⁍ Palestinians have revered the founder of the United Arab Emirates for his generosity, especially those living on the Gaza housing estate that bears his name.

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⁍ The estate changed the face of northern Gaza with its paved roads, 70 multi-floor residential buildings, gardens and a mosque.

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⁍ But gratitude to the UAE’s founding father has turned to anger at his son after the Emirates’ Aug. 13 announcement that it would become the first Gulf Arab state to sign a ‘normalisation’ deal with Israel.

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– The United Arab Emirates is expected to sign a “normalization” deal with Israel at the White House today, making it the first Gulf Arab state to do so, but residents of the Gaza Strip aren’t so sure. “I don’t like it, and no one does. We have fought for the sake of Jerusalem for 70 years, and he came and in seconds he wasted it,” a resident of the Sheikh Zayed City housing estate in Gaza tells Reuters. “It would be like someone feeding you before he slaughters you.” The UAE’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, is the son of the nation’s founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, who donated $62 million to Gaza to build homes for hundreds of families. But residents of the estate say they now want nothing more from the UAE. “How could his son do that? He should follow his father’s example, not do the opposite,” says a Gaza resident. “We have fought for the sake of Jerusalem for 70 years, and he came and in seconds he wasted it.”