In an interview conducted by i24News Middle East correspondent Adi Kopelwitz, Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi, a member of the UAE Federal Council, explained the perception of Israel in the Arab world, and the position of the UAE toward the Palestinians and its leaders.
Falasi declared that "the United Arab Emirates is committed to the Palestinian people, not to Hamas and the Palestinian Authority," which "are both corrupt and murderers," he said.
The UAE lawmaker explained during the interview that "the [Palestinian] anger towards the UAE was created because we stopped paying them. We want to pay and we will transfer funds to the [Palestinian] people – not to Hamas and not to the Palestinian Authority. "
When asked by i24News whether, in his opinion, now that the agreement has been signed, the United Arab Emirates will want to lead the mediation between Israel and the Palestinians, Falasi answered that "UAE does and has done enough," insisting that "the United Arab Emirates is committed to the cause: to the Palestinian people."
But "Not to Hamas and not to the PA. Both are corrupt; both are murderers."
"Now the anger towards the UAE, from both the PA and Hamas, has been created because we have stopped paying. We want to pay and we will pay the people. Not Hamas and the PA."
"As for Abbas," he continued, "Abbas is what we call in Arabic 'Tager Shanta,' which is a simple merchant walking around with his bag."
"He came here and he brought his son with him. His son handed out business cards: 'I'm this man's agent and this company's agent.' Are you coming to help the Palestinian people or to sell yourself, or your companies? We know all the dirty tricks they do," Falasi said.
"I think now the UAE has had enough [and] Saudi Arabia has had enough. But every time, they miss their chance by refusing to negotiate, and they lose more, and they lose more, and they lose more.""Now I think it's time for them to sit and negotiate," declared Falasi.
Kopelwitz then asked him his opinion on the Qatari money transfer policy to the Palestinian Authority over the past two years.
'It's terrorism and they are funding it," he replied, asking the reporter rhetorically in return: "is it terrorist financing or not? By law, if you fund them - it is considered that you are financing terrorism.
"I think they're so deeply involved in [terrorism] that they cannot stop now," Falasi added. "It's a cow and they milk it."
"Qatar always paid Hamas and this situation will turn against them," he said.
"You have in Qatar now the leadership of Hamas, the leadership of the Taliban, and the most dangerous - the Muslim Brotherhood - whose leadership sits there," he explained.
"Hamas is the armed arm of both the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards. Turkey is there, too. This 'cocktail' is dangerous."
Falasi said that, according to him, the way to fight terrorism is to drain the sources of funding.
"Once you do that, you will eradicate terrorism."
"We know that Hamas is a terrorist," he concluded. "If you stop the money, it will not last."