In these challenging times, it is natural to seek out beacons of hope and optimism. Today we can focus on a beacon that is lighting the path to a better future in the Middle East. For on this day one year ago, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the US-brokered peace and normalization agreements known as the Abraham Accords.
The 15 September 2020 ceremony on the White House lawn was an historic event, one with the potential to transform the Middle East. On its anniversary, we celebrate the Accords themselves along with the remarkable achievements accomplished in just a single year, even under difficult pandemic conditions.
For years, Israel worked together with its partners behind-the-scenes to build clandestine diplomatic and economic relations with other moderate states in the region. It took courage to ultimately recognize that Israel is an integral and permanent part of the Middle East with much to contribute to its stability and prosperity. It took vision to prioritize the future and see what connects the peoples of the region. It took wisdom to accept that peace is not the shameful compromise that hostile elements claim it to be, but rather a victory for everything that is good in humanity.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett drove home the importance of this paradigm shift in a phone call with UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan when he said that the UAE’s attitude towards Israel “was an important change” and “an inspiration to other countries and leaders in the region.”
The Abraham Accords are strengthening bonds between nations and peoples. Warm relations filtered down from national leaders to every aspect of society, and are currently thriving between individuals and societies. Interactions between people have grown exponentially. Since the first direct flight between Tel Aviv and Dubai last November, over 200,000 Israeli tourists and businesspeople have visited the UAE and Bahrain, connecting peoples and cultures like never before. Israel will also present a national pavilion at the upcoming World Expo in Dubai, set to open in October. The theme of the Expo, “Journey for Tomorrow”, could not represent in a better way the symbol of our hopes for the new relations.
The importance of contacts between people cannot be underestimated. As Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said during the inauguration of Israel’s Embassy in Abu Dhabi, “agreements are signed by leaders, but peace is made between peoples.”
The Agreements also created exciting opportunities for regional and multinational cooperation in the fields of energy, sustainability, tourism, security and much more. Thirty-four agreements are currently underway between Israel and the UAE, with 14 already signed on topics ranging from cooperation in the fields of health and the environment to collaboration in agriculture. Israel is working with Bahrain on twenty-one agreements, having already signed twelve, including in the fields of economy, tourism and communications.
Israel aspires to continue the regional development that started with the Abraham Accords and to expand the circle of peace and normalization. Indeed, Israel believes that it can bring about a change in the conflict and establish peaceful coexistence with its most immediate neighbors, the Palestinians, in the spirit of the Accords. After all, peace begets peace. Moreover, the normalization process serves to effectively consolidate moderate forces in the region in the face of shared threats.
The courageous steps taken represent a decision to build a future together that will benefit all of our peoples. We have lighted the path to a new hopeful reality in the Middle East, one that will improve the welfare of its population and bring peace, security and prosperity to all. And hope, ultimately, will prevail.
Important issues of Turkmen-Japanese cooperation have been discussed