Turkey, Iran condemn UAE-Israel deal as 'betrayal' of Palestinians

Turkey and Iran on Friday condemned a landmark normalisation deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause.

"While betraying the Palestinian cause to serve its narrow interests, the UAE is trying to present this as a kind of act of self-sacrifice for Palestine," Turkey's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"History and the conscience of the people living in the region will not forget and never forgive this hypocritical behaviour." 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has positioned himself as a strong advocate of Palestinian rights who has long criticised Israeli policies in the West Bank.

He accused several Arab counties in January of committing "treason" by backing US President Donald Trump's controversial Middle East peace plan.

The foreign ministry said it was "extremely worrying that the UAE, through its unilateral action, put an end to the Arab Peace Initiative developed by the Arab League and backed by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation".

Iran issued a similar statement, with its foreign ministry calling the normalising of ties "shameful".

"The UAE government and other accompanying governments must accept responsibility for all the consequences of this action," the statement added.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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