UAE–Israel Abraham Accords: Toward a Warm Peace

Introduction

Until recently, the history of the Arab states with regard to Israel has been one of conflict and cold peace. With the signing of the Abraham Accords, the UAE turned a page in Arab-Israeli relations. It now appears that a warm peace is possible in the Middle East, and that such a peace is being actively pursued by the UAE in the hope that it will help to thaw relations among the other Arab states. However, for many Arab populations, Israel remains a state to be viewed with wariness.

Israel has been in some form of conflict with Palestine since its inception nearly a century ago, and for most of that time the Arab world has supported the Palestinian cause. Wars have been fought — most notably the Six Day War — and Israel's territory has grown. The Palestinian people, meanwhile, have been subject to their own leadership in the form of Hamas and Hezbollah. The UAE currently views these organizations as terrorist groups that have led the Palestinian people astray.

Historical Context of Arab–Israeli Relations

Following the Six Day War, Egypt eventually sought to establish peace with Israel through the Camp David Accords in 1978. That peace was celebrated as a breakthrough in Arab-Israeli relations, but it has largely been characterized as a cold peace — one focused on security rather than on cementing a warm friendship defined by mutual growth and well-being. Egypt's subsequent fall into disarray demonstrated the limited extent to which the Camp David Accords achieved lasting peace. Jordan followed suit two decades later with its own cold peace arrangement, but after a quarter century that political peace is barely remembered between the two states.

In this regard, the UAE has been unique in its approach to Israel. While it is true that other states — including Bahrain and Sudan — also signed onto the Abraham Accords, and that Egypt and Jordan each pursued peace in the past, the UAE is different. Critics allege that Bahrain and Sudan signed onto the Accords only as part of a quid-pro-quo arrangement with the United States. No such arrangement can be said to have motivated the UAE, and neither can the UAE's peace with Israel be characterized as cold in the manner of Egypt's or Jordan's agreements in past decades.

The UAE's Approach: A Warm Peace

The UAE has approached Israel differently from its predecessors. It predicated its talks with Israel on a win-win position, seeking not merely a political or security peace but rather a peace that enables both states to prosper and benefit from formalized ties. To this end, the UAE and Israel plan to work together on trade, tourism, energy, agriculture, security, and more — enhancing one another's economy and contributing to the overall prosperity of the Middle East.

To some degree, the UAE and Israel both recognize similar threats in the region: Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas are viewed by each as sources of serious concern. The formalization of ties between the two states thus also represents a step toward addressing a looming issue — namely, Iran's pursuit of nuclear capability and what this may mean for peace in the Middle East.

Conclusion

The UAE's relationship with Israel already existed in an embryonic stage prior to the Abraham Accords. The two states had collaborated on matters of intelligence and security, and they shared a similar outlook with regard to Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian leadership. With the signing of the Accords, a new phase in relations was marked. This phase is best characterized as the establishment of a warm peace: tourism is opening between the two states, trade is set to flourish as Israel sells agricultural technology to the UAE and the UAE sells oil to Israel, diplomatic relations have improved, and there is an overall positive regard between the two nations.