Palestinian resistance movements slam US-Israeli-Arab summit

ByNews Desk- The Cradle

Regional resistance movements say the summit is an attempt by Israel to change its image

A poster promoting the summit between Israel, the US, and the four Arab countries (Photo credit: Times of Israel).

Various Palestinian resistance groups on 27 March condemned Arab nations that are currently participating in an Israeli government-organized summit in the Israeli kibbutz town of Sde Boker in the Negev region.

The two-day diplomatic conference has brought together the foreign ministers of Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Morocco. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also attending the summit.

The summit is widely viewed as a meeting of the signatories of the so-called Abraham Accords which normalized relations between Israel and four Arab countries in 2020. Apart from Egypt, all the Arab countries that are attending the summit are signatories of the US-brokered normalization deal.

Palestinian resistance movements have reacted angrily to the summit.

Hamas has described the meeting as another attempt to force the normalization agenda on the Arab people. The Gaza-headquartered resistance group said the summit does not serve the interests of the people of the region who remain steadfast in their opposition to the normalization of ties with Israel.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said the meeting “reflects the loss of the Arab identity of those who chose to be part of the enemy’s normalization project.”

The PIJ added that it was insensitive for the ministers of the four Arab nations to attend the summit at a time when Israel continues to occupy Arab territories and oppress the people of Palestine.

Despite opposition from their citizens, a number of Arab leaders have in recent years made numerous attempts to strengthen ties between their countries and Tel Aviv.

On 21 March, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi hosted Israeli Prime Minister Naftali for a trilateral summit with UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

At the summit, the three sides discussed how the restoration of diplomatic ties between various Arab states and Syria can be used to pressure President Bashar al-Assad to ask Iranian forces to leave Syria.