US ambassador to Israel launches a working group with Abraham Accords counterparts
Vows to expand accords to other countries in the region who are interested in peace with Israel
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration – which once refused to refer to the Abraham Accords by their name – is making efforts to strengthen and build on the normalization agreements that were brokered by the Trump administration.
On Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides launched the Ambassadorial Abraham Accords Working Group hosting his Emirati, Bahraini and Moroccan counterparts.
“Just inaugurated an Ambassadorial Working Group on the #AbrahamAccords & normalization agreements – first of many meetings with our outstanding partners. Let’s get to work!” Nides posted on Twitter along with a screenshot of the virtual meeting.
Just inaugurated an Ambassadorial Working Group on the #AbrahamAccords & normalization agreements - first of many meetings with our outstanding partners. Let’s get to work! pic.twitter.com/7Lihf374j1
— Ambassador Tom Nides (@USAmbIsrael) January 26, 2022
The first session of the group included UAE Ambassador to Israel Mohamed al-Khaja, Bahrain Ambassador to Israel Khaled al-Jalahma, Morocco Ambassador to Israel Abderrahim Beyyoudh, Israeli Foreign Ministry Director Alon Ushpiz and a representative of the State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs Bureau in Washington.
In an interview with The Jewish Insider, the U.S. ambassador explained that the goal of the working group is not only to build upon already blooming business and people-to-people ties, but also to show the benefits of cooperation and serve as an example of stability in the region.
Nides hopes “to figure out how to dramatically increase tourism” and cultural collaboration between Abraham Accords partners. He revealed his plans to convene a regional meeting of tourism ministers in the coming months and to create an “Abraham Accords/normalization cup” that will draw youth from the region to sports tournaments.
During his Senate confirmation hearing last September, Nides pledged to make strengthening the Abraham Accords a top issue on his agenda. He told the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee that “the Abraham Accords are critical to regional stability and prosperity.”
Nides vowed to “personally support every effort to expand cooperation among Israel and countries in the Arab and Muslim world,” and “identify opportunities to expand Israel’s relations with additional countries in the Arab and Muslim world.”
The ambassador emphasized that he does not see the normalization agreements as “a substitute for Israel-Palestinian peace,” which is based on the “vision of a negotiated two-state solution.”
Both the Biden administration and the Israeli government are interested in finding ways to expand the Abraham Accords to include more countries.
Earlier this week, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that while Israel hopes to normalize ties with additional countries such as Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, no deals are currently imminent.
ALL ISRAEL NEWS Editor-in-Chief Joel Rosenberg discussed the likelihood of Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel in 2022 in a recent interview with CBN – and said it would be a huge opportunity for Biden.
“Where is Joe Biden going to get a major foreign policy win and maybe a Nobel Peace Prize in the process anywhere else on the planet? I don't see an opportunity right now except a Saudi-Israeli peace deal,” he said.
Tal Heinrich is a senior correspondent for both ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS. She is currently based in New York City. Tal also provides reports and analysis for Israeli Hebrew media Channel 14 News.
