Palestinians had seen it coming for years. The deal which the United Arab Emirates recently signed with Israel not only renders Palestinians hopeless but also makes them even more unaware of what the future might hold for them. But that is just one side of the story.

The “stab in the back” which Palestinians say has crushed their hopes of getting a fair response from the Arab world has many facets. Both regional powerhouses penned an agreement on August 13, paving the way for the normalization of diplomatic ties. After Egypt’s 1979 Peace Treaty and Jordan’s 1994 Agreement, the UAE has become only the 3rd Arab state to normalize ties with Israel.

How Was the Deal Made?

The deal was in the workings for years. Officials involved in the formulation of the agreement known as the Abraham Accord, say cohesion between both sides started picking up pace in February last year during the Mideast Conference in Poland. The main idea behind this deal in the long-run is to strengthen the UAE in terms of security to fight the battle along with ally Saudi Arabia against Iran’s regional influence.

The immediate propositions of this pact will see bilateral direct flights, scientific cooperation, and the establishment of concrete business ties. According to the UAE government, the deal will halt Israel’s annexation plans for parts of the West Bank and will give both sides a chance to negotiate a renewed peace plan.

But one might wonder how efficient these plans actually are?

Israel has shown little to no interest in harmonizing relations. Attacks are still being conducted on a daily basis, the United States embassy was also moved to Jerusalem last year and the Peace Plan was rejected by Palestinians as being “one-sided.” This time around, even the Muslim world remains divided over the stance taken by the UAE.

On one side are countries like Jordan and Egypt which have hailed the deal as a stepping stone to bring peace for the Palestinian cause. On the other, are allies Turkey and Iran which have strongly rejected the deal, saying the UAE has betrayed the Palestinian cause by siding with the Israelis.

International Response to the Abraham Accord

Let’s take a look at how exactly the Muslim world has responded to this political change. To get a better picture let’s divide them into two groups; Pro-deal and Anti-deal groups. Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Oman along with some European countries are the ones who have applauded the deal. Turkey, Iran, Qatar, Pakistan, Malaysia and Kuwait are the ones which have strongly criticized the deal.

Jordan and Egypt released a statement following the confirmation of the normalization of ties. Egyptian President Sisi welcomed the deal, saying it would help bring peace to the Middle East. Jordan’s Foreign Minister Safadi also lauded the agreement saying the deal was an incentive to end occupation once and for all.

Spain, Germany, France and the United Kingdom have also appreciated the effort made by both sides with all agreeing that if the deal is put through, there could be a much more peaceful Middle East which in turn will enable peace between Israel and Palestine once and for all.

Turkey on the other hand said the UAE was playing a dangerous role and President Recep Erdoğan even threatened to call his ambassador back to Ankara from Abu Dhabi. It added that the UAE must remain committed to the 2002 Arab Peace Plan developed by the Arab league. Iran, which is also considered to be a pivotal actor in the deal, termed the move “strategic stupidity.” While Oman backed the normalization of ties between both sides, Morocco released a statement with Prime Minister El Othmani saying that the rights of the Palestinians are a “red line” for his government.

Non-state actors such as Hamas and Hezbollah have also denounced the deal saying it will further increase tensions and bloodshed in Palestine. Pakistan and Qatar have also strongly rejected the deal with the Pakistani government saying it will respond according to the conditions of the Palestinians and how well they are treated by the accord. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry also added that Palestinians must be given their full legitimate rights and the right to self-determination.

What Does the Future Hold for the Volatile Region?

While it’s apparent that the West has welcomed this deal between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, they might have, in one way or the other, overlooked the real components of this deal. I believe that if the deal is actually to improve the living conditions of Palestinians, to stop annexation and to bring peace and stability in the region, both sides must work hard to achieve that. If the UAE is gaining better diplomatic relations and transfer of resources, then it should also comply with the peace plan and make sure to secure rights of Palestinians in order to legitimize Palestinians and secure a better future for them.

L'articolo Is the UAE-Israel Deal an Actual ‘Stab in the Back’ for Palestinians? proviene da InsideOver.

United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock was able to breathe a sigh of relief this week as he announced that Saudi Arabia was finally going big on a multimillion-dollar pledge to tackle Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.

For weeks, Lowcock had complained that Saudi and the United Arab Emirates, who head a military coalition fighting in Yemen’s civil war, had only paid a fraction of the combined $1.5 billion they promised for the turbulent country in February.

On Monday, Lowcock, the UN’s emergency relief coordinator said a recent UAE payment of $200m and a pending Saudi transfer of $500m would help fight cholera and provide food, water and other supplies to some 24m aid-dependent Yemenis.

While the new funds will keep life-saving aid schemes running a few more months, humanitarian experts told Inside Over that Saudi and UAE pledges and payments should be seen in the context of their military operations in Yemen.

Jeremy Konyndyk, an Obama-era US aid chief, and Aisha Jumaan, a Yemen aid coordinator, said that by over-pledging funding and then under-delivering the cash had helped push millions of Yemenis closer to the brink of famine.

Abu Dhabi and Riyadh launched military operations in Yemen in 2015, hoping for a quick victory over the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and to restore the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Konyndyk, who headed USAID’s Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance during the Obama administration, told Inside Over that “pledging bait and switch” by Saudi and the UAE undercuts UN aid projects in Yemen.

By failing to deliver on funding promises, the UN is “left in the lurch” and has to abandon life-saving schemes, said Konyndyk, now a policy analyst at the Center for Global Development, a think tank.

“The Saudi strategy isn’t explicitly designed to make the Yemeni population suffer, but the suffering of the Yemeni population is a byproduct of the strategy that they are completely willing to accept,” said Konyndyk.

“The idea is to choke off enough of the economy to weaken the Houthis and strengthen the hand of the coalition. And, if the Houthis are put under enough pressure, they will buckle.”

Konyndyk did not accuse Riyadh of malice but described a “Byzantine bureaucracy” with competing political, military and humanitarian agendas that result in more “capricious and politicised” decision-making than is found with traditional Western donors.

“The Saudi government really wants to get good PR from the aid that it provides for Yemen. At certain levels of their government, there is more interest in the PR bump they get than from the actual good” of aid work undertaken, said Konyndyk.

Jumaan, founder and president of the Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation, an aid group, went further, describing a Saudi-UAE strategy to deliberately hurt ordinary Yemenis in rebel-held areas in a hope that they rise against the Houthis.

“It’s a war tactic; it’s not accidental. Its part of their starvation warfare on Yemeni people,” Jumaan told Inside Over. “The Saudis pledge for Yemen but they never pay up. By pledging, they deter other countries from make pledges themselves.”

At the pledging meet in February, the two Gulf monarchies each promised $750 million to Yemen. In July, a UN tracking system showed that Saudi had paid only $121.7m while the UAE had handed over about $195m of that sum.

“Yemen should get unconditional funds. They also should get it promptly with UN agencies having to beg for it. It should come without strings attached or favours. Better yet, the coalition blockade on Yemen should be lifted,” added Jumaan.

Neither the UAE nor Saudi Arabia’s mission to the UN answered Inside Over’s interview requests. Previously, both Gulf governments have rowed with the UN over how much money they routed through the world body.

The long-running war, widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has left more than two-thirds of Yemenis needing aid, forced millions of people from their homes, and killed tens of thousands more.

Pre-dawn strikes on Saudi oil facilities on Saturday, to which the Houthis claimed responsibility but which the United States blamed on Iran, have raised tensions in an already-turbulent region and raised the prospects of a broader conflict.

Iran has repeatedly denied organising the September 14 raids, which hit the world’s biggest crude oil processing facility and initially knocked out half of the output from Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading oil exporter.

L'articolo Saudi and UAE Aid Delays A ‘War Tactic’ in Yemen proviene da InsideOver.