Abraham Accords

 ABRAHAM ACCORDS

About Abraham Accords

 • Abraham Accords refers to the collective agreement between the 

• United States (US),
•  the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
•  and Israel that was signed in September 2020. o These Accords were later extended to the countries of Sudan, Bahrain and Morocco. 

 

The agreement marks the first normalisation of ties between Israel and an Arab country since Jordan in 1994. Egypt was the first Arab State to sign a peace deal with Israel in 1979. Jordon signed a peace pact in 1994. 

•  UAE and Bahrain -  will establish embassies, exchange ambassadors, cooperate and work together with Israel across a range of sectors, including tourism, trade, healthcare and security.

Name was given

As ‘the Abraham Accords’ as the three major monotheistic religions of the world, Islam, Christianity and Judaism, all find their roots in Prophet Abraham. Significance of Abraham Accords

Why stablish ?

1 • Stability in the region: Many experts opine that the Abraham Accords are designed to create a collective security framework for enhancing stability and preventing conflict in the Persian Gulf.

2  • Solution to Israel-Palestine issue: 

The Abraham Accords can advance the two-state solution by opening channels of communication between the Arab states of the Gulf and Israel. 

o Amid the recent Israel-Palestine conflict, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), both signatories of the Abraham Accords, are calling for de-escalation among all involved parties to safeguard the well-being and lives of the people involved. 

3 • Economic significance: 

The trade between Israel and other West Asian countries increased by 74% between 2021 and 2022. 

4 • Religious significance: 

The Abraham Accords also opened the door for communities to visit the historic religious sites in Israel such as the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. 

5 • Cooperation in technology:

For instance, the Prosperity Green & Blue agreement between Israel, the UAE, and Jordan determined that a solar field to supply electricity to Israel would be established in Jordan, while in return, a desalination plant in Israel would deliver water to Jordan.

6 • Education:

 A number of Emirati students have enrolled in Israeli universities.

 Bahrain has also embraced the prospects for shared educational activities and signed a number of agreements with Israel to advance student and professor exchanges. Emerging Challenges for Abraham Accords

7  • Changing Geopolitical Alliances in West Asia:

The region of West Asia attracts the world because of the existence of the main source of energy.

  Britain and France ruled over Arab countries from the beginning of the twentieth century till decades. 

 After the Second World War, the US started to grab West Asia in its command. 

The growing involvement of Russia and China has introduced new complexities to the region's political landscape. 

• Palestinian Issue:

 The Abraham Accords were criticized for not effectively addressing the fundamental causes of the Palestinian conflict. o Recently, Gaza-based group Hamas mounted a mass-scale attack against Israel. 

• Antipathy towards Iran: The Abraham Accords were perceived to be motivated by shared concerns over Iran's nuclear program and regional influence.

 • China’s Saudi-Iran diplomacy: 

The China-backed Saudi-Iranian deal is seen as a setback to efforts to build a regional anti-Iran coalition, a main driver of the Abraham Accords. It could delay Israel’s attempt to normalise ties with Saudi Arabia. o Russia views China’s growing diplomatic assertiveness in the Middle East, which was evidenced by its brokering of the Saudi Arabia-Iran normalization deal, as a positive step toward a multipolar regional order.

 • Internal Opposition: In the countries that signed the accords, there were segments of the population that opposed normalization with Israel. o Decades of mistrust and past conflicts mean that while government-to-government relations might improve, people-to-people ties would take longer to develop.

Significance for India

 • Regional cooperation: Accords have laid the foundation for expanded regional and multinational cooperation. A concrete illustration of this is the establishment of the I2U2 Group, formed by Israel, India, the UAE, and the U.S. o The focus of I2U2 will be on areas such as water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security. 

• Economic Opportunities: The normalization of relations between Israel and Arab countries could potentially open up new economic opportunities for India. o The vibrant Indian diaspora in the Gulf now has the convenience of direct flights between the UAE/ Bahrain and Israel.