History of Abraham Accords in Timeline

The Abraham Accords are normalization agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, signed on September 15, 2020. Mediated by the United States and announced in August and September 2020, these bilateral deals marked a significant step towards normalizing relations between Israel and these Arab nations. Hosted by then-US President Donald Trump at the White House, the signing ceremony symbolized a major diplomatic achievement and a shift in Middle Eastern politics. The agreements fostered cooperation in various sectors, including trade, tourism, and security.

1991: Madrid Peace Conference

In 1991, the Madrid Peace Conference set the stage for the Oslo Accords. Since then, in February 2019 the Warsaw Conference created the first situation since the Madrid Peace Conference where an Israeli leader and senior Arab officials were all in attendance at the same international conference focused on the Middle East.

1993: Advancement of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process with the Oslo Accords

In 1993, the Israeli–Palestinian peace process was advanced with the Oslo Accords.

1994: Israel–Jordan peace treaty

In 1994, the Israel–Jordan peace treaty came into effect. Israel's initial agreement with the Emirates marked the first instance of Israel establishing diplomatic relations with an Arab country since then.

1995: Continuation of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process with the Oslo Accords

In 1995, the Israeli–Palestinian peace process was further advanced with the Oslo Accords, but later collapsed with the start of the Second Intifada.

2005: Israel withdraws from Gaza

In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza. At the same time, Israel increased settlement construction in the West Bank.

2006: Hamas comes to power in Gaza

In 2006, Hamas came to power in Gaza in the election. After Hamas came to power, Israel began to tighten the Gaza blockade.

2008: Israel tightens the Gaza blockade

From 2008 onward, Israel began to tighten the Gaza blockade, with Egypt's assistance.

2016: Routine summits between Israeli and Arab politicians

By 2016, summits and conferences between high-ranking Israeli—Palestinian and Israeli—Arab politicians and direct contacts between their security and intelligence services had not only become routine but were openly discussed in major Arab media.

2017: Unofficial cooperation with Saudi Arabia

By 2017, unofficial cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia had been ongoing for at least 5 years, with intelligence services from both countries assisting each other and officials regularly sharing intelligence.

October 2018: Netanyahu visited Oman

In October 2018, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Oman. Two days after Netanyahu's visit at the time, bin Alawi suggested while at a conference in Bahrain that it was time for Israel to be treated like the other states in the Middle East, and the officials of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia did not disagree.

October 2018: Omani foreign minister visited Jerusalem

In October 2018, the Omani foreign minister visited Jerusalem. Also in October 2018, Netanyahu, accompanied by his national security advisor and the head of Mossad, visited Oman to advance the peace process in the Middle East.

February 2019: Warsaw Conference

In February 2019, the Warsaw Conference was proposed by the US with the intent to build up a coalition against Iran. Among the representatives of the 70 nations in attendance were a number of Arab officials, creating the first situation since the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991 where an Israeli leader and senior Arab officials were all in attendance at the same international conference focused on the Middle East.

August 2019: Military cooperation with the Emirates announced

In August 2019, Israel's foreign minister announced military cooperation with the Emirates amidst rising tensions with Iran.

January 2020: Trump peace plan announced

In January 2020, Trump announced the Trump peace plan for the Middle East in a joint press conference with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

May 2020: Netanyahu hinted annexation of parts of the West Bank

In May 2020, Netanyahu hinted that his cabinet would begin discussing annexation of parts of the West Bank, as envisioned in the Trump peace plan, in July.

June 12, 2020: Emirati ambassador warned against annexation

On June 12, 2020, Emirati ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba authored an op-ed addressed to the Israeli public that was published on the front page of Yedioth Ahronoth. He warned that Israel's planned annexation of West Bank territory would put a stop to any normalization of relations with the Emirates and other Arab states.

June 2020: Emirates offered normalization in return for halting annexation

At the end of June 2020, Al Otaiba told Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, and his assistant, Avi Berkowitz, that the Emirates "would agree to normalization with Israel in return for an Israeli announcement that West Bank annexation was off the table". The White House also had reservations about annexation, which Berkowitz had discussed with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over three days of meetings in June 2020.

July 2, 2020: Al Otaiba met with Berkowitz to discuss the plan

On July 2, 2020, Al Otaiba met with Berkowitz to further discuss the plan. Along with a mutual opposition to Iran, the concerns detailed by Al Otaiba's op-ed and planning with Kushner and Berkowitz helped bring vested parties to the negotiating table to identify an alternative solution that ultimately resulted in a normalization agreement reached in August 2020.

August 13, 2020: Announcement of Israel-UAE agreement

On August 13, 2020, the United States mediated the announcement of an agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates regarding Arab–Israeli normalization, preceding the subsequent announcement of an agreement between Israel and Bahrain.

August 2020: Normalization agreement reached

In August 2020, as a result of the deal, annexation was postponed. The concerns detailed by Al Otaiba's op-ed and planning with Kushner and Berkowitz helped bring vested parties to the negotiating table to identify an alternative solution that ultimately resulted in a normalization agreement.

August 2020: Telephone links to Israel established

In August 2020, the Emirates for the first time established telephone links to Israel by unblocking direct dialing to Israel's +972 country code.

September 11, 2020: Announcement of Israel-Bahrain agreement

On September 11, 2020, an agreement between Israel and Bahrain was announced, following the announcement of the Israel-UAE agreement.

September 15, 2020: Signing of the Abraham Accords

On September 15, 2020, the Abraham Accords, bilateral agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and Israel and Bahrain, were signed. The signing, hosted by US president Donald Trump on the Truman Balcony of the White House, was intended to evoke the signings of historic formal peace treaties.

October 23, 2020: Israel and Sudan agree to normalize ties

On October 23, 2020, Israel and Sudan agreed to normalize ties. As part of the agreement, the US removed Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism and gave them a US$1.2 billion loan.

November 3, 2020: Oman postponed a decision to normalize ties with Israel

Oman postponed a decision to normalize ties with Israel until after the US presidential election on November 3, 2020.

December 10, 2020: Israel and Morocco agreed to establish full diplomatic relations

On December 10, 2020, President Trump announced that Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco had agreed to establish full diplomatic relations. The agreement was negotiated by Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and marked Kushner and Berkowitz's fourth normalization agreement in as many months. As a component of the deal, the United States agreed to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara.

December 2020: Emirati and Bahraini Delegation Visits Israel

In December 2020, a delegation from the Emirates and Bahrain visited Israel, the occupied Golan Heights and Jerusalem with the aim of cultural exchange as part of the normalization process, and held a meeting with Israel President Reuven Rivlin.

December 22, 2020: Israel–Morocco normalization agreement signed

On December 22, 2020, the Israel–Morocco normalization agreement was signed. In exchange for Morocco's recognition of Israeli sovereignty, the United States recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

2020: Israeli Defense Exports Reach $791 Million

In 2020, the value of Israeli defense exports to countries with which it normalized relations as part of the Abraham Accords reached $791 million, according to Israel's Ministry of Defense.

January 6, 2021: Sudan signs Abraham Accords Declaration

On January 6, 2021, the government of Sudan signed the "Abraham Accords Declaration" in Khartoum.

January 2021: Collaborative Event for Business of Peace

In January 2021, Tel Aviv International Salon, Sharaka, and OurCrowd organized a collaborative event to attain the 'business of peace' between Persian Gulf countries and the state of Israel.

February 2021: Oman committed to peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on a two-state solution

In February 2021, Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said that Oman would keep their level of "relations and dialogue" with Israel, involving the "appropriate channels of communication", and that Oman was "committed to peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on a two-state solution."

February 2021: US to urge other countries to normalize relations with Israel

In February 2021, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that "the United States will continue to urge other countries to normalize relations with Israel" and that normalization is "not a substitute for Israeli-Palestinian peace... We hope that Israel and other countries in the region join together in a common effort to build bridges and... contribute to tangible progress towards the goal of advancing a negotiated peace between Israelis and Palestinians."

March 2021: Biden administration supports widening the normalization process

In March 2021, Axios reported that the Biden administration supports widening the normalization process to other countries and that it prefers the term "normalization process" to "Abraham Accords". In March 2021, a group of 18 US senators introduced a bill to aid the State Department in developing an appropriate strategy "to strengthen and expand the Abraham Accords and other related normalization agreements with Israel."

March 2021: Israeli and Emirati Rugby Match

In March 2021, the Israeli and Emirati national rugby teams played their first-ever match, in honor of the Abraham Accords.

March 27, 2021: International Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration

On March 27, 2021, an event was organized to commemorate International Holocaust Memorial Day, which saw participation from the Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, as well as Saudi Arabia.

May 2021: Criticism increased after violent protests erupted in Jerusalem

In May 2021, the criticism of the normalization agreements increased after violent protests erupted in Jerusalem, Hamas fired rockets into Israel, and Israel retaliated with airstrikes on Gaza.

June 2021: Influencers Visit Magen David Adom

In June 2021, influencers from UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Egypt visited Magen David Adom, Israel's ambulance service, focused on Magen David Adom's "lifesaving work and its technological expertise". The visit was filmed for "Finding Abraham", a film that was premiered at the UN in September 2021.

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August 14, 2021: Secret Oil Deal Endangers Red Sea Reefs

On August 14, 2021, the Associated Press reported that a secret oil deal between Israel and the Emirates struck in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, has turned the Israeli resort town of Eilat into a waypoint for Emirati oil headed for Western markets. It was expected to endanger the Red Sea reefs.

August 2021: Algeria cut relations with Morocco

In August 2021, the agreement was cited by Algeria as one of the reasons for unilaterally cutting relations with Morocco.

September 2021: "Finding Abraham" film premiered at UN

In September 2021, the film "Finding Abraham" was premiered at the UN on the anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords.

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November 2021: Letter of intent signed for electricity and water exchange

In November 2021, Israel, the Emirates, and Jordan signed a letter of intent for the sale of 600 MW of electricity to Israel annually, produced by solar farms in Jordan to be built by the UAE government-owned Masdar, while Israel would sell 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water to Jordan each year.

November 2021: OurCrowd Arabia Receives License

In November 2021, OurCrowd Arabia became the first Israeli venture capital firm to receive a license from the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).

November 2021: Joint security understandings agreement with Moroccan defense minister

In November 2021, the Israeli minister of defense, Benny Gantz, signed a joint security understandings agreement with Moroccan defense minister Abdellatif Loudiyi, the first time that Israel openly signed such an agreement openly with an Arab state.

November 2022: OurCrowd Launches Integrated Data Intelligence Ltd.

In November 2022, OurCrowd launched Integrated Data Intelligence Ltd. (IDI), offering artificial intelligence for business, in Abu Dhabi as part of a $60 million joint investment with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office. Also, in November 2022, fintech company Liquidity Group opened an office as part of a $545 million government incentive program.

November 2022: Negative Views of Abraham Accords in Saudi Arabia

In November 2022, a poll indicated that 76% of Saudi respondents expressed negative views regarding the Abraham Accords.

November 2022: Renewed memorandum of understanding was signed

In November 2022, a renewed memorandum of understanding was signed regarding the sale of 600 MW of electricity to Israel annually, produced by solar farms in Jordan to be built by the UAE government-owned Masdar, while Israel would sell 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water to Jordan each year.

February 2, 2023: Israel and Sudan finalized an agreement to normalize relations

On February 2, 2023, Israel and Sudan announced they had finalized an agreement to normalize relations, with the signing to take place after the establishment of a civilian government in Sudan.

June 2023: US warned Israel that rising tensions with the Palestinians threatened the expansion of normalization agreements

In June 2023, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel that rising tensions with the Palestinians, including through advancing settlement activity, threatened the expansion of normalization agreements with Arab nations, particularly Saudi Arabia.

October 7, 2023: Abraham Accords as one of the reasons for the attack by Hamas on Israel

A Fatah Central Committee member said the Abraham Accords, were "one of the reasons" for the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel.

November 2, 2023: Bahrain recalled its ambassador to Israel

On November 2, 2023, in view of the ongoing Israel–Hamas war, Bahrain said that it had recalled its ambassador to Israel and that the Israeli ambassador had left Bahrain.

November 2023: Purchase agreements removed from the agenda

The purchase agreements for the sale of 600 MW of electricity to Israel annually, produced by solar farms in Jordan to be built by the UAE government-owned Masdar, while Israel would sell 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water to Jordan each year, were scheduled to be signed in November 2023 at the COP28 climate change conference in Dubai but were removed from the agenda because of the Israel–Hamas war.

December 6, 2023: Saudi Views on Ties with Israel and Hamas

According to a poll conducted by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy between November 14 and December 6, 2023, 96% of Saudi participants believed that Arab nations should cut ties with Israel, and only 16% of Saudis said Hamas should accept a two-state solution.