Friday marks the third anniversary of the Abraham Accords, the historic agreement to establish peace and normal diplomatic relations between Israel and two Arab states, namely, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. In the weeks that followed, other Arab and Muslim states joined the agreement, including Sudan, Morocco, and Kosovo.
The United Arab Emirates issued a statement this week hailing the progress made as a result of the agreement, which are clearly visible in the region: “The years on, the Abraham Accords are delivering on their promise of expanded trade and commerce, deeper people-to-people ties, and a more integrated region. Collaboration is taking place across numerous fields, including trade, investment, health, technology, agriculture, tourism and more.”
However, there has not been a new country added to the agreement since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
The Biden administration, which was reluctant at first even to use the term “Abraham Accords,” reverted to the Obama-era model of treating Israel as the obstacle to peace in the region, and trying to appease the Palestinians. Biden also snubbed Saudi Arabia, after Democrats pushed for action against the kingdom for its human rights record — an issue that had not troubled President Barack Obama when he bowed to the Saudi king in 2009.
Lately, the Biden administration has talked up the possibility of a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, though it is unclear what leverage Biden has to achieve such a deal. Earlier this year, the Saudis defied Biden by re-establishing relations with Iran, and did so under the auspices of China, rather than with U.S. leadership.
The Saudi regime is reportedly holding out for more concessions to the Palestinians before it will sign any deal.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.