OPINION:
The Abraham Accords — brokered by President Trump five years ago between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco — have proven remarkably resilient, even in the face of a multi-front war sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the Islamist terror group Hamas.
Nevertheless, the last two years of regional conflict mean expanding the circle of warm peace in the Middle East will require renewed U.S. leadership, innovative approaches, and bold steps to achieve lasting stability in the region.
The signing of the Accords led to an outpouring of cooperation, dialogue and shared initiatives. Economic ties grew rapidly, and joint ventures were announced in fields ranging from water recycling and green hydrogen, to space and cybersecurity, to sports and the arts. Between 2021 and 2024, bilateral trade between Israel and its new peace partners grew by 173%, buoyed by nearly 50 intergovernmental agreements.
The Oct. 7 attack and the ensuing war led many to question whether the Accords would survive. Two years later, diplomatic, defense and trade ties remain stable. At the same time, the images of widespread destruction and humanitarian hardship in Gaza have damaged Israel’s public image in the region, and numerous people-to-people projects have been paused or canceled.
Both Israel and its peace partners view the ayatollahs in Tehran and the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist groups as critical threats. Yet many in the Gulf Cooperation Council and beyond are increasingly concerned about the war’s impact on regional stability.
This concern has deepened as Israel has demonstrated its readiness to strike its enemies across the Middle East and proactively reshape the regional order, as evidenced by its 12-day war against Iran, the elimination of senior Hezbollah and Houthi officials, intervention in Syria to protect Druze communities, and the Sept. 9 strike targeting Hamas’ leadership in Qatar.
The Abraham Accords represented a paradigm shift not only in Middle East peacemaking but also in the U.S. approach to regional security and economic development. By bringing together key American allies that had previously had no ties, the Trump administration created new possibilities for U.S. economic growth and technological leadership. And by creating new frameworks for military coordination, Mr. Trump enhanced American security without increasing the U.S. military footprint in the region.
Expanding the Abraham Accords will further bolster these critical U.S. interests. However, given regional tensions, deepening normalization and integration will require sustained U.S. leadership and support.
The U.S. should place a particular emphasis on advancing groundbreaking multilateral initiatives, such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, the I2U2 (Israel, India, USA, UAE) framework, the envisioned Middle East Strategic Alliance, and multilateral R&D in fields such as artificial intelligence, space and energy. On the bilateral level, the U.S. should develop comprehensive roadmaps for advancing normalization between Israel and a broad range of Arab and Muslim states, and seek to implement them in parallel.
Achieving new peace agreements will likely depend on a sustained period of stability in Gaza. So long as Hamas remains the dominant military and governing force in the Strip — whether de jure or de facto — it will retain the capacity to derail progress by launching attacks against Israel. Lasting regional peace, therefore, requires the swift defeat of Hamas and the prevention of its reconstitution.
Mr. Trump has demonstrated his strong support for Israel since returning to office. There are several steps that the U.S. could now take to help bring about the downfall of Hamas.
It could demand that U.S. allies Qatar and Turkey dismantle any Hamas financial networks run out of their countries, and expel the group’s leaders. Such a step would deal a severe blow to Hamas’ terror capabilities, without precluding hostage negotiations, given Egypt’s ability to act as a mediator vis-à-vis Hamas operatives in Gaza.
The U.S. could also help scale the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s aid distribution mechanism in order to provide aid to Gazans without Hamas stealing the supplies.
Once Hamas has been defeated and Gaza stabilized, efforts to expand the Abraham Accords can accelerate.
Under the leadership of President Trump, new bridges can be built between Israel and additional U.S. allies in the Arab and Muslim world, mutually beneficial economic cooperation can improve the lives of millions, and the Middle East can be transformed from a hotspot of conflict into a thriving hub of prosperity and peace.
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Asher Fredman is a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
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