Erdogan said that Turkey may cut diplomatic ties with the UAE and withdraw its ambassador over its plans to work with Israel, Reuters reported.
“Neither history nor the collective conscience of the region will ever forget and forgive the hypocritical behavior of the UAE, which is trying to depict the deal as a sacrifice for Palestine, when in reality it is a betrayal to the Palestinian cause for its own narrow interests,” the Turkish Ministry said in a statement on Friday. according to Aljazeera.
“The move against Palestine is not a step that can be stomached. Now, Palestine is either closing or withdrawing its embassy. The same thing is valid for us now,” Erdogan said, per Reuters.
The Foreign Ministry said that the UAE are trying to abolish the 2002 Arab Peace Plan, which called for a normalization of relations between Israel and other Arab nations in exchange for Israel withdrawing from all occupied Palestinian Territories.
Erdogan also said he is considering recalling Turkey’s UAE ambassador, according to NBC4 Washington.
The historic peace deal was brokered by President Donald Trump and says that Israel and the UAE will cooperate on coronavirus vaccine research and begin negotiations for investment, tourism and trade between the two nations. It also stipulates reciprocal embassies. (RELATED: Kushner: ‘Very Good Chance’ More Israel Peace Deals Will Be Announced Before Election)
Joint Statement of the United States, the State of Israel, and the United Arab Emirates pic.twitter.com/oVyjLxf0jd
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2020
Israel will also suspend annexation over the West Bank, specifically Judea and Samaria, according to The Jerusalem Post. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s not giving up on Israeli sovereignty in those areas for good.
“It’s on the table because of me. Trump put sovereignty into his peace plan because I asked for it, but in the first place I said again and again that we would only implement sovereignty in coordination with the US,” according to The Jerusalem Post.