Thousands protest UAE-Israel peace deal in Pakistan

Protest against the normalisation deal signed between the UAE and Israel, 16 August 2020 [mustpakistan/Twitter]

Protest against the normalisation deal signed between the UAE and Israel, 16 August 2020 [mustpakistan/Twitter]

Pakistanis come together to protest against the normalisation deal signed between the UAE and Israel, 16 August 2020 [mustpakistan/Twitter]

Pakistanis come together to protest against the normalisation deal signed between the UAE and Israel, 16 August 2020 [mustpakistan/Twitter]

Tens of thousands of Pakistanis protested on Sunday against the normalisation deal signed between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, Anadolu reported.

Mass rallies were held across Pakistan, including the capital, Islamabad, the port city of Karachi, northeastern city of Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, Multan and Hyderabad.

The protests were organised by the Milli Yakjehti Council, a political-religious alliance which called on the Pakistani people to join the protests and denounce “the controversial deal between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv”.

In the city of Rawalpindi, thousands of citizens marched through the city streets led by Senator Sirajul Haq, the head of the country’s Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party.

READ: UAE arrests opponents of Israel peace deal  

The Islamic group designated Sunday a day of solidarity and support for the Palestinian resistance against “the Zionist occupation”.

On 13 August, US President Donald Trump announced a peace deal between the UAE and Israel brokered by Washington.

Abu Dhabi said the deal was an effort to stave off Tel Aviv’s planned annexation of the occupied West Bank, however, opponents believe normalisation efforts have been in the offing for many years as Israeli officials have made official visits to the UAE and attended conferences in the country which had no diplomatic of other ties with the occupation state.

Netanyahu repeated yesterday that annexation is not off the table, but has simply been delayed.