Turkey may suspend ties with UAE over Israel deal

Turkey is considering suspending diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates and withdrawing its ambassador over the Gulf state's accord to normalize ties with Israel, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

Emer McCarthy reports.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday (August 14) Turkey was considering closing its embassy in Abu Dhabi and suspending diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates over its deal to normalize ties with Israel.

Turkey has diplomatic and trade ties with Israel, but relations have been strained for years.

"The move against Palestine is not a step that can be swallowed.

Now, Palestine is either closing or withdrawing its embassy.

The same thing is valid for us now.

I gave the order to my foreign minister.

I told him we may also take a step in the direction of suspending diplomatic ties with the Abu Dhabi leadership or pulling back our ambassador because we stand with the Palestinian people." The deal has drawn strong reactions across the Middle East.

There were angry scenes in Jerusalem Friday, as Palestinians accused the UAE of collaborating with Israel and endangering Al-Aqsa mosque -- one of the holiest sights in Islam.

Palestinians have long sought East Jerusalem as capital of a future state and have looked to Arab nations to defend that stance.

If they normalize ties with Israel, Palestinians fear losing any chance of future sovereignty in the city and guaranteed access to Al Aqsa.

Tehran also strongly criticized the deal.

State news agency IRNA quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying the accord is "dangerous and illegitimate''.

The agreement has been welcomed by the European Union, with a spokeswoman saying Friday: "It is important for both countries and for regional stability."