Four years of the Abraham Accords: Will more countries join the path to peace?

The Abraham Accords Peace Institute (AAPI) recently published a article to mark the fourth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, the peace treaty mediated by then-President Donald Trump signed by Israel with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2020 and later joined by Morocco and Sudan. The purpose of this article was to expand the agreements despite Oct. 7, or even because of the historic massacre perpetrated by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations.

The text, written by Aryeh Lightstone, executive director of the AAPI, and Asher Fredman, Israel director for the organization, highlights some of the milestones and achievements of the Abraham Accords over the past four years, while illuminating the future of regional cooperation and peace.

In order to urge more countries to join for peace, the authors note in their article that it is necessary to remember that even in the midst of the challenging COVID-19 pandemic, a "ray of light" emerged that heralded a new era of peace, integration and cooperation.

Lightstone and Fredman also call for the creation of what they called the "Abraham Accords 2.0" so that, just as the first treaty could be signed in the midst of the pandemic crisis, the new one can go forward amidst the war in Gaza after Oct. 7.

The benefits of the peace reached in the Abraham Accords

Among the benefits that the normalization of relations between Israel and some Arab countries have brought to the region, AAPI executives highlight that trade ties soared, more than 1 million people traveled between the countries that are part of the treaty on new direct flights and collaborations were announced in various areas, such as innovation, space, artificial intelligence, water, cybersecurity and sustainable development.

In addition, initiatives were launched to promote coexistence between different faiths. In fact, in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the Abrahamic Family House was created, an interfaith complex whose purpose is to establish a community based on dialogue and exchange between people professing different religions, and to be an example of human fraternity. In addition, Muslim-Jewish leadership delegations were formed between Israel and Morocco.

The importance of countering destabilizers

Lightstone and Fredman assert that despite the progress made with the Abraham Accords, the lack of strong U.S. leadership in recent years allowed China, Russia and Iran to strengthen their influence in the Middle East.

The authors stress that following Oct. 7 and the subsequent attacks perpetrated by Iran's proxies, instability in the region has also been (and continues to be) at the hands of extremist media networks such as Al Jazeera, which promote incitement to hatred and violence, as well as groups linked to the radical Islamist organization Muslim Brotherhood and Iran, which use the conflict to promote instability.

What should the 'Abraham Accords 2.0' look like?

AAPI executives argue that now is the time to launch the "Abraham Accords 2.0," which should be based on attracting more Arab and Muslim countries to the path of peace, as well as promoting regional economic, technological and security initiatives, since the first treaty has shown that normalization of relations with Israel is more beneficial than violence for all parties involved.

The authors urge combining the business dynamism of Israel, a country known as the "Start Up Nation," with the impressive track record in executing technology projects of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, which is composed of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These agreements, they argue, should be promoted and led by the United States.

As for security in this tension-laden region, Lightstone and Fredman argue that what they called "security architecture" led by Washington should be created which should encompass air and missile defense, drones, space, satellites, maritime security, cybersecurity, intelligence sharing and exercises, among other issues, in order to combat threats and form a regional alliance to deter and counter Iran.

The importance of U.S. leadership

Lightsone and Fredman highlight that the realization of the "Abraham Accords 2.0" will require strong U.S. leadership at the diplomatic and economic levels, as well as on the security side.

However, U.S. allies in the region must also make efforts to promote peace and break down long-standing barriers to cooperation.

They conclude that it is precisely in the darkest moments that the best opportunities can arise, as was demonstrated by the Abraham Accords.