UAE hits back at Israel deal critics: 'Nothing but fear and hate'

The UAE took to Twitter to accuse Iran, Qatar and Turkey in particular of being wedded to a worldview defined by conflict and antisemitism.

By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDS
Supporters of the Palestine Foundation Pakistan (PLF) chant slogans as they carry a banner in support of Palestinian people to condemn the diplomatic agreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, during a protest in Karachi, Pakistan August 21, 2020 (photo credit: REUTERS/AKHTAR SOOMRO)
Supporters of the Palestine Foundation Pakistan (PLF) chant slogans as they carry a banner in support of Palestinian people to condemn the diplomatic agreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, during a protest in Karachi, Pakistan August 21, 2020
(photo credit: REUTERS/AKHTAR SOOMRO)
The United Arab Emirates' US embassy hit back at the critics of its recent deal with Israel, taking to Twitter to slam Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Hamas and Hezbollah, among others, for their negativity.
In a series of Tweets posted to the UAE Embassy US account, the Gulf state accused its critics of speaking "nothing but fear and hate," adding "their rants say something about what kind of world they want to see."
The Tweets were illustrated with examples of some of the criticism the deal has drawn from states and organizations in the Middle East. Among them was a quote by the Turkish Foreign Ministry which commented that "the consciences of the peoples of the region will never forgive the hypocritical behavior of the UAE, which betrayed the Palestinian cause."
Similarly, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran considers Abu Dhabi's shameful move to normalize relations with the fake, illegitimate and anti-humane Zionist regime as a dangerous measure. ... The Emirati government and the other governments siding with it must accept responsibility for all of the consequences of this move."
But the UAE pushed back, accusing the critical voices of not being interested in coexistence and regional stability.

The UAE's criticism was not limited to governments and paramilitary organizations. Media outlets also came in for rebuke, among them Al Jazeera English, which the UAE described as a "Qatar State-Controlled News Service."

In another tweet, the UAE commented: "The UAE-Israel peace accord was widely welcomed in the US and around the world. And then there were the critics: Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Hamas, Hezbollah and others. Their rants say something about what kind of world they want to see," before going on to highlight analyses by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), showing that the main critics had been linked to three sources: Iran, the Palestinians, and Qatar.
The MEMRI report quoted Saudi journalist Mishari al-Dhaidi praising the agreement between the UAE and Israel, comparing it to article in the Qatari daily Al-Sharq, titled "...This Is How The Palestinian Cause Became A Pawn In The Hands Of Bin Zayed." In that article, the Qataris harshly criticized the UAE for describing Hamas as a terrorist organization, and for accusing Hamas of holding the people of Gaza hostage. "In this context, it is impossible to ignore the UAE's campaigns of maligning and renouncing the Palestinian cause," the article read.

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Meanwhile, a report for the ADL by David Andrew Weinberg noted: "Peace always has its opponents, and this agreement is no exception. [...] The vast majority of these materials [criticizing the deal] come from media outlets linked to one of three sources: Iran (or its proxies), the Palestinians, and Qatar.  Although the subset of these examples linked to Iran tends to be the most extreme, certain materials from all three places seem to be fundamentally hostile to Israel or propagate intolerant stereotypes."


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