Abraham accords survive changes of goverment

 Washington Examiner:

Two years ago this weekend, a phone call took place between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, then crown prince of the United Arab Emirates. Arranged by President Donald Trump and senior adviser Jared Kushner, it set in motion normalization agreements now collectively known as the Abraham Accords. Though the call wasn’t so long ago, I’m comfortable calling what transpired afterward “extraordinary,” because, in international affairs, two years is a lifetime.

Since that fateful call, Israel has had two new prime ministers, and it’s headed toward yet another election. Sheikh Mohammed has been elevated to become ruler and president of his nation. Sudan has undergone several meaningful challenges to its stability. Morocco has a freshly minted government. The Kosovo-Serbia relationship has endured renewed tension. Islamic terrorists have launched over 4,900 rockets targeting civilians in Israel. And the Biden administration has relentlessly pursued the reinstatement of the Iran nuclear deal.

In the past, any one of these developments would have had a domino effect, knocking the Middle East back years in terms of progress. It turns out that the Abraham Accords not only are resilient themselves but also provide the Middle East with resilience. That’s because their framework and platform optimistically focus on the present and future and readily discard the failed conventions of the past. Participant nations have benefited in terms of economics and collaboration. Even Jordan and Egypt are beginning to enjoy the benefits of a warmer relationship with Israel.

But there is more work to be done — actually, much more is needed to be done. The current task is just getting back to neutral, as it took the current administration nearly two years to accept that the Accords are good for our allies and good for America.

Admittedly, President Joe Biden has come a long way since his State Department spokesman Ned Price pettily refused even to utter the words “Abraham Accords.” On his trip to the Middle East last month — his first since becoming president — Biden praised the Accords and touted the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s decision to lift restrictions on civilian air carriers as “historic.”

These are positive steps. However, the single most definitive action the United States could take to bring more peace, stability, and prosperity to the Middle East would be to return to the Trump administration’s policy on Iran immediately. Specifically, the Biden administration should hold the Islamic Republic to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s 12 requirements for rejoining the community of nations.

...

Biden is stuck on stupid when it comes to Iran and Obama's terrible deal.  It was a deal that made no sense and it's unlikely the Abraham Accords would have ever been done were it not for Trump smartly dumping the Iran deal. 

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