The Abraham Accords, Explained

Anne Dreazen, Vice President of AJC’s Center for a New Middle East, explains why the Abraham Accords’ resilience matters and how AJC is working to sustain and deepen regional ties through its presence in Abu Dhabi, the BRIDGE program, and the Sachs Fellowship.

U.S. President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet on Tuesday for Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), in his first U.S. visit since 2018. Among the major items announced were a Strategic Defense Agreement, the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, as well as a civilian nuclear agreement and designating the kingdom as a major non-NATO ally.

On Tuesday, November 18, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to visit the White House for the first time since 2018. The visit comes at a time of renewed regional maneuvering, as the U.S. doubles down on its engagement in the Gulf, deepens ties with traditional partners, and navigates shifting dynamics that will shape the future of Middle East security and diplomacy.

Five years after the UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain, and later the Kingdom of Morocco, normalized relations with Israel – a historic achievement of the first Trump administration – and after nearly two years of war in Gaza, the continued expansion of the Arab-Israeli circle of peace faces popular resistance across the region, even as the logic of Israel’s full integration in the Middle East remains compelling.

Just as the 2020 Accords did not materialize overnight, neither will their expansion. Even as we face unprecedented challenges in the region, there is reason for hope and a necessity for this work to continue. We must build on the foundation laid five years ago – for a new era of regional cooperation, greater stability, and the opportunity for a future defined by prosperity rather than perpetual conflict.

American leadership brought us all to the White House lawn five years ago. Today, with the continued leadership of the Trump Administration and the support of Congress, we have the opportunity and the obligation to support and build a larger and bolder coalition to counter the terror-driven death and destruction that has long imperiled the region. The Abraham Accords have thus far survived Iran’s effort to destroy them – on this five-year anniversary, it’s time to strengthen and expand them.

To mark the Abraham Accords’ fifth anniversary, American Jewish Committee’s Center for a New Middle East hosted a special event on Capitol Hill, bringing together a bipartisan group of lawmakers, diplomats, and experts to reflect on the achievements and challenges of the Accords and look toward a more peaceful, integrated region.

After 23 months of the crisis triggered by Hamas on October 7, the survival of the Abraham Accords, thanks to the endurance of the strategic decisions made in 2020 by the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco – is cause for celebration as the region marks the agreements’ fifth anniversary. It is also a summons to all stakeholders to take the next steps to realize the promises made at the White House on that September afternoon. It is time to make history again.

From cockpits to kitchens to concert halls, the Abraham Accords are inspiring unexpected partnerships. In the fourth episode of AJC’s limited series, four “partners of peace” share how these historic agreements are reshaping their lives and work.

On September 15, 2020, the Abraham Accords were signed at the White House. In this third installment of AJC’s limited series, AJC CEO Ted Deutch and Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson—who stood on the South Lawn that day—share their memories and insights five years later.

In episode two, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, U.S. Army General Miguel Correa, and AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson unpack the first Trump administration’s Middle East strategy and reveal what unfolded inside the White House before the Abraham Accords signing.

In the first episode of AJC’s new limited podcast series, Architects of Peace, go behind the scenes of the decades-long diplomacy and quiet negotiations that made the Abraham Accords possible, bringing Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and later Morocco, together in historic peace agreements.

President Trump is making this visit at a time that requires Israelis and Arabs to be more interdependent in ways not previously imaginable. So while the challenges in the Middle East are clear, so too are the unprecedented opportunities. President Trump has a rare opportunity to once again make history in this too-long-troubled region.

At AJC Global Forum 2025, Reem Ketait, Deputy Assistant Minister for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, United Arab Emirates, shared a powerful vision for a more connected, innovative, and peaceful Middle East.

At the AJC Global Forum 2025, the Center for a New Middle East hosted a timely and forward-looking business panel: "The Future of Peace and Prosperity in the Middle East." The session explored how economic cooperation, innovation, and regional investment can serve as powerful tools for building long-term peace and stability.

The Abraham Accords, signed under the first Trump administration, ushered in a new era of Arab-Israeli peace.

An American Jewish Committee (AJC) leadership delegation concluded a week of meetings and conversations with senior government officials, policy analysts, business leaders, high-ranking military officers, U.S. diplomats, and other interlocutors in the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain. The group's talks continued AJC’s more than three decades of engagement, trust-building, and advocacy across the Middle East, furthered by the recent launch of AJC’s Center for a New Middle East.

The Abraham Accords marked a significant foreign policy achievement for President Donald Trump at the end of his first term in 2020. What’s next for the Abraham Accords under a new Trump administration Joining us is Rob Greenway, Director of the Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation and former senior director for Middle Eastern and North African Affairs on the National Security Council.

Despite Iran’s pursuit of Israel’s annihilation, the agreements have held, granting Israel a cushion of regional support as it fights for its borders

As the world commemorates the fourth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, American Jewish Committee (AJC) honors the sentiments of that day and remains committed to the pursuit of a more peaceful Middle East.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, today applauded House and Senate passage of the MARITIME Act and legislation to create a dedicated ambassador-rank Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords. Both included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), these measures seek to curb Iran’s influence in the region, disrupt support for the regime’s terrorist proxies, and enhance Israel’s integration by employing a robust framework to expand regional cooperation.

As we mark the third anniversary of the Abraham Accords, significant progress has been made in deepening Arab-Israeli engagement. With us this week is Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), a founding member of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus.

How much do you know about the Abraham Accords? Take our quiz and put your knowledge to the test!

Given the historic success of the 2020 deal, what is next for the Abraham Accords? At AJC Global Forum 2022, ambassadors from all of the Accords countries convened to discuss the triumphs and next steps for the deal.

The historic peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates can be a model for the entire region, said former U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Howard Berman today. Congressman Berman, who was extensively involved in improving relations between Israel and Arab nations during his 30 years in Congress, spoke at the inaugural Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba Lecture sponsored by American Jewish Committee.

After decades of disconnection, denial, and distrust, two years of normalized and remarkably warm relations between Israel and two Arab Gulf states have shown how ready the Middle East was — and is — for fundamental change.

This week, we bring you highlights from AJC Virtual Global Forum 2021. First, in a conversation moderated by Manya Brachear Pashman, we hear from H.E. Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of Hedayah, and Rabbi David Rosen, AJC Director of International Interreligious Affairs, in The Siegler Family Annual Muslim-Jewish Symposium on How Interfaith Relations Helped Drive the Abraham Accords.

Then, two college student activists, Julia Jassey, University of Chicago ‘23, and Talia Rosenberg, University of Pennsylvania ‘21, help us understand today’s challenges and opportunities on campus for pro-Israel students during the AJC Virtual Global Forum’s session, The View from Campus, moderated by Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman, AJC Deputy Director of Young Leadership.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This historic agreement, known as the Abraham Accords, would soon grow to include Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. In one fell swoop, the number of Arab countries Israel had formal relations with tripled from two (Egypt and Jordan) to six. With us to discuss this pivotal moment and the future of Israeli-Arab engagement is Ambassador Eitan Na’eh, head of mission at the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi - formally dedicated just six weeks ago.

As Middle East and North African leaders increasingly question old orthodoxies and recognize the benefits of new alignments—with normalization agreements offering advantages not only for Israel and Arab states, but also creating opportunities to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace—Washington, too, must look at this evolving region with fresh eyes. To advance its objectives, the new administration should take advantage of all the tools at its disposal—including those left to it by its predecessor.

The past year’s transformational shifts in the Middle East and the launch of a U.S. fund to promote cooperation provide a rare opportunity for diplomatic success by the Biden administration. The Lowey Fund and Abraham Accords offer a new way forward.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch today told the European Parliament that the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and three Arab nations, was an important historical moment “we can never take for granted.”

This week, retired U.S. Ambassador Marc Sievers, Director of American Jewish Committee’s office in Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding, joins us to discuss President Joe Biden's visit to the Middle East on a tour that included Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia.

Each day brings news of another high-level exchange, another tangible benefit of peace, between Israel and countries with which it normalized ties just one year ago. The pace and potential impact of these developments are breathtaking. Twenty-five years ago, and every year since, AJC delegations meeting with high government officials in Arab capitals were always warmly received, but were told to expect normal relations with Israel only after the achievement of Palestinian statehood. That is, until two years ago. That’s when UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan told us his country was ready for full peace with the Jewish state.

As we reflect on the first anniversary of the Abraham Accords, American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy are honored to announce a new partnership to promote deeper American, Israeli, and Emirati understanding.

The announcement on Aug. 13, 2020 that the United Arab Emirates and Israel had agreed to move toward full diplomatic relations surprised much of the world. What culminated last summer had deep roots. My American Jewish Committee colleagues and I, traveling regularly to Gulf capitals since 1994, observed signs of fresh thinking in the region early on—and did our part to encourage it.