The eruption of yet another armed conflict between Israel and Palestine is wreaking havoc within a geopolitical region which has recently been under a process of progressive stabilisation and pacification. The Abraham Accords have been a critical component of this process and its diplomatic formalisation. However, Hamas’ terrorist attacks on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli retaliation are hampering this entire pacification process. If tensions continue to escalate, they will conceivably deter the continuation and extension of these ambitious accords. The Abraham Accords were brokered in 2020 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain as a result of the diplomatic mediation of the Trump administration. They were almost unanimously met as an extremely positive development for the region and for the promotion of mutually beneficial economic relationships. The subsequent expansion of the Accords to Morocco and Sudan, combined with the willingness shown by Saudi Arabia to join, contributed to this climate of optimism and convinced the West that stability and peace for the Middle East were on the horizon. However, in light of recent events, it has become increasingly clear that by failing to address the Palestinian issue and by creating a perception of strategic encirclement on Iran, the Accords have also indirectly contributed to the destabilisation of the region. Now, facing the risk of a broader regional conflict with potential disruptive global consequences the United States’ efforts to pivot away from this area may now encounter serious setbacks. Therefore, it could be argued that the two defining goals of the Abraham Accords, which are to stabilise the Middle East and allow the US to decrease its strategic commitment towards the region, are far from being met.
About the Author
Pietro Maccabelli is a Researcher at Finabel.