The Abraham Accords: Evolving Partnerships, Persistent Challenges

Описание: The signing of the Abraham Accords by Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain in September 2020 was hailed by US President Trump as ‘mark[ing] the dawn of a new Middle East’. By establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, the UAE and Bahrain overturned decades of non-recognition of Israel by the Arab Gulf states. Morocco and Sudan also followed suit, following which the US recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara and removed Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism blacklist. Advocates of the Abraham Accords have pointed to the economic opportunities that may arise from tourism, trade, and the combining of Israeli technology with capital investments from the Gulf.

Yet, one year later, little in the region appears to have changed. While the strategic rationale of the Accords remains strong for the various parties, Israel’s 11-day conflict with Hamas in May and ongoing tensions with the Palestinians serve as a reminder that the dynamics of the conflict are largely immune to external shifts.

Although the Biden administration has welcomed the Abraham Accords, negotiations with Iran over a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the escalation in grey zone conflict between Israel and Iran may have dampened the enthusiasm of other Arab Gulf states to draw closer to Tel Aviv. While Israel and the Arab Gulf states share concerns over Iran’s regional activity and its nuclear weapons programme, they have yet to articulate a common approach to dealing with those threats.

CHAIR
Sir Tom Beckett
Executive Director, IISS–Middle East

SPEAKERS
Ambassador Nancy Jamal
Chief of Strategic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Bahrain

Dr Yoel Guzansky
Senior Research Fellow, Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Non-Resident Scholar, Middle East Institute, Washington DC

Dr Hasan Alhasan
Research Fellow for Middle East Policy, IISS–Middle East

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