An eight-month-old accord aimed at normalizing relations between Israel and the Arab world is facing its first major test as violence flares from Jerusalem to Gaza. And it’s proving tricky navigate.
Weeks of public anger over Israel’s move to expel Palestinian families from their homes in Jerusalem was already making it more difficult for the United Arab Emirates and three other signatories of the so-called Abraham Accords to justify deepening ties. Now that’s been followed by an explosion of violence, with fighting in Jerusalem and the Hamas-run Gaza Strip leaving mounting civilian deaths, most of them Palestinians.
As the fighting threatens to escalate into all-out war, pressure is rising on Arab governments to take a stand. While the UAE and Bahrain are unlikely to tear up their normalization deals, at least for now, diplomats and analysts say the violence will complicate efforts to translate them from ink on paper into a genuine partnership.