On the morning of May 11, 2021, I arrived earlier than usual at my office in the Israeli Regional Cooperation Ministry, at that time located next to the Kirya in Tel Aviv.
I had been working on the implementation and advancement of the Abraham Accords, which had come into being the previous summer. It was the most peaceful time Israel had ever known.
But suddenly that changed.
Hamas started firing hundreds of rockets into Israel. Horrific scenes of arson and violence broke out in mixed cities such as Lod and Acre, which were set on fire by Islamists.
Israel was forced to respond, and the IDF launched Operation Guardian of the Walls, targeting Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
After dealing with peace, we were back to dealing with war.
The big question on everyone’s mind was: Would the Abraham Accords survive this?
I immediately got on the phone with my colleagues in each of the Abraham Accords countries: United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, Kosovo, and Morocco.
Those phone calls went very well. Each of my counterparts relayed to me that they understood exactly what we in Israel were going through. They wished us safety and made it clear that we had their support.
While I appreciated their kind words over the phone, I had significant doubts that it would translate to public statements. I was certain they would put all the blame on Israel when speaking on record out in the open.
To my pleasant surprise, I was wrong.
The UAE foreign minister put out a statement calling for calm, emphasizing the need to preserve the Abraham Accords. This was a much more even-handed statement than I had anticipated.
The other Abraham Accords countries followed suit and put out mostly neutral statements. Even if they showed sympathy with the Palestinians, they stopped short of solely blaming Israel.
I was relieved.
When briefing my boss at the time, Israel’s then-regional cooperation minister Ofir Akunis, I told him I believed the Abraham Accords would pass this test.
Indeed they did.
Just a few weeks after the war in 2021, Israel inaugurated its embassy in Abu Dhabi and its consulate in Dubai. Two weeks later, the first direct commercial flights between Israel and Morocco were launched – and I was honored to be on that first flight. Soon afterwards, Israel inaugurated its embassy in Bahrain and its Liaison Office in Rabat.
It became clear to everyone that the Abraham Accords survived Operation Guardian of the Walls and the peace treaties were on track to keep growing.
TODAY, WE find ourselves in a similar situation.
Will the Abraham Accords survive Swords of Iron?
The terrorist attacks launched by Hamas on October 7 were the deadliest on Jews since the Holocaust and on Americans since 9/11.
The Hamas terrorists beheaded babies and burned their parents alive. They destroyed entire villages and homes. They murdered more than 1,400 Israelis, injured more than 5,000, and kidnapped well over 200.
The UAE and Bahrain immediately issued condemnations of Hamas. Kosovo’s president and prime minister both published statements in solidarity with Israel. Sudan has not reacted publicly thus far, while Morocco issued a condemnation of the attacks on civilians.
In a recent address UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy condemned Hamas for their heinous and barbaric attacks and reiterated that the hostages be released immediately without any preconditions.
UAE Ambassador to the United Nations Lana Zaki Nusseibeh also affirmed her country’s commitment to the Abraham Accords and even backtracked from blaming Israel for the explosion of the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza, publicly admitting that it needed further investigation.
Ines Demiri, the chief of mission at Kosovo’s embassy in Jerusalem visited the Israeli communities on the Gaza border to show solidarity with the victims.
While Morocco has been sympathetic to the Palestinians in most of their public statements, in Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita’s most recent speech in Cairo, he stopped short of placing any specific blame on Israel.
To ensure this relationship endures, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rightfully reaffirmed Israel’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara this past week.
There are numerous ongoing joint economic ventures between Abraham Accords countries in the areas of water, energy, food, healthcare, and more. These collaborations greatly benefit the people of the region.
Yet despite the war, both the UAE minister of state for foreign trade and the Bahraini finance minister continue to publicly reaffirm the importance of the Abraham Accords and their economic benefits in trade and investment. Moroccan media outlets have urged the same.
Granted, the public statements coming from Abraham Accords countries during this war aren’t always perfect. In fact, some of the statements were disappointing and fell short of their expectations, particularly after Israel launched its ground invasion of Gaza.
Yet the recent improvement in the tone of these statements, and the willingness of the Abraham Accords countries to condemn Hamas, is something that was unimaginable until just a few years ago. It’s important to read between the lines of these statements and applaud every step of progress made, no matter how small.
IT IS also important to acknowledge the elephant in the room. In this war, Israel and the Abraham Accords countries share the same threat from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hamas, which attacks Israel, is armed and funded by Iran. The Houthis, which attack the UAE and Bahrain, are armed and funded by Iran. The Polisario Front, which attacks Morocco, is armed and funded by Iran.
Over the course of this week alone, the Houthis fired a UAV across the Red Sea, the Polisario fired missiles at Morocco, all while Hamas continues firing on Israel.
Too often people don’t connect the dots. We must pay attention to the man behind the curtain. These terrorist organizations are branches of the same poisonous Iranian tree.
Without Iran, these attacks would not have been possible to begin with. Iran must face harsh consequences and not be allowed to escape responsibility.
We must also acknowledge the destabilizing actions of other countries in the region that harbor Hamas leaders and finance their terror networks, such as Qatar, Turkey, and Algeria. These countries must also be held accountable.
The Abraham Accords were created on the basis of peace through strength. The accords countries therefore see an interest in maintaining ties with Israel, as it fights these shared enemies.
And when Israel indeed destroys Hamas, as it has rightfully announced its intention to do, it will send a huge message of deterrence to other Iran-backed terrorist organizations that threaten the Gulf and Africa.
To those who believe an all-out war on Hamas will damage the Abraham Accords: There is nothing our Abraham Accords partners would be more excited to see than the destruction and elimination of one of Iran’s terror proxies. It would be much more damaging to the Abraham Accords if Israel was forced into a ceasefire and wasn’t able to destroy Hamas.
A victorious Israel means a stronger, safer, and more stable environment for Abraham Accords countries. This is not only the formula for maintaining the Abraham Accords, but for expanding them to new countries.
As was the case in May 2021, I am confident that the Abraham Accords will survive this war too.
And when Israel eliminates Hamas to win this war, the Abraham Accords will emerge stronger than ever before.
The writer is deputy director for Israel at the Abraham Accords Peace Institute. He previously served as senior adviser to Israel’s regional cooperation minister during the signing of the Abraham Accords and the launch of Operation Guardian of the Walls.