Celebrating a well-rooted Israeli-Arab deal
Peace deals are rarely celebrated only a year after they are signed. Many prove too fragile. But this week peace has an air of inevitability as officials from both the Biden and Trump administrations are honoring the first anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords, the first peace deal any Arab country has signed with Israel in 26 years.
Inked Sept. 15 last year, the U.S.-brokered deal has created a thriving partnership between Israel and two Gulf states, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. (Sudan and Morocco later agreed to the accords.) 鈥淲hat is most remarkable is that in the past year, we鈥檝e gone from ink on the page to concrete improvements between countries,鈥� said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, at a celebration in New York on Monday.
The accords were not named after the biblical patriarch Abraham 鈥� Ibrahim in Arabic 鈥� for nothing. Muslims from the Arab states have been able to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, while Bahrain鈥檚 tiny Jewish community has been able to hold its first Shabbat services in a synagogue since 1947. Such public expressions of each religion鈥檚 shared roots may be key to the pact鈥檚 longevity.
Tens of thousands of Israelis have visited the UAE 鈥� where they can find kosher buffets in hotels 鈥� while Gulf businesses have signed deals with Israeli tech firms. Perhaps related to the new comity, a new Israeli government has included an Israeli Arab party in its coalition for the first time.
The real test of the pact lies in whether it can calm the region鈥檚 conflicts, especially the one between Israelis and Palestinians. It provides 鈥渁nother tool to use to build common positions and deal with problems that are shaking the entire region,鈥� says former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey. Although the pivotal state of Saudi Arabia has yet to sign on, its foreign minister praises the deal for the 鈥減ositive effect on relations in the region.鈥�
The massive exchange of long-estranged peoples may help ensure the new peace lasts a long time. 鈥淥ur region is tired of war,鈥� said Moroccan Ambassador to the U.N. Omar Hilale. 鈥淥ur region suffered a lot from all kinds of extremism, terrorism, and rejection of 鈥榯he other,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淲e need peace in hearts. We need peace in minds.鈥� That may be why the various celebrations of the pact in the United States are so bipartisan. Done right, peace can transcend politics.
