Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed said Wednesday he was disappointed by the US administration for failing to use the term "Abraham Accords" to refer to the normalization deal between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel.
In an interview with the Israeli Walla News portal in Abu Dhabi, bin Zayed said the Americans are not against the UAE-Israel normalization deal.
"Can you say it for me, please?" @APDiploWriter asked.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) June 5, 2021
"Of course, I can say the term, Abraham Accords," @StateDeptSpox said. "But we call them normalization agreements." https://t.co/V0x7m7X3sf
“We love it and you love it, so what is their problem (US administration),” he wondered. "We are talking about a problem related to history, culture, and religion, so part of the solution can be through a work that combines history, culture, and religion.”
US media reports earlier said that the State Department has discouraged officials and employees from referring to the normalization deals as the “Abraham Accords”. However, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken used the “Abraham Accords” term on Sunday during his meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
The former administration of Donald Trump called the normalization deals signed in September between the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel the “Abraham Accords”.
Bin Zayed said he believes in the ability to enhance relations between the UAE and Israel, stressing that the challenge remains on how to include the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinians in the normalization process.
He called on the Israeli authorities to address the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and to avoid any reckless moves in Jerusalem.
UAE's Foreign Minister @ABZayed tells @BarakRavid that he is frustrated by the Biden Administration's continued refusal to use the term "Abraham Accords".
— Gabriel Noronha (@GLNoronha) June 30, 2021
So @StateDeptSpox, how exactly are you advancing peace in the Middle East through your "normalization agreements"? https://t.co/FhoibufXWW
Early on Wednesday, Lapid inaugurated an Israeli consulate in Dubai, one day after opening his country’s embassy in Abu Dhabi.
The Palestinians have decried the normalization deals with Israel as a “betrayal” of their cause.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
