Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he did not drop what he described as sovereignty over the West Bank from his agenda in exchange for reaching an agreement with the Emirates, while Palestinian and Arab reactions continued to condemn what it described as the UAE's betrayal.

"I said that we will extend our sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, and there is no change in my plan in this regard," Netanyahu said in statements following the announcement on Thursday of an agreement to normalize relations between Israel and the UAE.

He continued, "I warned and said that imposing sovereignty in the West Bank would be in agreement with the United States, and I made it clear that doing so without American support would harm the settlements and Israel ... Now the US President requested that Israel wait in the application of sovereignty. Today we achieved the agreement with the UAE, but I did not agree to write off it." Sovereignty plan. "

Freeze not write off

Washington confirmed what Netanyahu said, as US President Donald Trump asked his ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, in front of journalists, about the Israeli plan to annex land in the West Bank, and the latter said, “The word freeze has been carefully chosen by all parties, and the word freeze means a temporary halt. The matter is not on the table now. But that will not last. "

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, when announcing the normalization of relations with Israel, said that he had agreed with Trump and Netanyahu in a phone call to stop Israel's annexation of the Palestinian territories.

On the other hand, Netanyahu thanked the Arab parties in support of the agreement, writing on Twitter today, Friday, "I thank the Egyptian President Al-Sisi and the Omani and Bahraini governments for supporting the historic peace agreement between Israel and the UAE that expands the circle of peace and benefits the entire region."

I thank the Egyptian President # Sisi @AlsisiOfficial and the Omani and Bahraini governments for supporting the historic peace agreement between Israel and the UAE that expands the circle of peace and benefits the entire region.

- Benjamin Netanyahu (@Israelipm_ar) August 14, 2020

On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron joined those who welcome the agreement today, saying that it is a "bold decision on the part of the UAE."

"I hope that he will contribute to establishing a just and lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians," Macron wrote on Twitter, noting that he had said this to Trump, Netanyahu and Mohammed bin Zayed.

Palestinian anger

Meanwhile, the Palestinians at the popular, official and factional levels continued to express their anger at the Emirati-Israeli agreement, which they described as a "betrayal" of Palestine and Jerusalem.

Palestinians marched across the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Friday to protest against the agreement. Protesters in Nablus and Hebron burned pictures and dolls of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the US President and the Israeli Prime Minister, and some also burned the UAE flag.

Reuters also monitored manifestations of anger among worshipers on the Temple Mount, and quoted Kamal Atoun (60 years), a merchant in Jerusalem, as saying, "Our brothers in the Emirates have put our blessed mosque in the grip of the courtyard."

The head of the Endowments Council in Jerusalem, Sheikh Abdel-Azim Salhab, said in an interview with Reuters by phone, “We would love for all Muslims to come to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, but not through Ben Gurion Airport ... We say that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is open to all Muslims and we do not accept that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque be in the balance of political disputes. ".

Earlier, the Palestinian Authority described the Emirati-Israeli agreement as a "betrayal" of the Palestinian cause, and called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League to condemn it, and announced that its ambassador to Abu Dhabi would be summoned "immediately."