New Country to Join Abraham Accords
The United States is expected to announce on November 6 that a new country will join the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements where several nations have normalized relations with Israel, according to President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Announcement Details
"I'm flying back to Washington tonight because we're going to announce, tonight, another country coming into the Abraham Accords," Witkoff said at the America Business Forum in Miami.
When asked which country would join, Witkoff responded to Fox News interviewer Bret Baier, "I don't know if it's out yet."
Speculation and Context
The Axios news outlet reported that the new participant is Kazakhstan, a Central Asian republic that has maintained diplomatic ties with Israel for decades but is reportedly joining to help "reinvigorate" the accords. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan is one of five Central Asian leaders scheduled to meet President Trump at the White House in November.
Background of the Abraham Accords
- During Trump's first term, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco normalized relations with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords.
- Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s two holiest sites, had been in talks to normalize ties with Israel, which would be a historic achievement.
- However, Saudi Arabia paused its normalization process following the outbreak of war in Gaza after Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023.
- Saudi Arabia maintains that normalization depends on progress toward an independent Palestinian state, a position opposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Saudi Arabia has long insisted it cannot normalize ties without progress toward an independent Palestinian state, a prospect long opposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."
These developments indicate ongoing shifts in Middle Eastern diplomacy and highlight the complexity surrounding peace efforts in the region.
Author’s summary: The US plans to announce Kazakhstan joining the Abraham Accords, signaling renewed momentum for Middle East peace despite setbacks from regional conflicts and political challenges.