Tel Aviv. September 15 marks the four-year anniversary of the Abraham Accords. Four years ago, the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed the agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. Then-President Trump touted the agreement as changing the course of history and the dawn of a new Middle East. With this agreement, Bahrain and the UAE normalised their relations with Israel, and Morocco later joined the agreement. However, four years after the agreement was signed, Israel remains embroiled in a serious conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Iran and its proxies also continue to be aggressive against Israel. This conflict has put pressure on the Abraham Accords, but Israel’s relations with Bahrain, the UAE, and Morocco are currently intact.
Middle East experts say that the Gaza conflict has strained Israel’s relations with these countries, but there is still a ray of hope. According to the report, among senior Israeli officials, only President Isaac Herzog and Finance Minister Neil Barkat have visited Arab countries during the war, which was not a bilateral visit.
UAE advisor Anwar Gargash recently commented on this situation, saying that the UAE has taken a strategic decision and it is long-term. He said that there are many obstacles in the way of strategic decisions, and we are currently facing a big obstacle like the Gaza war, but we are going to overcome it. Despite this, there is hope for the Abraham Accords to remain effective. All parties are prioritizing peace and cooperation, and despite this conflict, work continues towards stability in the Middle East.