RJC Celebrates First Anniversary of Abraham Accords

August 13, 2021

Washington, DC  -- The Republican Jewish Coalition celebrates the first anniversary of the historic Abraham Accords signed by Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain with the support and leadership of the United States.

RJC National Chairman Norm Coleman said:

The first anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords is a tremendous milestone for the region. The Abraham Accords really rewrote the paradigm for relations between Israel and Arab states. President Trump and his team brought Israel and the UAE and Bahrain together to formally normalize their relations with each other directly. Now these countries are working toward closer cooperation in strategic, economic, technological, and cultural areas that were closed before. When the potential of this change is fully developed, it will benefit the people of Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and other countries across the Middle East for generations. 

We look forward to seeing further progress toward peace in the region, building on the Abraham accords and bringing other Arab countries into peaceful, positive relations with Israel.

In the last twelve months, the formal agreement between Israel and these visionary Gulf States has already produced remarkable results. Here are just a few examples:

  • Trade between Israel and the UAE has topped $570 million dollars, with projections exceeding $3 billion dollars within three years. The two countries have signed a tax treaty to spur business development between them. Israeli companies wanting to do business in the Gulf no longer have to go through a third country like Cyprus to carry out their trade.
  • Direct commercial flights between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain have been established. It is estimated that 200,000 people have already flown to the Gulf from Israel.
  • The UAE now has an embassy in Tel Aviv, led by Ambassador Mohamed Al Khaja, and Israel has an embassy in Abu Dhabi, led by Ambassador Amir Hayek. Bahrain has named Khaled Yousef al-Jalahmah as Bahrain’s ambassador to Israel. 
  • Israel now has better relations with other Arab and Muslim states because of the opportunities opened by the Abraham Accords. Normalized relations have been established with Sudan and Morocco.
  • Kosovo is the first European and first Muslim-majority state to establish an embassy in Jerusalem.
  • Bahrain’s Ambassador to the US said that the Abraham Accords helped end the recent Gaza-Israel conflict and helped mitigate damage caused by the fighting. 
  • Opportunities for high-tech development in the Gulf are opening up for Israeli businesses.
  • Religious, cultural, and civil society engagement is happening between Israelis and citizens of the UAE.
  • UAE Chief Rabbi Yehuda Sarna created a new prayer to mark the first anniversary of the historic normalization agreement.