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Hamas blasts rush by Arab states to normalize ‘israel’ ties

A Hamas spokesman has accused some Arab states of rushing to normalize relations with Israel, which is engaged in stoking anti-Muslim sentiment and desecrating Muslim sacred sites.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem said Thursday the Arab states are desperately attempting to advance ties with Tel Aviv at a time when the Israelis are hurting the religious sentiments of the Palestinian people and Muslims.

He went onto say that a series of recent mass break-ins into the al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of extremist Jewish settlers reflected “utter contempt for the feelings of the Arab and Muslim nations around the world.”

The spokesman also said an unconditional support by the administration of US President Donald Trump has emboldened Israel to violate Palestinian rights in keeping with its occupation agenda in the region.

The spokesman stressed that the Palestinian people, however, would continue to protect holy sites and uphold their struggle until the removal of the occupation from their entire land.

Senior Hamas leaders, in recent months, have repeatedly said moves by certain Arab regimes to normalize relations with Israel constitute a “stab in the back” of the Palestinian people and their cause.

Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas political bureau, earlier strongly condemned the US-led conference in Bahrain in support of President Donald Trump’s controversial “deal of the century,” saying it amounted to Arab “normalization” of ties with Israel.

PressTV-Hamas slams Israeli normalization, Bahrain conference

Hamas slams Israeli normalization, Bahrain conferenceThe Palestinian resistance movement rejects any normalization of relations with Israel.

The Israeli regime has already re-launched a “virtual embassy” in a bid to “promote dialogue” with the Persian Gulf Arab states.

In August, Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said he was working toward “transparent normalization and signed agreements” with a number of Persian Gulf littoral states as the countries do not shy away from disclosing their clandestine relations with Tel Aviv following years of secretive contacts.

Netanyahu in late November last year visited Oman, where he met Sultan Sayyid Qaboos at the Bait al-Barakah Royal Palace in the coastal city of Seeb near the capital Muscat.

On October 26 last year, Israeli culture and sports minister Miri Regev traveled to the UAE to accompany Israel’s judo team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam 2018. Her visit to the UAE marked the first of its kind by an Israeli minister to a Persian Gulf littoral state.

Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi have no diplomatic ties and the UAE does not recognize Israel, but the two sides have increased backchannel cooperation in recent years.

There have been numerous reports of growing contacts between Saudi and Israeli officials too.

Among Arab countries, Israel has diplomatic relations only with Egypt and Jordan.

In December 2017, Trump officially declared the disputed city of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital,” despite warnings from around the world that the measure would risk triggering a fresh wave of violence in the Middle East.

Later in May 2018, the United States officially announced the opening of its new embassy in Jerusalem al-Quds amid deadly Israeli crackdown on peaceful protests by Palestinians in the occupied territories.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in May strongly condemned Trump’s controversial proposal, saying it translates into Washington’s recognition of the Israeli regime’s apartheid in the occupied Palestinian territories.

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