Rosenberg shares personal connection to Abraham Accords in Jerusalem Post retrospective on the historic event
“I had the unique opportunity to have a front-row seat for the Abraham Accords, maybe at the conception,” Rosenberg says
Media throughout the Middle East and the United States are celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Abraham Accords on Aug. 13 and looking ahead to one year since the signing of the historic agreements on Sept. 15 at the White House.
In light of the auspicious event, Seth J. Frantzman published a thorough retrospective in The Jerusalem Post, giving the “inside story” on the formation and after effects of the Abraham Accords.
The article includes interviews with officials and Middle East experts in Washington, Abu Dhabi, Manama and Jerusalem as well as ALL ISRAEL NEWS Editor-in-Chief Joel C. Rosenberg, who shares his personal experience – which began two years prior to the announcement of the historic peace treaty.
“I had the unique opportunity to have a front-row seat for the Abraham Accords, maybe at the conception,” Rosenberg told Frantzman. “I was invited by UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed to meet with him and bring the first-ever group of evangelical leaders to meet MBZ in October 2018, and we had two hours with the crown prince in the palace just sitting and talking with him about all the major issues.”
Rosenberg asked the Emirati leader directly whether he would make peace with Israel.
“We said we had been praying for a long time, but there hasn’t been an Arab leader since (Jordan’s) King Hussein ready to make peace; and we were looking for the next Arab leader to do so,” Rosenberg continued. Bin Zayed, known as MBZ, stunned the group by leaning forward and saying “Joel, I am ready to make peace with Israel.”
“We could hardly believe it, we hadn’t come thinking we would get an answer to that question,” Rosenberg revealed.
Rosenberg and his team kept details of the meeting confidential until the dramatic of the peace treaty was announced by then U.S. President Donald Trump on Aug. 13.
Fast forward to Sept. 7, 2020, Rosenberg received a text message from Dr. Ali al-Nuaimi, an adviser to MBZ, hours before the news broke. “Watch the news closely, big story about to break.”
The Abraham Accords were signed at the South Lawn of the White House – and Rosenberg was there to cover it.
In his forthcoming book, “Enemies And Allies: An Unforgettable Journey inside the Fast-Moving & Immensely Turbulent Modern Middle East,” Rosenberg reveals more details of his October 2018 meeting MBZ and the Abraham historic Accords.
Since then, trade between Israel and its Abraham Accords partners has skyrocketed while direct flights have opened up as well.
To pre-order “Enemies and Allies,” please click here.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
