Déjà Vu: PA Again Rejects UAE Coronavirus Aid Transferred via Israel

For the second time in three weeks, the Palestinian Authority has rejected coronavirus-related aid from the United Arab Emirates that arrived in Israel aboard an Etihad Airways flight. “We refuse to receive [the humanitarian goods] because it was coordinated directly between Israel and [Abu Dhabi],” Palestinian Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh was quoted as saying. For his part, Yuval Rotem, director-general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, tweeted: “Proud of @IsraelMFA’s role in facilitating the arrival of the @etihad cargo plane. We hope that future ETIHAD flights landing here will be carrying #UAE tourists.” The second aircraft arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport on Tuesday, but unlike the first, it was not painted uniformly white, instead exhibiting the Etihad logo and the UAE flag. The PA last month similarly rejected some 16 tons of medical supplies over concerns that it was being used as a “tool for normalization” between the UAE and the Jewish state. Over the past few years, Israel has developed unofficial ties with Gulf countries predicated mainly on their shared interest in curbing Iran’s regional adventurism and potential nuclearization.