Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. This follows a historical signing of the so-called peace agreement that officially ‘normalised’ ties between Israel and the UAE. However, their nomination, which was submitted by Nobel laureate David Trimble, has been received with significant backlash, mainly due to their history of human rights’ abuse.
Under Netanyahu’s orders, approximately 3,500 Palestinians - including 799 children - have been killed by Israeli forces. He has also ordered two bloody attacks on the Gaza strip in 2012 and 2014, and is held responsible for the continued abuse and oppression of Palestinians’ rights. Meanwhile, under Al Nahyan’s leadership, the UAE has played a detrimental role in the Yemeni civil war, where over 100,000 Yemenis have died and 14 million are at risk of famine.
The nomination of Netanyahu and Al Nahyan for the Nobel Peace Prize has also been criticised due to the fact that Israel and the UAE were never at war in the first place, and they have in fact had a military and intelligence alliance for years.
‘There is a big distinction between coming together to end a war, and coming together to fight your existing conflicts.’ (TRT World)
Written by Sufia Jafri
Artwork by Zara Masood
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