The Arab League rejected on Wednesday a Palestinian proposal condemning the normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, a Palestinian diplomatic source said on Wednesday according to Middle East news agencies.
According to the source, both the Palestinians and Arab countries agreed to exclude a clear condemnation of the UAE-Israel deal, he said.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that the peace plan included in the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which conditions normalization with Israel on complete withdrawal to pre-1967 borders, remains the basic plan agreed upon by the Arabs to achieve a comprehensive and just peace between the Palestinians and Israel.
The diplomatic source said some Arab states, however, attempted to add some provisions to give a form of legitimacy to the normalization deal. He did not name these countries.
“In response, Palestine presented a draft resolution that condemns the UAE-Israel normalization deal,” the source said. “The Arab countries, however, voted down the draft."
Earlier on Wednesday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki called on the Arab countries to reject the UAE-Israel normalization deal.
On Aug. 13, the UAE and Israel announced a U.S.-brokered agreement to normalize relations, including opening mutual embassies. The two Middle East states are set to sign the official agreement at the White House on September 13.