The Israel–UAE deal is announced
It was the first time since 1994 that an Arab state agreed to full relations with Israel.
The Abraham Accords – the framework declaration
Framework or declarationIn force
A short declaration of principles signed by several states. It is not a peace treaty and creates no obligations between states; the relations themselves were set out in separate bilateral documents, each different.6
In 30 seconds
In 2020 Israel opened official, public ties with Arab states that had never fought it, without waiting for a deal with the Palestinians.23 The step was led by Benjamin Netanyahu, the UAE's Mohamed bin Zayed, Bahrain's King Hamad, Morocco's King Mohammed VI and Sudan's leaders Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Abdalla Hamdok, with Donald Trump's administration as mediator.31597 “The Abraham Accords” is the shared name for the documents they signed, and each track is different.6
Where it stands today
As of October 2026 no state has left. Relations with the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco continue; the Sudan track never reached a bilateral agreement; Saudi Arabia has not joined.81323 The Declaration itself has no entry-into-force clause, so “in force” here describes the relations built around it.6
In one sentence
To open public relations between Israel and Arab states that had never fought it, without waiting for an Israeli–Palestinian settlement.
The challenge
Until 2020 Israel had peace treaties only with Egypt and Jordan. The Arab Peace Initiative set an order: first a settlement with the Palestinians, then relations with the Arab world.1
The UAE and Bahrain had never fought Israel, so there was no land or border to settle.2 In August 2020 an Israeli plan to apply sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, under the Trump plan, was on the table.3
Arab publics were not with their governments, and moved further away. After the Gaza war began, support for normalisation was no higher than 13% in any of the seven countries the Arab Barometer surveyed in 2023–2024; it has no figures for the UAE or Bahrain.4
Even the word is part of the argument. Supporters speak of peace; in Arabic the accords are called تطبيع (tatbi', normalisation), and for many the word itself names the objection: normal ties with Israel without withdrawal from occupied land and without a settlement for the Palestinians, as the Palestinian leadership and factions put it in 2020.1 The Arab Barometer reads its data as showing that Arab publics are not ready to embrace peace with Israel without a dignified outcome for the Palestinians.4
The road there
- Joint statement by Trump, Netanyahu and Mohamed bin Zayed: full normalization between Israel and the UAE, and Israel suspends declaring sovereignty.3
- Normalization between Israel and Bahrain is announced.5
- White House ceremony: the Declaration, the treaty with the UAE and the declaration with Bahrain are signed.6
- Joint statement by Trump, Netanyahu, al-Burhan and Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok: Sudan and Israel will normalize relations and end the state of belligerence between them.78
- A joint declaration of Morocco, the United States and Israel is signed in Rabat.9
- Sudan signs the Declaration in Khartoum, with the United States; no agreement with Israel is signed.108
- Kazakhstan is announced as joining the accords; its foreign ministry confirms the next day.11
- Israel recognises Somaliland, and Somaliland's president states its readiness to join the accords.12
- Israel and Morocco agree to upgrade their missions to embassies.13
The people
- Led
- Benjamin Netanyahu · Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan · King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa · King Mohammed VI of Morocco · Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
- Negotiated
- Meir Ben-Shabbat
- Signed
- Benjamin Netanyahu · Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan · Abdullatif Al Zayani · Donald Trump · Jared Kushner · Meir Ben-Shabbat
- Mediated
- Donald Trump · Jared Kushner
- Hosted
- Donald Trump
What was agreed
- Peace based on mutual understanding and coexistence, human dignity and freedom, including religious freedom.6
- Interfaith dialogue; cooperation in science, medicine, art and trade; an end to radicalisation.6
- No operative clauses: no borders, no security arrangements, no ratification. Signing it does not by itself mean having an agreement with Israel.6
- The relations themselves sit in separate documents: a full treaty with the UAE,14 a declaration and then a joint communiqué with Bahrain,15 and a three-way declaration with Morocco.9 Sudan signed only the general Declaration.8
- Who signed the Declaration on 15 September 2020: Netanyahu, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani and Trump.16 Mohamed bin Zayed and King Hamad led the move without signing.315
- In Morocco the declaration was signed by Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Otmani, Jared Kushner for the United States and Meir Ben-Shabbat for Israel.9
The geography
Choose a country on the map or in the list. Use + and − to zoom. On touch screens, enable gestures to drag and pinch; scroll the page outside the map. Keyboard: arrows to pan, + and − to zoom, Home to reset.
Layers · Legend
- Peace treaty in force
- Normalization (Abraham Accords)
- Announced, not concluded
- Interim agreements, no permanent settlement
- Ceasefires and talks, no peace treaty
- No relations; Arab Peace Initiative on the table
Classification follows the original research as of 7 Oct 2026. This schematic map is not a legal boundary map or a live update.
- Israel
- Peace treaty in force
- Normalization (Abraham Accords)
- Announced, not concluded
- Interim agreements, no permanent settlement
- Ceasefires and talks, no peace treaty
- No relations; Arab Peace Initiative on the table
Schematic map. Lines are approximate and are not a legal determination. Data: Natural Earth (public domain), 1:10m scale; line classification and place names by this site. Lines as of October 2026. Peace map
The hard decisions
- Israel agreed to suspend applying sovereignty, not to cancel it. The commitment appears only in the statement of 13 August 2020, not in the treaty signed afterwards.314
- The Palestinian Authority recalled its ambassador from Abu Dhabi, and all the Palestinian factions rejected the move.1
- Separate American incentives came alongside: an F-35 deal for the UAE that was never completed;17 recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara;18 and Sudan's removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.10
Where accounts differ
- According to The Palestinian leadership and the Palestinian factions
- The accords bypassed the Palestinians, departed from the Arab Peace Initiative and gave Israel relations without withdrawal from territory.1
- According to The US administration and supporters of the accords
- The accords have withstood every test since 2020, and the sceptics were wrong; this is what the US ambassador to the UN said in September 2026.13
- According to The Middle East Institute (MEI)
- The accords stayed intact after 7 October 2023 but were in a state of suspension: no state left, and hardly any new agreements were signed.8
- According to The Arab Barometer
- Without an independent Palestinian state a “warm peace” has no chance, and the result will look like the cold peace with Egypt and Jordan.4
What was carried out
- Full diplomatic relations were set up with the UAE and Bahrain, and relations with Morocco were resumed at the level of liaison offices.89
- Israel–UAE trade reached 3.209 billion dollars in 2025, according to Israel Central Bureau of Statistics data as relayed by the Heritage Foundation, an American think tank that supports the accords.19
What was not
- No bilateral agreement was signed with Sudan and no embassies were opened.8
- Kazakhstan, which has had relations with Israel since 1992, announced it was joining;1120 by late September 2026 the signing ceremony had not taken place, although it attended a meeting of the accords' states in New York on 24 September.21 Somaliland said it was ready to join; according to the Heritage Foundation, after its president visited Israel in June 2026 it still wants to join formally.1222
- Saudi Arabia has not joined. According to a July 2026 report, it makes recognising Israel conditional on an irreversible path to a Palestinian state.23
What changed in real life
- In 2025, 1,119,786 passengers flew from Israel to Dubai and 406,157 to Abu Dhabi. The other way there is hardly any traffic: about 700 visitors from the UAE, about 100 from Bahrain and about 1,200 from Morocco, according to the Heritage Foundation's annual report.19
What remains open
- The Palestinian question stayed outside the documents, apart from general wording about resolving the conflict.1415
- Who counts as a “member”? It depends who is counting. The US State Department publishes the documents of four Arab states;6 the Heritage Foundation also counts Egypt, Jordan and Kosovo, by its own definition.19
Photos, videos and quotes
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. President, this day is a pivot of history. It heralds a new dawn of peace.
Abraham Accords signing ceremony, South Lawn of the White House, 15 September 2020
Source and status of the wording
Official White House transcript, in English.
Quote source: The White House (Trump White House archive, US National Archives)
I stand here today to extend a hand of peace and receive a hand of peace.
Abraham Accords signing ceremony, South Lawn of the White House, 15 September 2020
Source and status of the wording
The minister spoke in Arabic. In the Arabic edition the sentence is given in the Arabic wording published by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), as carried by the newspaper Al Bayan on 16 September 2020. The English text is from the official White House transcript, which marks his remarks "(As interpreted.)" – this is the interpreter's English.
Quote source: The White House (Trump White House archive, US National Archives)
Today — today is a truly historic occasion, a moment of hope and opportunity for all the peoples of the Middle East.
Abraham Accords signing ceremony, South Lawn of the White House, 15 September 2020
Source and status of the wording
Official White House transcript, in English.
Quote source: The White House (Trump White House archive, US National Archives)
After decades of division and conflict, we mark the dawn of a new Middle East.
Abraham Accords signing ceremony, South Lawn of the White House, 15 September 2020
Source and status of the wording
Official White House transcript, in English.
Quote source: The White House (Trump White House archive, US National Archives)
Netanyahu's speech at the Abraham Accords signing
Netanyahu led the move on Israel's side, and the Abraham Accords opened a new chapter of open ties with Gulf states.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed's signing speech
The Emirati voice at the ceremony, presenting normalisation as a choice for peace and cooperation.
Bahrain's foreign minister at the signing
Bahrain joined the Abraham Accords days before the ceremony, becoming the fourth Arab state to establish ties with Israel.
Sudan signs the Abraham Accords
Signing the declaration did not come with a full bilateral treaty, which sets the Sudan track apart.
President Trump addresses the Knesset
The speech linked the end of the Gaza war with widening the Abraham Accords and became a defining moment of the year.
Abraham Accords signing ceremony at the White House
Abraham Accords signing ceremony, the White House, 15 September 2020
Abraham Accords signing – second State Dept. upload
Abraham Accords signing ceremony, the White House, 15 September 2020 – a second State Department upload
Sources
You do not have to agree with us. That is what the sources are for: open them, compare and check for yourself.
- Press Al Jazeera · 14 August 2020
Palestinians unanimously reject UAE-Israel deal - Research The Washington Institute for Near East Policy · 16 September 2020
How the Abraham Accords Look Forward, Not Back (David Makovsky) - Primary The American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara · 13 August 2020
Joint Statement by President Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi on the Full Normalization of Relations Between Israel and the United Arab Emirates - Research Arab Barometer · 9 January 2025
MENA Publics and the Future of Normalization with Israel - Press Al Jazeera · 13 September 2020
Bahrain opposition rejects Israel normalisation - Primary U.S. Department of State
The Abraham Accords (text of the Declaration and index of the signed documents) - Primary Jewish Virtual Library (reproducing the White House text) · 23 October 2020
Joint Statement of the United States, the Republic of Sudan and the State of Israel, 23 October 2020 - Research Middle East Institute · 20 April 2026
The Abraham Accords (backgrounder) - Primary Kingdom of Morocco, Ministry of Foreign Affairs · 22 December 2020
Statement by the Royal Office: His Majesty King Mohammed VI receives an American-Israeli delegation - Press Al Jazeera · 6 January 2021
Sudan signs deal to normalise relations with Israel - Press The Astana Times · 7 November 2025
Kazakh MFA Confirms Kazakhstan's Accession to Abraham Accords After Trump–Tokayev Talks - Press The New Arab · 26 December 2025
Israel announces recognition of Somaliland as 'sovereign state' - Press The National · 17 September 2026
Israel and Morocco agree to upgrade diplomatic ties - Primary The White House (Trump administration archive) · 15 September 2020
Abraham Accords Peace Agreement: Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization Between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel - Primary The White House (Trump administration archive) · 15 September 2020
Abraham Accords: Declaration of Peace, Cooperation, and Constructive Diplomatic and Friendly Relations (Bahrain–Israel) - Primary U.S. Department of State · 15 September 2020
The Abraham Accords Declaration, signed 15 September 2020 (PDF) - Press PBS NewsHour / Associated Press · 14 December 2021
U.A.E. will 'suspend discussions' on $23 billion weapons deal with U.S. - Press Al Jazeera · 24 November 2021
Morocco, Israel sign first-ever defence agreement in Rabat - Research The Heritage Foundation · 2026
The Abraham Accords: 2025 Annual Report (relaying Israel Central Bureau of Statistics trade data) - Press Al Jazeera · 6 November 2025
Kazakhstan, which already recognises Israel, to join 'Abraham Accords' - Press The Times of Central Asia · 28 September 2026
Kazakhstan Takes Part in Abraham Accords Meeting as Trump-Promised Signing Awaits - Research The Heritage Foundation · 2026
Key Abraham Accords Related Developments: April – June 2026 - Press Al-Monitor · 24 July 2026
Trump says he won't proceed with nuclear deal unless Saudis join Abraham Accords
Further reading
- Press الجزيرة نت (Al Jazeera, Arabic), reporting a survey by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies · 10 January 2024
استطلاع للرأي.. بنسبة 92% القضية الفلسطينية "قضية جميع العرب"