The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is extremely outraged by today’s announcement of normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This agreement comes with little surprise as the world is mostly silent about the suffering and oppression faced by Palestinian people. We want to make our stance clear- any negotiations or agreements between Palestine and Israel must be based on relevant U.N. Resolutions and International Laws. Today’s actions circumvent Palestinian efforts towards true self-determination, freedom, and an end to the Israeli occupation. This agreement does not take into consideration the demands of the Palestinian people and ignores U.N. Resolutions and International Laws that have deemed Israeli settlements illegal.
As a civil rights organization, our commitment is to justice and freedom first and foremost. ADC will continue to support Palestinians and defend their right to self-determination and freedom from occupation. Today’s agreement does not address the many human rights violations of the Israeli occupation and further normalizes an apartheid state. Netanyahu’s false promise of suspended expansion efforts have not been negotiated with Palestinians and thus will be ineffective on the ground. The Trump administration’s celebration of this agreement reflects his known contempt for pro- Palestinian activists and organizations, and we fear that he will use this to further silence criticism of Israel. ADC rejects Trump’s claims that Arabs must accept normalization with Israel in order for Middle East peace to advance. We see this as a racist and baseless statement. Israeli home demolitions, land confiscation, settlement expansion and annexation of Arab land is what stands in the way of normalization.
This agreement only gives cover for Israel to quietly further its intended settlement expansionist policies While Netanyahu is giving up actual annexation, he is continuing de facto annexation by destroying Palestinian homes, displacing countless more families, and stealing more land. This means today’s promise of halting annexation is empty and invalid. Instead, this is a political move for Netanyahu and a way for him to save face in front of the international community. This will not end the occupation’s disastrous effects and only gives Israel the legitimacy to further erase Palestinians and Palestine under what now looks like a peaceful and diplomatic agreement.
Make no mistake this agreement is not peaceful nor diplomatic. ADC strongly stands against the normalization of racism, injustice, and apartheid of any oppressed people. We will continue advocating for Palestinian rights and raising awareness on the ongoing human rights violations committed by the Israeli occupation.