Settlers slammed the agreement announced on Thursday to normalize relations between Israel and the UAE which was reached after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to halt his plans to annex parts of the West Bank.
he United Arab Emirates will launch full diplomatic ties with Israel in an agreement that will see Jerusalem halt its plans for annexation of West Bank land, the leaders of Israel, the UAE and U.S. said
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President Trump and his team announce the normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE
(Photo: AFP)
"The settlers were taken for a ride," Shai Alon, Mayor of the West Bank settlement said, "Our future is in Judea and Samaria and in the courageous decisions our leaders must take and not in agreements that are not worth the paper they are written on.
The Mayor of Har Hebron Regional Council, Yochai Damri also condemned the agreement claiming the land of Israel cannot be the subject of negotiations.
"I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fulfill his promise to extend Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, made to millions of his voters. No normalization of relations can come at the expense of half a million Jewish settlers.
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Prime Minister Netanyahu vows to annex parts of the West Bank ahead of the March 2020 elections
(Photo: Reuters)
Yossi Dagan a leading member of Netanyahu's Likud party called the move a stab in the back of the settlement movement.
But not all settlers agree, the Mayor of the settlement of Efrat, Oded Revivi claimed the suspension of annexation in order to clear the way for diplomatic relations with the UAE is a fair price to pay.
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Prime Minister Netanyahu with settlers during his election campaign in February 2020
(Photo: GPO)
"I am certain that the change in perception of settlements, no longer seen as impediments to a future peace deal, will continue and we must prepare ourselves to eventual Israeli sovereignty over the area," Revivi said.