Abraham Accords

Why in news?

The Abraham Accords was signed by the UAE, Bahrain and Israel, under U.S. President Donald Trump’s mediation.

What is the significance of the agreement?

• This accord clearly marks a new beginning in the relations between the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdoms and the Jewish state.
• It is the first between Israel and Arab countries since the 1994 Jordan-Israel peace treaty.
• Under the agreement, the UAE and Bahrain would normalise ties with Israel.
• This will herald better economic, political and security engagement.

Why did US mediate?

• The accords offer a rare diplomatic win to Mr. Trump, whose other foreign policy bets were either disastrous or stagnant.
• He has called the agreements “the new dawn of a new Middle East”.

Who may or may not join?

• More Arab countries are expected to follow suit.
• The agreements have the backing of Saudi Arabia, the most influential Arab power and a close ally of the UAE and Bahrain.
• The ruler of the Kingdom is treading cautiously for now.
• But Riyadh has opened its airspace for commercial flights between the UAE and Israel.

Will the accord impact West Asia’s conflicts?

• The Abraham Accords have historical and geopolitical significance.

• But, it is too early to say whether the accords will have any significant impact on West Asia’s conflicts.
• Egypt and Jordan have signed peace treaties with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively.
• But, the Gulf countries are not frontline states in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
• They had established backroom contacts with Israel years ago; what is happening now is their normalisation.

Was the Palestinian question addressed?

• The agreements leave the Palestinian question largely unaddressed.
• Arab countries are signing diplomatic agreements with Israel bilaterally.
• Due to this, the Arab collective support for the Palestinian movement for nationhood is crumbling.
• But it does not mean that the Palestinian question would fade away.
• The vacuum left by the retreat of the Arab powers from the Israel-Palestine conflict is being filled by the non-Arab Muslim powers.
• These non-Arab Muslim powers include Iran, Turkey and their allies.
• The geopolitical sands may be shifting but the core issue concerning Israel is unresolved.

What is the region’s emerging order?

• The UAE-Bahrain agreements are endorsing the region’s emerging order.
• With the U.S. in retreat and Turkey and Iran pursuing more aggressive foreign policies, there is a three-way contest taking shape.
• Sunni-ruled Arab kingdoms, all American allies, are realigning their geopolitical interests with Israel.
• The Abraham Accords are likely to sharpen this contest.

What could be done?

• Mr. Trump and the signatories to the accords have claimed that they want to bring peace here.
• If so, they should address the more structural issues, which include the unresolved question of Palestine.

Source: The Hindu