Iran and Turkey harshly criticized the United Arab Emirates for their deal with Israel this week, framing it as an act of treason against Palestinians and Muslims.
The historic UAE-Israel, mediated by the US and considered a major triumph for foreign policy for President Trump, would make the UAE the third Arab country, behind Egypt and Jordan, to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel.
The UAE would also be the first state of the Gulf region to have such a settlement with Israel.
QANTA AHMED: ISRAEL-UAE AGREEMENT WILL REALLY LEARN WITH ARABLE NATIONS TO RECOGNIZE JEWISH STATES
The deal, which Trump announced Thursday, follows years of peace and improved relations between the UAE and Israel. It calls for broader cooperation between the two peoples on trade, travel, tourism and other areas.
But in statements following the announcement, officials in both Iran and Turkey mocked the agreement as a step backwards for the Middle East.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the agreement a “dagger that was unjustly slapped by the UAE on the backs of the Palestinian people and all Muslims,” according to The Associated Press.
Turkish officials said the people of the region “will never forget and will never forgive” this hypocritical behavior “by the UAE.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that the UAE had no right to handle the deal on behalf of the Palestinians.
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR O’BRIEN SET TRUMP WINS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE TO ISRAEL, UAE ANNOUNCE DEAL
Trump described the deal as a “HUGE breakthrough” in a Twitter message Thursday morning – and later predicted that the agreement could stimulate other, similar deals between other countries in the Middle East.
“We’re already discussing this with other nations,” Trump said. “You will probably see others of these.”
The deal also received praise from former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee who is expected to run for the White House in November.
Biden praised the move as “a historic step to bridge the deep divides of the Middle East”, and the UAE’s offer to “publicly recognize the state of Israel is a welcome, courageous and much needed state” of stateliness.
“It is a critical recognition that Israel is a vibrant, integral part of the Middle East that is here to stay,” Biden added. “Israel can and will be a valued strategic and economic partner for all who welcome it.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the agreement as the “greatest progress towards peace” in the region in two decades.
Israel, the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries have drawn closer in recent years, in part because of the common view of Iran as a potential regional threat, the AP reported.
Turkey has previously had cordial relations with Israel, but changed its position under President Tayyip Erdogan, who has positioned his nation as a supporter of the Palestinians, the AP reported.
Brooke Singman and Barnini Chakraborty and The Associated Press have contributed to this story.
