The Abraham Accords

Israel's normalization of ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan shatters the status quo in which Arab states withheld recognition of Israel until it allowed creation of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. The U.S.-brokered agreement is excellent news for the signatories. Security cooperation and coordination regarding Iran — a country that all the parties to the agreements view as a threat — will increase. And officials anticipate around $500 million in deals and investments annually through the marriage of Gulf Arab petrodollars and Israel's scientific and technological expertise. But the deals leave the Palestinians in the cold, with few options. They are hoping for more sympathetic treatment from the incoming Biden administration. But President-elect Joe Biden first must tackle America's COVID-19 and economic crises before investing the time and political capital needed to revive the Middle East peace process. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries are waiting to see how the normalization agreements function before signing on.