in Jerusalem that he wished to restore diplomatic relations.
According to other reports, Israel is also working to normalize its relations with Bahrain, as Jerusalem steps up its efforts to forge more open relations with the Arab world in the context of changing alliances in the Middle East. East, motivated by common concerns vis-à-vis Iran.
Netanyahu has for years spoken of the warming of relations between Israel and the Arab world, citing not only Iran as a common enemy, but also the interest of many countries to cooperate with Israel on security and security issues. defense, as well as Israel's growing high technology industry.
Last month, Oman welcomed the Israeli prime minister on a surprise visit, a sign of apparent progress in improving relations between Israel and the Gulf states.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) prepares to shake hands with Chadian President Idriss Deby during their joint statements in Jerusalem on November 25, 2018. (RONEN ZVULUN / POOL / AFP)
At a press conference with Deby Sunday, Netanyahu said that "there will be soon other visits of this type in Arab countries", without providing details.
Netanyahu said on Monday that recent signs of a diplomatic swarm for Israel were manifesting itself without Jerusalem having to make concessions on settlements in the West Bank.
"We are opening the world," he told his Likud faction on Monday. "Israel is experiencing an unprecedented diplomatic boom, including in the Arab world … and in the Muslim world."
Netanyahu pointed out that previous leaders had tried to reinforce Israel's international reputation with "dangerous concessions, including uprooting communities," referring to the 2005 disengagement plan of former prime minister Ariel Sharon, in which all the settlements of the Gaza Strip had been dismantled.
"It did not happen – and it will not happen – with me," Netanyahu said. "It's exactly the opposite is happening. We enjoy the support of the world, including from many countries in the Arab world, through our strong and unwavering position.
"We believe in peace in our strength, we believe in alliances born of the value of Israel as a technological, financial, defense and intelligence power," he added. "This is what we will continue to do, and it is also the way we will achieve peace."
If Shaath noted that the thaw in relations between Israel and the traditional sponsors of Ramallah had not yet reached the level of full diplomatic relations, he referred to "the beginning of a worrying process that must be stopped".
Shaath argued that these regional developments are part of the ongoing split of the Trump government with the Palestinian Authority, which the Palestinian Authority says Washington is seeking to further isolate by encouraging various Arab and Muslim countries to improve their relations. with Israel. The Palestinian Authority has boycotted the Trump administration since it recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital last year and moved its embbady in May.
The Palestinian Authority said it hoped to convene emergency conferences on these issues, but acknowledged that most of the efforts of the regional powers are being used to address the issue of reconciliation between Abbas's Fatah and the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza, which have long been unresolved. opportunities.
[ad_2]
Source link
