Expansion of the Abraham Accord Under Consideration

Jerusalem – President Donald Trump’s Abraham Accord, which established normalized relations between Israel and several Sunni Gulf and North African nations, might soon welcome new participants, as indicated by Steve Witkoff, the special envoy to the Middle East.

In an interview with CNBC, Witkoff mentioned that there could be a significant announcement regarding new countries joining the Abraham Accord.

According to a report from the Israeli outlet Israel Hayom, national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi named Syria and Lebanon as potential candidates for participation in the accord during a confidential meeting with the Diplomatic and Defense Committee.

Trump has stated that military action could be an option if Iran begins to reconstruct its nuclear program.

Hanegbi also disclosed that direct communication is being maintained with the new Syrian government led by Ahmed Al-Sharara, who has a past association with al-Qaeda, alongside discussions involving the Islamic State at this meeting.

Middle Eastern expert Eugene Kontrovich from the Heritage Foundation commented that the new Syrian government is pursuing legitimacy and could benefit from this engagement.

Witkoff’s remarks about potentially expanding the Abraham Accord have energized discussions within Israeli media and among Middle Eastern analysts.

Moreover, in May, Trump urged Syria to fully normalize its relations with Israel in exchange for relief from sanctions.

He expressed that the obstacles for expanding the Abraham Accord are relatively minor. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if Trump were to extend the agreement during a potential second term, as stated by a leading architect of the Accord on a Fox Business program.

Following the establishment of the Abraham Accord in 2020, which successfully normalized relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, there has been considerable anticipation among U.S. officials and Middle Eastern experts that Saudi Arabia might also follow suit.

In February, earlier reports indicated that officials from the Trump administration were advocating for an enlargement of the Abraham Accord. However, the Biden administration faced scrutiny for not pursuing further expansions of the agreement and for choosing to engage less amicably with certain nations seeking normalization with Israel.

Responses were sought from the State Department, the Office of the Israeli Prime Minister, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for further comments.