How the UAE-Israel Abraham Accord normalizes Israel’s human rights abuses
Palestinian protestors gather to oppose the recent UAE-Israeli Abraham Accords. Source.
On August 13th, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel reached an agreement, known as the ‘Abraham Accord,’ promising to establish normal relations between the two nations. The agreement is expected to be officially signed at the White House this September. Once signed, the UAE will be the first Gulf nation to recognize Israel, as well as the third Arab nation to do so after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994).
The Accord stipulates that both nations will exchange embassies and begin cooperation among a broad range of areas including tourism, education, healthcare, trade, and security. Proponents of the agreement claim the diplomatic ties between the UAE and Israel will strengthen peace in the Middle East as well as unlock greater potential for cooperation in the region. However, this claim has been criticized as the UAE and Israel were never at war, and therefore the benefits of normalized relations may be exaggerated.
Relations between the UAE and Israel are historically complex. In 1971, the first president of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, described Israel as “the enemy.” However, in recent years both nations have been growing toward normalizing relations with one another. In 2015, Israel opened a diplomatic office in Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE. In 2019, the UAE and Israel created a joint military declaration amid rising tensions with Iran. The Abraham Accord affirms budding diplomatic relations between the two states.
The agreement has put an immediate halt on Israel’s annexation of the West Bank in Palestine. However, the Palestinian leadership rejected the agreement as they are skeptical of Israel permanently halting their annexation of the West Bank. Indeed, Israel has been annexing Palestinian land since its foundation as a state in 1948. Additionally, the news has come amidst Israel’s repeated night airstrikes in Gaza, a tragedy which has been ignored by major media outlets. Amnesty International has described Israel’s recent annexations as a flagrant violation of international law, entrenching institutional discrimination, and as amounting to war crimes. Without reckoning with these past injustices, the Accord has normalized Israel’s human rights abuses.
Reactions to the agreement have been diverse among the international community. Egypt, Jordan, Israel, the UAE, and the US are among some of the nations in support of the Accord as they praise the growth of diplomatic relations in any form. However, Ghana, Iran, Pakistan, the Palestinian leadership, and Turkey are among the nations that condemn the agreement as a breach of Palestinian sovereignty. Ghana likened Israel’s treatment of Palestine to the treatment of the Black Africans in apartheid South Africa. Turkey noted, “it is not in the slightest credible that this three-way declaration [between the UAE, Israel, and the US] should be presented as supporting the Palestinian cause.”
Additionally, Palestinian leadership was not included in any diplomatic talks to negotiate the Accord, despite the clear and obvious implications for Palestinians in the agreement. The Trump Administration instead presided over the agreement, and Trump’s surprise announcement about the Accord came as a shock to Palestinian officials. Although the agreement has been portrayed as a win for Palestine, the Accord is in fact an act of betrayal on behalf of the UAE. As a powerful Arab nation, the UAE unilaterally negotiating with Israel has undermined Arab unity and solidarity with Palestinians.
The future of the region remains unclear. The controversial Abraham Accord divides public opinion as well as responses from the international community. If other Arab nations follow the example of the UAE and normalize relations with Israel - especially under its current foreing policy regime, without any significant concessions - myriad grave injustices and decades of occupation and human rights abuses will be rewarded. The international community is now waiting to observe how this deal will affect the politics and relations between states in the region.