Palestinians protest UAE's deal with Israel

Palestinians protested in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Saturday against the United Arab Emirates after it announced an historic deal with Israel to open up diplomatic relations.

Protesters burned pictures of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah strongman in Gaza who now resides in the UAE.

"We are objecting to the agreement between the Emirates and Israel, mainly because it is trying to distract the attention from the real problem, the continued Israeli occupation and the system of apartheid against the Palestinian people." said Mustafa Barghouti, member of Palestinian Liberation Organisation executive committee.

"It supports Netanyahu and his plans to annex big parts of the West Bank and destroy the potential for two state solution and for peace in this region," he added.

The agreement would see the UAE and Israel establishing diplomatic relations in exchange for Israel suspending its proposed annexation of the West Bank.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the annexation plan was on “temporary hold,” appearing to contradict statements from Emirati officials who said it was off the table.