The Arab League on Wednesday refused to endorse a Palestinian draft resolution condemning the United Arab Emirates for its normalization agreement with Israel, Jerusalem Post reported Friday.
The proposal was presented by the Palestinians to a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers, and Palestinian officials said some Arab countries objected to it.
After the Israel-UAE deal was announced, the Palestinian Authority called on Arab states to reject the agreement and said it had not authorized anyone to speak on its behalf.
The Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad Malki, speaking to the ministers' meeting by videoconference, thanked some Arab countries for not moving toward establishing ties with Israel.
Tensions between the Palestinians and some Gulf states have risen sharply following the agreement's announcement.
Last month, the Arab League turned down a PA request to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the deal. The Palestinians have denounced it as a "stab in the back" and a "betrayal of al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem and the Palestinian issue."
The Arab League then said the accord, along with other issues, would be discussed by the foreign ministers at their ordinary meeting, which took place on Wednesday, the JP said.
Palestinian officials have accused some Gulf States of foiling the plan to hold the emergency meeting and also accused them of thwarting a Palestinian draft resolution to condemn the UAE for normalizing ties with Israel. They called on other Arab countries not to follow suit.
Malki demanded to know whether Arab countries remain committed to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which says that the Arab states will normalize relations with Israel after a Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 lines.
In his speech, Malki also said that some Arab states had cut financial aid to the Palestinians at the behest of the US administration.
Malki also stated that the Israel-UAE deal "recognizes occupied Jerusalem as Israeli territory." The deal, he said, was an "earthquake that undermines joint Arab action" and put the Palestinians on the defensive.
"Instead of placating us... we have found ourselves in a situation where we have had to defend ourselves and our cause. We have even become the troublemakers," Malki said.
Arab League condemns Turkish military operation in N. Iraq
The Arab League on Wednesday condemned the Turkish military operation in northern Iraq, saying it constitutes "unacceptable and deplorable" violation of Iraq's sovereignty and international law.
The military operations on Iraqi soil increased tension between Turkey and Iraq, said a statement by the pan-Arab body, calling on Ankara to stop such practices and respect the Iraqi sovereignty.
At least 26 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been killed during Turkey's new ground and air cross-border offensive into northern Iraq launched on Monday, according to Turkey's Defense Ministry.
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