Abraham Accords ‘one of the biggest Mideast milestones’

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

Aug, 13, 2021 marks the first anniversary of the Abraham Accords, which has become the agreement for the normalisation of relationships between the the State of Israel and the United Arab Emirates as well as the between the State of Israel and Bahrain.

Officially known respectively as the “Abraham Accords Peace Agreement: Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalisation Between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel,” and the “Abraham Accords: Declaration of Peace, Cooperation, and Constructive Diplomatic and Friendly Relations” for Bahrain and Israel, the first was signed between UAE Foreign and International Cooperation Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and then Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; the second was signed by Bahrain Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al Zayani and then Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sept. 15, 2020 at The White House in Washington, D.C. Then US President Donald Trump witnessed.

In eight paragraphs, the first paragraph of “The Abraham Accords Declaration” states: “We, the undersigned, recognise the importance of maintaining and strengthening peace in the Middle East and around the world based on mutual understanding and coexistence, as well as respect for human dignity and freedom, including religious freedom,”

The sixth paragraph meanwhile concerns the care for the next generations: “We seek to end radicalisation and conflict to provide all children a better future.”

In an exclusive Zoom interview with Israeli Head of Mission to the UAE Eitan Na’eh on Wednesday, he stressed the relevance of steps towards the realisation of academic and cultural exchanges for the Emirati and Israeli youth: “We are talking about people in their early teens that (normally study in the West) but can now study within the region three hours away and in any of the best 100 universities in the world. In a few years, we will have a cadre of local business leaders; government officials; social, cultural, political leadership who are educated and trained in the UAE and Israel. These people will create contacts, bring culture, bring knowledge, bring familiarity to countries. I think that if you look five to 10 years from now, these people will be the people who will carry the (diplomatic and bilateral) relationships forward.”

Separately, from Bahrain’s former ambassador to the US, Houda Nonoo, the first and only Jewish ambassador to be appointed by an Arab country: “The Abraham Accords is one of the biggest Middle East milestones in our lifetime. As a citizen of this region, I am filled with excitement to see the construction of a new Middle East, one focused on coexistence and prosperity.”

From UAE-Israel Business Council co-founder/Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum: “The day the Abraham Accords were announced, Israel for the first time became a member of the regional community and our world got bigger and more hopeful. Even with the global pandemic, we saw a quarter of a million of Israelis visiting the UAE since the Accords were signed. In Jerusalem, we are preparing for the day after Corona as a major destination for Muslim pilgrims and tourists from around the GCC. Every day people are reaching out to each other with great excitement and the Gulf-Israel Women’s Forum and the UAE-Israel Business Council has been pivotal in providing the infrastructure for this budding relationship and in leading high-level encounters.”

From OU Kosher chief executive officer Rabbi Menachem Genack: “Since the signing of the Abraham Accords, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco have been moving at an accelerated pace to create the infrastructure to accommodate Jewish tourism to their countries which includes kosher food. We are proud to work with them on this effort.”

From Bahrain Jewish Community (the only indigenous Jewish community in the Gulf)/House of Ten Commandments president Ebrahim Dawood Nonoo: “We are thrilled to celebrate the first anniversary of the Abraham Accords. As a result of the Accords, we welcomed Israeli delegations for the first time and some of our own community members visit Israel for the first time.”