OCTOBER 13 • 2022 | 11

In July, President Joe 
Biden visited Israel and 
Saudi Arabia, where 
speculation over warming 
ties between Jerusalem 
and Riyadh was front and 
center. The trip, the first 
Mideast visit by Biden since 
taking office, demonstrated 
that the U.S. remained 
focused on enhancing the 
region’s security through 
strengthening partnerships 
with its allies. 
While it did not feature 
any major announcements 
— like a new normalization 
agreement — the Saudis 
did take the significant step 
of enacting a new policy 
that resulted in opening its 
airspace to Israeli flights.
Additionally, Biden also 
signed the “Jerusalem 
Declaration,” which stated 
that the U.S. is committed to 
“building a robust regional 
architecture; to deepen the 
ties between Israel and all 
of its regional partners; to 
advance Israel’s regional 
integration over time; and to 
expand the circle of peace to 
include ever more Arab and 
Muslim States.” 

THE PEACE DIVIDEND 
The real benefits of the 
Abraham Accords and their 
support by the people of 
each country are critical to 
replicating this model of 
success in other Arab and 
majority-Muslim states, the 
ambassadors said.
“This combination of 
psychological shift and 
economic prospects is going 
to lead to make this peace 
more resilient,” Erdan said. 
“When the fruits of this peace 
are exposed to the Muslim 
world, I’m sure many more 
countries will follow suit. And 

that’s why I am so optimistic.
”
Ambassador Nusseibeh 
said that she sees the 
Abraham Accords as not 
only an agreement between 
the countries involved but 
“between Islam and Judaism.
”
“The peace dividend is sold 
if the tangible and practical 
benefits that we see in the 
UAE, that we see in Bahrain 
and Morocco and Israel, are 
felt in a wider circle of Arab 
and Muslim countries,
” she 
said.
Similarly, Moroccan 
Ambassador Hilale explained 
the unique history and 
connection between Morocco 
and the Jewish people 
that dates back centuries. 
Israel is home to hundreds 
of thousands of Jews of 
Moroccan descent, and there 
remains a warm connection 
between the Moroccan 
Jewish community and the 
government.
“
Abraham Accords were 
not an end in itself, but a 
trigger for a better Middle 
East,” he said.
Furthermore, the hope 
is that the Accords will 
increasingly engage the 
region’s youth — a vast 
demographic — and, with 
a new openness and job 
opportunities, help steer the 
next generation in a positive 
direction.
Studies have suggested, 
Ambassador Nusseibeh said, 
that “if we widen the circle of 
peace, we can add a trillion 
dollars over the next decade 
[and] take them away from 
the path of extremism.
” 

American Jewish Committee (AJC) 

is a leading global Jewish advocacy 

organization. This story was pub-

lished on its Global Voice at ajc.org.

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