Days

On August 13, 2020, the U.S., Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued the historic Abraham Accords Declaration, an agreement that normalized relations between Israel and the UAE.  Not since diplomatic relations were established with Jordan in 1994 had a Muslim nation normalized relations with Israel.  The first middle-eastern country to recognize Israel was Egypt in 1979, as brokered during the U.S. led Camp David Accords.

On September 11, 2020, the UAE was joined by Bahrain when that country signed onto the Abraham Accords as well.  The accords were signed by representatives of the first four countries at a ceremony on the White House lawn on September 15, 2020. On October 23, 2020 Sudan joined the accords by normalizing relations with Israel, and then on December 10, 2020 Morocco also agreed to full diplomatic relations. This brought the number of Muslim countries that now recognize Israel to six. 

This process of normalizing relations witnessed the opening of embassies and created channels of communication, increased trade, and promoted tourism. The UAE became the first Gulf state to open an embassy in Israel in July 2021 and they also created a $10 billion investment fund targeting various Israeli economic sectors.  The UAE also established direct flights between the two countries in November of 2020.  Bahrain followed with its own set of direct flights to Israel and then Morocco as well in 2021.  Even with the Covid-19 pandemic ongoing, more than 67,000 Israeli tourists visited Dubai immediately following the signing of the accords.  Houda Nonoo – the former Bahraini Ambassador to the U.S – remarked: “The signing of the Abraham Accords will no doubt be one of the biggest Middle East milestones in our lifetime” (Yellinek).

Regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s signing of the Abraham Accords, The George C. Marshall Center stated that “with the stroke of a pen, Netanyahu successfully moves Israel’s military capabilities onto the doorstep of its arch foe and into the heart of the Persian Gulf, shifting and solidifying the balance of power in his favor” (Norlen).

Although intimated that Saudi Arabia would eventually join the Abraham Accords – especially in light of the Saudi crown prince recognition of Israels right to exist in 2018 (TOI Staff) – as of 2023 this had yet to occur.  It was also thought that Oman would join the accords since Israel has long held a cooperative relationship with that country (Kampeas) – but like Saudi Arabia this too has failed to materialize.   One analysis attributed the slowing of progress with the Abraham Accords to China’s emerging diplomatic efforts between Iran and Saudi Arabia along with regional criticism of Israel’s policies regarding the Palestinians (Jeffrey). 

Perhaps the key factor is simply that the Trump Administration is no longer in power. 

At the heart of the Abraham Accords was Jared Kushner – son-in-law and former adviser to President Trump.  He was instrumental in the progress made to date.  After the defeat of President Trump, Jared Kushner formed the ‘Abraham Accords Institute for Peace’ in May of 2021– with the intention of continuing to promote tourism, trade, communication, and normalization between Arab states and Israel (Ravid). 

So, what is the significance of the Abraham Accords?

The Middle East is seeing a restructuring of alliances that sees Turkey, Iran, and Qatar on one side and the Gulf states –along with Israel – on the other.  The Gulf states have long been interested in alliances that shield them from Iran, but Turkey has also emerged as a serious concern.   The UAE, for example, ranked Turkey as a greater near-term threat than Iran.  Turkey joined Iran as a significant threat to Israel, and both the Turkish and Iranian governments are focused on staying outside of U.S. influence and remain committed to conflicts against Israel.  As per the 2020, U.S. Air Force Global Future Report “Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain are increasingly converging on shared interests with Israel”  (Yossef).

As part of the changing landscape of the middle-east, the Defense Department announced in January of 2021 that Israel was moving from its role in U.S. European Command to U.S. Central Command, which is the command primarily responsible for the middle-east.  This was another signal that Israel was becoming more acceptable to U.S. Arab partner nations in that region (Frantzman).

Another factor regarding regional alliances is the growing presence of China – specifically with countries opposed to Israel.  In March of 2021 China and Iran signed a 25-year strategic partnership agreement.  In addition to economic partnership, this agreement also includes military and intelligence cooperation (TOI Staff). China also continues to focus on promoting Palestinian issues, fostering relations with Syria and Qatar, and differentiating its presence from the U.S. As such, the Abraham Accords should also be understood in terms of the growing competition between the U.S. and China regarding the maintaining/advancing of influence in the Middle East (Yellinek).

From a Biblical perspective, we are now seeing alliances emerge that become much more interesting when we consider the coalitions from which the antichrist will eventually rise, and from which could come an army that is at the heart of the War of Gog and Magog (Ezekial 38).  Of note is the rise of Turkey as a growing threat to Israel, as it embraces an increasingly radical Islamic view of the region. 

As we know, at some point in the future, a northern coalition of nations comes against Israel who at this time “dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates” (Ezekial 38:11).  This army comes “to take plunder and to take booty…against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods” (Ezekial 38:12).  We have yet to see a time when Israel dwells in safety—but given the initial progress of the Abraham Accords, perhaps this time is not as unimaginable or as far away as it might appear.

In addition, as alliances take shape—again perhaps as part of the foundation laid by the Abraham Accords—it may be that the day is fast approaching when the diplomatic breakthrough finally occurs that allows Israel to do something that it has been preparing for since its rebirth–the building of the Third Jewish Temple.