OCTOBER 7 • 2021 | 11

Abraham Accords were
the progressive and liberal
intellectuals, as well as some
so-called experts.
One would think that
those who criticized Israel
for “creating obstacles”
to peace for so many
years would embrace the
Abraham Accords for
creating unprecedented
agreements in the region.
Rather, these naysayers
were worried that their
darlings, the Palestinians,
were being sidelined, so
they created all manner
of excuses to slam the
agreements. First, they
tried to attack promises the
United States made to the
Arab side of the agreements,
like the sale of F-35 fighter
jets to the UAE, taking
Sudan off the sanctions list
and recognizing Morocco’s
control of the Western
Sahara. Then they tried to
attack the very nature of
these states as autocratic
and undemocratic — while
ignoring their own long-
standing, full-throated
support for kleptocrat
Abbas.
Nonetheless, it’s clear
that the Abraham Accords
are flourishing despite
pockets of opposition.
While momentum has
certainly diminished —
largely a result of America’s
disengagement — the train
has already left the station.
Perhaps this explains
Blinken’s recent lip
service, albeit low-key,
in acknowledging the
agreement’s anniversary:
“This administration will
continue to build on the
successful efforts of the
last administration to keep

normalization marching
forward.”

TIME FOR ACTION
It’s time for Biden and
Blinken to put these words
into action. The United
States should press for
more Arab countries to join
the Accords, starting with
Saudi Arabia and Oman,
two countries that were
reportedly on the verge
of agreement before the
Trump administration was
voted out of office. They
should also be pushing
for other American allies,
like Indonesia, the largest
populated Muslim country
in the world, to join
the circle of peace and
cooperation with Israel.
All such movement would
support U.S. interests.
Clearly, those who oppose
the Abraham Accords are
enemies of Israel and peace.
The United States has to
pick a side — by putting its
full diplomatic weight into
continuing the momentum
built by (in Blinken’s words)
“the last administration.”
Such a strategy would be
good for the United States,
good for peace and security
and good for the U.S.-Israel
relationship. It is a simple
win-win situation, and on
its one-year anniversary,
there is no better time to
reverse policy, put politics
aside and insert U.S.
diplomacy firmly back into
this successful process.

James Sinkinson is president of

Facts and Logic About the Middle

East (FLAME), which publishes

educational messages to correct

lies and misperceptions about Israel

and its relationship to the United

States.

Bring
Danny Home!

The Detroit Jewish News
urges the community to fight
for the release of Huntington
Woods native Danny Fenster
— a journalist who has been
held without cause and
without specified charges for
137 days

by a military junta in
a gruesome prison in
Myanmar (Burma).

The family is looking for people to create
portraits of Danny that can be shared
on social media at
https://bringdannyhome.com/pages/gallery.

You can also support Danny at:
BringDannyHome.com
fenster-verse.tumblr.com
facebook.com/groups/1164768597279223.

Portrait by Matt Jaffe