Since Israel’s establishment, the United States has been a steadfast and invaluable ally. Americans and Israelis are united by their shared values and commitment to democracy, peace and security. The American administration under the leadership of then-president Donald Trump fostered unparalleled opportunities for Israel. By moving its embassy to Jerusalem, the U.S. officially recognized it as Israel’s capital, while the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords — marking Israel’s first deal with an Arab country in 25 years — laid the groundwork for the normalization of relations between Israel and several Arab states.
For several decades, the prevailing assumption was that peace with the Palestinians would precede peace with the rest of the Arab world. This put Palestinians in a position to negatively impact, to some extent, the nature of Israeli-Arab relations. The Abraham Accords created a paradigm shift by turning this assumption on its head. In September 2020, joined by UAE and Bahrain’s foreign ministers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed the first deal between Israel and an Arab country in decades. Soon enough, Sudan and Morocco followed suit. In March 2021, the first Emirati ambassador, Muhammad Mahmoud Al Khaja, arrived in Israel.
The value of peaceful relations in the Middle East cannot be overstated. The sight of the three leaders signing the Abraham Accords is reminiscent of Israeli leaders shaking hands with their Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts when peace with these countries was established. While peace has not been as warm as we would expect, Israel’s relationships with Egypt and Jordan have withstood the test of time and are integral to stability and security in the region. The Israel-Egypt peace agreement emerged out of the Camp David Accords and ended the 30-year war between the two countries. The peace agreement with Jordan ended the state of war that had existed since 1948 and settled land and water disputes. These agreements have transformed the Sinai and Jordan River borders into peaceful areas and have allowed us to focus on other security concerns, such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Abraham Accords established the foundation for a warm peace that centres on people-to-people and business-to-business relations. This type of collaboration will help further shared priorities in economic, social and security spheres. The combination of Israeli technologies and UAE financial capabilities has the potential to create new routes through the Middle East’s old roadblocks. The power of investments in the Emirates coupled with Israeli innovations will create countless opportunities for economic co-operation. From just September 2020 to January 2021, 130,000 Israelis travelled to the UAE, eager to experience Emirati culture. The upcoming World Expo, set to be hosted in Dubai in October 2021, promises another opportunity to bring together Israelis and Emiratis.
The Abraham Accords have positively impacted cultural exchanges at the local level as Emiratis’ desire to experience Israeli culture and access its markets has already gained momentum. A new Hebrew language school that holds classes in four locations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi has been overwhelmed by Emiratis wanting to study or conduct business in Israel. Now local chefs in Dubai are preparing kosher Emirati cuisine and Jewish-Emirati dishes to feed Israeli tourists when they visit the UAE. These examples demonstrate the economic and cultural co-operation possible between Israel and Arab states.
In addition, the Abraham Accords are conducive to creating a broader front against Iran, a regime avowedly seeking Israel’s destruction and Middle Eastern disruption. Strong co-operation with moderate Arab states is crucial in containing Iran through a co-ordinated effort and ensuring it does not fulfil its bellicose nuclear aspirations. It is no wonder, therefore, that Iran understands the potential of co-operation and has been condemning these accords. In this context, it is important to mention the U.S.’s withdrawal from the fundamentally flawed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The deal was condemned by Israel and some Arab states and by withdrawing, the U.S. has moved away from giving concessions to Iran.
The Middle East is undergoing a positive change. By signing the Abraham Accords, Arab countries have affirmed their desire to move forward with relations with Israel. These countries are signalling that they have grown weary of Palestinian intransigence and refusal to negotiate with Israel in good faith. The accords have begun a new era of Arab-Israeli relations and co-operation. Let us hope that more countries in the region will follow the courageous leadership of the Arab states and see the value of tight and friendly relations with Israel. We are thankful to our American ally for its work in facilitating the accords and challenging past foreign policy. These new alliances and friendships forged by the Abraham Accords will undoubtedly offer new opportunities not only for Israel, but also for its long-time and historic allies, including Canada.
