U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged on Friday to encourage more Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel as he hosted a virtual meeting with Israeli and Arab counterparts to mark the first anniversary of a set of landmark diplomatic agreements.
The event - held with Blinken's counterparts from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco - was the Biden administration's highest-profile embrace of the so-called Abraham Accords, which were widely seen as a diplomatic success for Republican former President Donald Trump.
3 View gallery
Antony Blinken, Yair Lapid and the foreign ministers of Bahrain and Morocco in a virtual meeting marking the 1st anniversary of the Abraham Accords
(Photo: Twitter)
Democratic President Joe Biden has backed the deals since taking office in January, and senior aides have said they want more Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel after decades of enmity. But the administration until now had been cool to the idea of commemorating the anniversary of the accords.
On Friday, however, Blinken hailed their diplomatic and economic benefits, saying: "This administration will continue to build on the successful efforts of the last administration to keep normalization marching forward."
He said the Biden administration would help foster Israel' growing ties with the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco - as well as Sudan, which also reached a breakthrough with Israel last year – and would work to deepen Israel's relationships with Egypt and Jordan, which have long-standing peace deals.
Blinken also said Washington would encourage more countries to follow their lead. "We want to widen the circle of peaceful diplomacy," he said.
3 View gallery
L-R: Bahrain FM Abdullatif al-Zayani, then PM Benjamin Netanyahu, then U.S. President Donald Trump, and Emirati FM Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan at the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House
(Photo: AFP)
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid agreed, saying: "This Abraham Accords club is open to new members as well." He also announced in intention to visit Bahrain later this month in the first official visit of an Israeli minister to the Gulf nation.
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett s that the Abraham Accords were a new chapter in Mideast peace.
"I wish to thank the courage and daring of those who enabled the establishment of diplomatic ties, and the United States that provided its leadership, support and mediation to make them a success. The relations between the nations, although only at their beginning, have already yielded many fruits," the prime minister said.
3 View gallery
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday
(Photo: Olivier Fitoussi)
The leaders of Israel, the UAE and Bahrain signed the accords at the White House last September. Israel and Sudan announced in the following month that they would normalize relations, and Morocco established diplomatic ties with Israel in December, after Biden defeated Trump in the U.S. election.
Palestinian officials said they felt betrayed by their Arab brethren for reaching deals with Israel without first demanding progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state.
Some critics said Trump had promoted Arab rapprochement with Israel while ignoring Palestinian aspirations for statehood.
But Blinken, who has sought to repair ties with the Palestinians badly damaged under Trump, said: "We all must build on these relationships and growing normalization to make tangible improvements in the lives of Palestinians, and to make progress toward the long-standing goal of advancing negotiated peace between Israelis and Palestinians."