Bangladesh, Nov. 15 -- When the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalize relations with Israel, the Palestinians decried the move as a "betrayal" of both Jerusalem, where they hope to establish the capital of their future state, and the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the city's holiest Muslim site.

But with Israel now courting wealthy Gulf tourists and establishing new air links to the major travel hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Palestinians in east Jerusalem could soon see a tourism boon after months in which the coronavirus transformed the Holy City into a ghost town.

"There will be some benefits for the Palestinian sector of tourism, and this is what I'm hoping for," said Sami Abu-Dayyeh, a Palestinian businessman in east Jerusalem who owns ...