Israel-Hamas war pivotal moment for Abraham Accords 

Al-Monitor Pro Members

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst, Al-Monitor

Nov. 7, 2023

Amid Israel’s grinding Gaza offensive, Bahrain revealed on Nov. 2  that its ambassador to Tel Aviv had returned home. While the Abraham Accords so far are holding, the war has put increased pressure on the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco to downplay their political and economic ties with Israel. Only weeks removed from anticipation that Saudi Arabia could also soon normalize ties with Israel, the proponents of the historic peace pact have rallied to condemn Israel’s invasion as casualties mount in Gaza. The UAE, which has the Arab seat on the UN Security Council, has been out front in such diplomacy. Although there are some who believe the Accords could be a casualty of the war, unwinding them isn’t so simple — particularly for the UAE, which has most proactively sought to capitalize on the economic and investment opportunities facilitated by Arab-Israeli normalization.