WWhen the United Arab Emirates first signed the Abraham Accords (normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel) in 2020, its rulers believed that the agreement meant that Israel would take active steps towards ending its occupation and annexation of Palestinian territory. He encouraged the government to take action and welcomed it as a means of appeasement. Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco followed suit.
However, since the Arab states have dropped their demands for a Palestinian state as a condition for normalizing relations with Israel, the real premise of the agreement is to demonstrate that the Palestinian issue is no longer an obstacle to Israel’s relations in the region. Ta. Even though the agreement allowed Israel to ally with authoritarian regional regimes, circumventing the rights of the six million Palestinians living under routine brutality, military occupation, and apartheid rule. He promised the safety of the area. As many people, myself included, predicted at the time, it was bound to fail. The shocking Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel on October 7 has now made that clear for all to see.
Far from curbing Israeli human rights abuses, the agreement emboldened successive Israeli governments to further ignore Palestinian rights. In the first year after the agreement, settler violence increased dramatically in the West Bank. After the election in 2022 of the most right-wing government in Israel’s history, ministers openly called for the annexation of the West Bank and announced massive settlement expansion. In the year to October 7, Israeli forces had already killed around 200 Palestinians in the West Bank.Israel has rained destruction on Gaza since the Hamas attack, killing at least 15,500 people. Meanwhile, plans have been floated to force Gazans to relocate to Egypt and require the Egyptian government to provide them with permanent residency and permanent residence permits in the Sinai Peninsula, while Israel’s Minister of Information chimed in. Dozens of scholars have described the Israeli operation as genocide.
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To be clear, continued Arab compliance with the agreement shows continued support for Israel and rewards Israel with military, economic and trade development, which has always been the primary goal. is. That is why we at the Arab World Democracy Now (DAWN), a rights group founded by Jamal Khashoggi, have publicly called on the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, along with the signatories of the peace treaty, to immediately withdraw from the agreement. Noda. Egypt and Jordan should end all military cooperation with Israel.
Bahrain is already inching in that direction, with parliament declaring it will cut off all economic ties with Israel after sending the Israeli ambassador home. Arab countries that host U.S. military bases, such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar, are also using these bases to help the U.S. supply weapons to and protect the Israeli military during the ongoing war. It should be publicly declared that its use is not permitted. Gaza, or risk being seen as a co-conspirator.
The Trump and Biden administrations have hailed the deal as a significant effort to expand peace in the Middle East, going so far as to offer a number of benefits to signatory Arab states to persuade them to formalize relations with Israel. . These include the long-desired sale of 50 F-35 fighter jets to the tiny UAE. The United States recognizes Morocco’s illegal annexation of Western Sahara, making it the first country in the world to annex it. Remove Sudan from the list of designated terrorist states and provide a $1.5 billion loan. The agreement focused on each state’s unique strategic interests, particularly building regional alliances that were less dependent on Washington.
For Israel, the agreement dramatically expanded not only Israel’s trade and diplomatic relations with the signatory Arab states (most importantly the wealthy petrodollar states the UAE and Bahrain), but also its military and intelligence cooperation. . In 2021, the United States will transfer Israel from European Command to U.S. Central Command, which has jurisdiction over the Middle East, to facilitate more direct military and operational cooperation between Israel and its Arab neighbors, including intelligence sharing and regional air defense networks. deepened. Middle East Air Defense Alliance. Israeli F-35 squadrons and American F-35s flying from Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE conducted several joint air exercises called “Enduring Lightning.” In 2021, the UAE, Bahrain, Israel, and U.S. Navy Central Command conducted maritime security operations exercises in the Red Sea, and Israeli weapons manufacturers also significantly expanded their business with Arab countries. In 2022, Israel exported a record $12.6 billion in defense products to the UAE and Bahrain alone.
All of this needs to end. A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas late last month brought much-needed reprieve to the Gaza Strip’s 2 million residents, who have been subjected to heavy shelling and mass displacement. The temporary ceasefire ended on Friday with a resurgence of deadly Israeli airstrikes. But if Israel faces the possibility of losing its regional security architecture, it will likely heed what it needs most: the growing calls for a permanent ceasefire.