The protesters marched in Al Daih, north of the country while holding anti-Israel placards and chanting slogans against the deal.

Also with chants of “no to normalization” and “death to Israel, death to America,” protesters marched through the streets of Barbar town, west of the capital Manama, to express their anger toward the US-brokered agreement.

Earlier in the day at the White House in Washington DC, the peace deal was signed by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani. US President Donald Trump also took part in the ceremony.

The agreement has triggered a severe backlash in parts of the Arab world including in Palestine.

In August, the White House announced a so-called “peace deal” between Israel and the UAE, with the two agreeing to establish official diplomatic relations and cooperate on economic and security initiatives.

After initial reports that Israel had agreed to the sale of advanced weapon systems to the UAE, including F-35 fighter jets, Netanyahu was quick to stress that his cabinet will “always” work with Washington to preserve what he described as “Israeli military superiority in the region”.

UAE officials had hoped that after normalizing relations with Israel, their new allies would not be concerned about Abu Dhabi’s military capabilities. Top Emirati diplomat Anwar Gargash told the Atlantic Council last month that acquiring the F-35 jets was a “legitimate” move by Abu Dhabi.

“This is something on the table. We have legitimate requests that are there. We ought to get them… Now the whole idea of, you know, the state of belligerency or war with Israel will no longer exist, so I think it should be … easier,” Gargash said.

Giving a green light to the arms deal would be politically costly for Netanyahu, who is facing domestic issues, including protests over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Benny Gantz, Israel’s defense minister and Netanyahu’s chief political rival, had slammed the idea of allowing the UAE to buy F-35 jets. “It is forbidden to take security risks,” he said last month.

The Lockheed Martin-produced F-35 is one of the most powerful warplanes in the world, with the ability to evade radars, conduct strikes on targets on the ground and engage in air combat.

According to the New York Times report, the held-up UAE arms deal with the US also includes combat drones and EA-18G Growler aircraft, which has the ability to disable enemy radars and radio systems.

“This is not about Iran. This is about the ties of UAE, Israel, and the United States,” Anwar Gargash, UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, said in a phone interview, according to Reuters.

“This is in no way meant to create some sort of grouping against Iran.”

While the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have sought to frame the agreement as part of their attempt to confront and further isolate Iran, Gargash claimed that the UAE isn’t looking to provoke its near neighbor.

“We have a very complicated relationship with Iran,” he said. “While we have our concerns, we feel also that resolving these issues should be through diplomacy and de-escalation.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said Turkey could withdraw its ambassador to the UAE over the country’s agreement with Israel, saying it dealt a blow to Palestinian rights. Gargash dismissed the statement as a “double standard” which glossed over Turkey’s own significant trade links with Israel.

“They receive over half a million Israeli tourists, have $2 billion worth of bilateral trade, and an existing embassy there. And I ask myself whether this is a principled position or not,” Gargash said.

Under the deal, Israel agreed to put aside, for now, its pledge to annex West Bank land the Palestinians want for a state. “We have been very concerned with the issue of annexation,” Gargash said. “Through this imaginative proclamation, we have at least been able to give negotiations space.”