The Abraham Accords give us hope

Sept. 15 marked the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House under then-President Donald Trump. The accords serve as bilateral economic and political agreements of normalization between Israel and Arab Muslim nations in the Middle East. The signing was a huge accomplishment of Trump’s presidency, but due to a negative media disposition toward him, the foreign policy achievement didn’t receive the attention it deserved.

Four years later, the Abraham Accords should be revisited so that we can understand their significance and how they represent a major step toward peace and harmony in the Middle East.

These historic agreements were set in motion in August 2020 with a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, followed shortly by another agreement with Bahrain. Next came the famous signing ceremony on Sept. 15, 2020, which included the leaders of the United States, Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain gathered together on the South Lawn of the White House.

In reality, the agreements meant that these Muslim nations finally recognized Israel as a sovereign state, allowing full diplomatic relations, with President Trump brokering the deals.

In the two months after the signing, Sudan and Morocco—two more Muslim nations—joined the accords, and in return, the United States removed the former from the list of sponsors of terrorism and granted the latter sovereignty over disputed territory in the Western Sahara.

With these four Muslim nations establishing relations with Israel, the political landscape of the Middle East changed significantly. Previously, only Egypt and Jordan had some formal normalization agreement with Israel. But these additional four nations would not have joined the accords without the approval of Saudi Arabia. The involvement of this major player in the region caused many in the international community to hope for a direct Israel-Saudi normalization accord, with some arguing it was quite imminent. However, under the Biden administration, the U.S.-Saudi relationship has been less fruitful in moving in this direction.

Seeing the war and turmoil now in the Middle East should remind us of the noteworthy statement at the beginning of the Abraham Accords declaration: “We, the undersigned, recognize the importance of maintaining and strengthening peace in the Middle East and around the world based on mutual understanding and coexistence, as well as respect for human dignity and freedom, including religious freedom.”

With these words, the accords seek to enable nations in the troubled region to work together and cooperate with Israel as a legitimate nation. The signatories vowed to work to establish peace and strengthen its efforts—a remarkable need in the Middle East. Clearly, under former President Trump, the United States worked diligently to avoid wars in the Middle East and to push for peace and harmony. This is reflected in another important statement in the declaration: “We believe that the best way to address challenges is through cooperation and dialogue and that developing friendly relations among States advances the interests of lasting peace in the Middle East and around the world.”

The Abraham Accords are arguably among the most important agreements made in modern Middle Eastern history, not only because of their economic and political influence but also—and precisely more so—for their insistence on establishing peace and tranquility in a chaotic region.

These accords are still resilient and functioning in the region, even though Israel was forced to go to war with the terrorists of Hamas.

But, sadly, those old days of Trump in the White House are now over, and the situation is quite different in the Middle East, particularly with America’s major ally in the region.

With a floundering administration in the White House, the picture is so different. With the Biden administration bungling so much of its foreign policy, which has significantly crippled peace efforts in the Middle East, this is what we have now: Hamas still holds American as well as Israeli hostages and there is chaos in the south of Israel and turmoil in the north. Add to the dark picture the growing anti-Semitism on many U.S. college campuses evidenced by attacking Jews in the harshest manner they have seen in recent decades.

Strong leadership with a clear vision for peace—and a sincere desire to launch no more wars in the Middle East—is genuinely needed in the White House. With the available candidates for president, at least we can know from historical precedent what another Trump administration may bring. In a second term, President Trump may achieve additional Abraham Accords. We can hope.

On its fourth anniversary, the Abraham Accords should remind us all of what is at stake. We should work diligently as a nation for more Muslim nations to join hands with the Jewish state to seek and work for a genuine and lasting peace.