Arafat’s widow apologizes to UAE for insults by Palestinians

Suha Arafat tells UAE she’s sorry after Palestinians insult the Emirates over its peace deal with Israel.

By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

Late Palestinian president and arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat’s wife issued a statement of apology on social media to the United Arab Emirates after Palestinian leaders reacted angrily and Palestinian protesters burned UAE flags following the announcement the Arab country would establish diplomatic relations with Israel, Al Arabiya reported Saturday.

Suha Arafat, who resides in France and is not a member of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, posted on Instagram that she was sorry for some actions by Palestinian protesters.

“I want to apologize, in the name of the honorable Palestinian people, to the Emirati people and their leadership for the desecration and burning of the UAE flag in Jerusalem and Palestine and for insulting the symbols of the beloved UAE country,” she posted.

Palestinian leaders roundly condemned the August 13 announcement by President Trump that Israel and the UAE would sign a peace deal at the White House in the coming weeks. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said that the UAE leadership had betrayed the Palestinian people.

Suha Arafat wrote that having differences of opinion should not spoil the friendliness between the two peoples and posted a picture of her husband, who died in 2004, with the late UAE ruler Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayan, father of the country’s current leader.

“I apologize to the people and the leadership of the UAE for any harm done by any Palestinian to the generous and kind people, who have always welcomed us. I apologize to the mother of the Emirates, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, for the irresponsible behavior,” she said.

For their part, the UAE said the establishment of formal relations with Israel was good for the Palestinians because it forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to indefinitely delay plans to apply Israeli sovereignty to settlements in Judea and Samaria, a move the Palestinians vehemently opposed.

The two Arab countries that already have peace treaties with Israel, Egypt and Jordan, welcomed the UAE-Israel peace initiative. Leaders of two other Gulf countries that are fellow members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Bahrain and Oman, also welcomed the new deal.