Speaking at the 13th annual Saban Forum in December 2016, former US Secretary of State John Kerry said: “There will be no advanced and separate peace with the Arab world without the Palestinian process and Palestinian peace. Everybody needs to understand that."
He then went on to echo the famous three “noes” from the post-1967 war Khartoum Conference. To the idea of peace between Israel and the Arab nations independent from the Palestinians: “No, no, no, and no.”
We should in turn reject those who say no to reimagining peace models for the Middle East - those who instead wish to keep pushing outdated modes of addressing the never-ending violence. The Abraham Accords is the perfect example of why.
It’s four years to the day since the signing of the Abraham Accords on 15 September 2020. This bilateral agreement normalising relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and between Israel and Bahrain remains the most sincere and effective step towards peace in the region.
One does not need to look much further than the airport to see the practical effect this diplomatic step has had on a social and economic level. When I used to travel to the UAE, I was always conscious of the Israeli stamps in my passport – which were permitted, with raised eyebrows. Now, we are able to exchange dihrims to shekels directly at Dubai airport. Trite as it may seem, this is not something I would have imagined being a reality, let alone normative back then.
Last year, over one million Israelis visited the UAE alone with 200 weekly flights between the countries before October 7. In February 2023, the first purpose-built synagogue in the Arab World in nearly a century opened its doors in UAE and there are currently eight kosher restaurants in UAE and one in Bahrain.
The Abraham Accords is an example of meaningful interfaith relations and the progress that can be made. The move brought Israel's relations with Arab countries out into the open, finally allowing the deep connection between Israeli society and societies within these Arab states to be lauded, bolstered by civil society initiatives with sporting, cultural and religious exchanges.
75 years after Israel’s independence, 15 members of the Arab League still do not recognise it. These states should use the model of the Abraham Accords as a formula for creating peace, and also for deriving economic and military benefits. In contrast to earlier peace deals with Egypt and Jordan, the Abraham Accords affords a model of “warm peace”, which allows generations to heal and promotes meaningful connections between societies which for so long felt almost diametrically opposed.
As tensions remain high between Israel, Iran and much of the Arab World, the Abraham Accords and the progress they have made to strengthen relations in the region, have been a rare exception to this animosity. In fact, so strong was this progress, that there was even suggestion that Hamas launched the October 7 attacks in order to frustrate progress in Saudi normalisation with Israel. Extremists clearly do not want or care for peace in the region.
The Middle East may be reshaping in front of our eyes – from Israel versus the Arabs to the entire region versus Iran and its terrorist proxies. The response to the Iranian attack in April showed a glimmer of hope, with reports that Saudi Arabia and Jordan downed Iranian drones and missiles.
Peace with Arab states only makes peace with the Palestinians more likely. With mutual respect and trust between Israel and its Arab neighbours, the prospect of a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel becomes possible.
If anything positive can emerge from the horrifying violence in the Middle East, perhaps it can be the expansion of this peace. It was, after all, only in the wake of the 1973 Yom Kippur War that Israel and Egypt came to peace, and similarly the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan in 1994 came in the wake of the First Intifada.
At the time, British Foreign Office officials were rumoured to have been lukewarm to the initiative. For decades, our policy makers have spoken in platitudes about peace in the Middle East, whilst pedalling outdated and failed approaches. Expanding these Accords to Saudi Arabia, more of the Arab World, and even the Palestinians, will allow us to create a better region and in turn, a better, safer world. Four years on from the start of the Abraham Accords, peace is needed more than ever.
Claudia Mendoza is CEO of the Jewish Leadership Council
