Hamas, PA, Hizbullah Display Rare Unity against Normalization

The after-effects of the August 13 agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to normalize relations, known as the Abraham Accord, continue to reverberate. Leaders of Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and the Lebanese Shi’ite group Hizbullah have issued a joint statement condemning the pact and the UAE’s “betrayal” of the Palestinian people. Ismael Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, traveled to Lebanon late last week and met with Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah to discuss recent normalization efforts by Israel in the Gulf. The two said their relationship was “based on the foundations of faith, brotherhood, jihad and common destiny.” Both Hamas and Hizbullah are considered terrorist organizations by Israel, the United States and the European Union. Earlier, West Bank-based PA head Mahmoud Abbas conferred with Haniyeh in a video-conference during which Hamas and the PA, routinely sworn enemies, promised to join hands against a common foe. The rare joint event served to further stress the grave concern shared by Palestinian groups over additional normalization accords between Arab countries and Israel.