The Abraham Accords were officially signed on September 15th​ at a festive ceremony at the White House hosted by US president Donald Trump that brought together Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain Abdullatif Al Zayani. These agreements would be known as the Abraham Accords, in homage of the joint ancestor shared by the Jewish and the Muslim faith.

Preceding the signing ceremony in Washington were two decades of clandestine contacts between Israel and Gulf states that began in the aftermath of the Oslo agreement in 1993. These quiet relationships, were nurtured and maintained by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

The Abraham Accords marks the third peace agreement Israel reached with an Arab country and the first since 1994. Previously, Israel signed a peace agreement with Egypt in 1979, followed by the Wadi Araba Treaty with Jordan 15 years later.

Within weeks of the groundbreaking announcement, Israeli, Bahrain, and the UAE reached a series of  agreements covering a wide range of sectors and highlighting the unique relations.  On October 20, Israel and the UAE signed a deal allowing for visa-free travel for citizens of both countries, the first visa exemption agreement between the Jewish state and an Arab nation. Other agreements were signed concerning banking, investment, and tourism, including a commercial aviation deal that will see 28 weekly flights take off from Ben-Gurion Airport to Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Meanwhile, Israel and Bahrain signed eight different agreements on finance, information technologies, postal services, and agriculture. A series of high level visits cementing the ties, with UAE Finance Minister Obaid Humaid al-Tayer leading a delegation of Emirati ministers to Israel in October while senior Israeli government officials landed in Manama a few days later. In November, Bahraini Foreign Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani arrived in Tel Aviv in what was the country’s first-ever ministerial visit to the Jewish State. This visit followed by the visit of Bahraini Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism Zaid bin Rashid Al-Zayani which led to signing agreements on economy and tourism and the launching of direct flights by EL AL and the national Bahraini flight comapny Gulf Air. 

Also extraordinary was the newfound economic and social cooperation. Within weeks of the historic announcement, dozens of business deals were signed between top companies. Ramat Gan’s Sheba Medical Center and the UAE’s APEX agreed to establish a joint healthcare hub while Emirati agricultural giant Al-Dhara inked a deal with Netafim, a leading Israeli irrigation manufacturer.

An additional economic breakthrough was the deal with Dubai’s Port ‘DP World’ that launched a direct shipping line between the UAE and Eilat while Zim, an Israeli cargo company, inaugurated a new route connecting the Haifa and Jebel Ali Ports. DP World also reached an agreement with Israel Shipyards to submit a joint bid for Haifa’s port. Another highly significant  initiative is aiming to transport Emirati oil to Europe via a pipeline running between Eilat and the city of Ashkelon on the Mediterranean Sea.

Interest in visiting the UAE has become wish of many Israelis. According  to a survey conducted in November, 72% of Israelis seek to visit the UAE while 59% said that they plan on traveling to Bahrain. Making their sojourn in the Gulf easier is the abundance of kosher food, with dozens of Emirati hotels now offering cuisine that adheres to Jewish dietary law.

The signing of Abraham Accords create a new a new reality in the region. The agreements present a unique opportunity  to collaborate in various fields such as innovation, science and technology. They have also created the opportunity for more countries in the region to normalize its relations with Israel.

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