A recent visit by Gulf Arabs to al-Aqsa Mosque has sparked outrage among east Jerusalem residents and the Palestinian ruling Fatah faction, who accused the visitors of promoting normalization with Israel and “desecrating” the holy site.

Palestinians initially claimed that the visitors were from Oman. Later, however, they said the delegation members who prayed at the mosque were from the United Arab Emirates.

In August, the UAE became the third Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan, to agree to formally normalize its relationship with Israel.

The Palestinian leadership has condemned the deal, accusing the UAE of backstabbing the Palestinians and betraying the Palestinian issue, al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem.