Fatah Central Committee Member Azzam al-Ahmad said last week that the Palestinian faction hopes the people of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain will “restrain” their leaders and cause them to reconsider their peace agreements with Israel.

Speaking with Qatar’s Al-Araby TV on Sept. 15, al-Ahmad said that the Palestinians are defending Mecca, Baghdad, Cairo, Amman, Damascus and Jerusalem from the Zionists’ “territorial designs” of expanding from the Nile to the Euphrates. He also said that Fatah will continue to “serve as the spearhead” against the United States and the Zionist movement.

Speaking to the citizens of the UAE and Bahrain, al-Ahmad said, “Do not destroy yourselves and the future of the entire Arab nation. We, the Palestinians, are defending all of you—we are defending Mecca, Baghdad, Cairo, Amman and Damascus. This is our destiny as Palestinians. We are the murabitun [sentinels, guardians or saviors] in Jerusalem … We will continue to serve as the spearhead in the confrontation against the American administration and the Zionist movement.”