ROME – The European Union’s “muted response” to what has been called “the most fundamentally transformative event in the Middle East in decades” is based on outdated paradigms and a lack of understanding of the modern Arab world, according to a conference on the Abraham Accords led by the Euro-Gulf Information Centre. 

 “Cynics have criticised the Accords as a backroom deal between the leaderships of these countries, but that misses the point,” said Dan Feferman, director of Global Affairs and Communications at Sharaka, an NGO promoting Israeli-UAE relations. “Anything that adds positive relations and stability, and decreases radicalism, is something that should interest every political bloc and power in the world.”

 Named after the common patriarch of both Judaism and Islam, the Abraham Accords were reached on Aug. 13, 2020 to normalise relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours, firstly the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Morocco and Sudan have since followed suit. As discussed at the conference, which took place Monday at EGIC's Rome headquarters in a hybrid format, the Accords have been compared to the Good Friday Agreement, yet are largely unheard of in Europe.

 “Many saw the Accords as Trump publicity rather than a real change,” explained Piercamillo Falasca, Consigliere to the Italian Minister for the South. They were labelled dismissively by some as ‘Trump’s initiative’ and the Biden administration initially distanced itself for this reason, a move which many in the discussion found “immensely disappointing” at the time. A former politician in the audience pointed out, “we shouldn’t judge everything by simply sticking a label on it” and was thankful that the Biden administration is now cooperating with the Accords again.

 Others have seen the Accords as a betrayal of the Palestine cause. The chair of the discussion, MEP Lars Patrick Berg, posed the question, “would it help if Europe ceased to view the Accords through the prism of the Palestinian issue?”

 Mr Feferman answered. “People view what’s happening in the Middle East through outdated paradigms or lenses, one of these being the Israel-Palestine conflict. What the Abraham Accords did is legitimise the process of putting the Israel-Palestine conflict back in its proper proportions.” Mr Feferman said it is one of many conflicts in the region that undoubtedly needs to be solved, but “it does not need to dictate the relationship between Israel and the Gulf States. or between Israel and Morocco. The Egyptians came to that realisation in 1979.”

 “Israel is not going anywhere,” he said, adding that bravery is needed to realise “Israel can be a part of far more solutions to regional problems than it is a problem.”

 Various panel members mentioned problems in the region that will require teamwork to overcome. “Youth unemployment, desert issues, water scarcity, food security, the growing threat of Iran and its proxies, radicalisation - Israel can be a major asset on all of these,” said Feferman.

 The Sharaka director, like other experts in the panel, advocated the need for a new approach. “We need to restructure the region into two camps - one moderate, pragmatic camp that works together and looks forward while not shying away from policy disagreements - and one reactionary, radical, extremist camp, hijacked by Iran and Muslim brotherhood elements.”

 He emphasised these two “camps” must be put on either side of a clear line and that the region’s problems must be put “into their proper proportions,” not skewed as propaganda or excuses.

 The principle of tolerance was cited by the panel as a key factor in the Accords. Cultural diplomacy will help improve relations “at a grassroots level” before “slowly building up relations between governments as well,” said discussion member Omar Al Busaidy, CEO of Sharaka and Economic Affairs Liaison at the UAE Consulate in New York. He used the examples of two Israeli football players who play for a UAE club as well as Israeli players in the Moroccan basketball team. Mr Al Busaidy noted that Bahrain has the only synagogue in the Arabian Gulf region and lots of religious diversity, including a Jewish community.

 “It’s up to us to try our best to work together and develop relations, strengthen them. Focus on people to people relations, encourage nations to give peace and stability a chance.”

 MEP Berg asked Mr Al Busaidy for his opinion on how Europe could strengthen its efforts to reach out to the countries signing the Abraham Accords and how they could be made more popular and effective, including in the EU.

 Mr Al Busaidy replied, “number one, there should be an Abraham Accords caucus in the parliament, similar to what was created in the USA.” He said the UK has also created an Accords Group and that it's important for the European Parliament to do likewise. 

 Mr Falasca commented, "many [europeans] were reading this event thorugh a historical lens, and this is often a mistake. Another mistake of European governments is to reduce Euro-Gulf relations to the bi-lateral level. So when we talk with the UAE or with Israel about trade, we are focussed on our national agenda and priorities. This make europeans important trade partners but insignificant strategic partners."

 "Europe is still an economic giant and a political dwarf," said Mr Falasca. "If we try and behave differently and to treat the region as a whole  - and the Abraham Accords is the perfect framework - we can be a strategic partner."

 Monday's conference was titled 'Peace in Our Times: Examining Developments in the Abraham Accords.' Its aim was to reinforce the importance of the Abraham Accords as a game-changer in regional affairs and speakers were drawn from Bahrain, the UAE and Israel in order to best reflect on the new dynamics at play. The panel was made up of Hamad Alabdula, Executive Director of the Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat), Omar Al Busaidy, Piercamillo Falasca and Dan Feferman, and chaired by MEP Lars Patrick Berg.

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