TEHRAN – The UAE made a strategic mistake by moving toward normalizing ties with the Zionist regime, says Hossein Amir Abdollahian, a senior foreign policy advisor to the Iranian Parliament speaker.

The UAE should accept responsibility for all the consequences of its move, Amir Abdollahian said in a meeting with Palestinian ambassador to Iran Salah Al-Zawawi on Sunday.

Expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people, the advisor said Iran’s parliament speaker has officially asked parliament speakers of other Islamic countries to condemn the Emirates’ measure and defend the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, Mehr reported.

For his part, the Palestinian ambassador criticized the UAE's treacherous act, saying Palestine strongly condemns the UAE-Israel normalization of ties and calls on the UAE to back down from this historic mistake.

He also thanked Iran for its stance on the issue, calling on all countries of the world to show their commitment to supporting the Palestinian issue. 

Israel and the UAE reached a deal that will lead to full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two sides.

The deal was announced on August 13 after a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.

Last week, Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf condemned the move and called on the parliaments of Islamic countries to make use of their capacities to oppose and hamper the “disgraceful” agreement.

In a message to parliament speakers of all Islamic countries, Ghalibaf said the normalization plan would undermine all efforts by Islamic countries, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union to realize the inalienable rights of the oppressed people of Palestine.

“Undoubtedly, it is merely the resolve of the Palestinian people and the Resistance that can lead to the liberation of the main and historical land of Palestine,” he wrote.

According to Ghalibaf, the agreement will encourage the Zionist regime to occupy the remaining Palestinian lands and deny the rights of the Palestinian people.

MH/PA