Trump's crown jewel Abraham Accords may expand to normalize ties between Israel and other nations
JERUSALEM — President Donald Trump's signature Middle East agreement — the Abraham Accords — which normalized relations between Israel and Sunni Gulf States and North African countries, might absorb new candidates, according to Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East.
"We think we will have some pretty big announcements on countries that are coming into the Abraham Accords," Witkoff told CNBC in an interview on Wednesday.
One of the largest Hebrew-language outlets, Israel Hayom, reported Tuesday that Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi believes those countries are Syria and Lebanon as the top Middle East states who could join the Abraham Accords.
According to Israel Hayom, Hanegbi disclosed during a classified meeting with the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel maintains direct dialogue with Syria's new government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former member of the U.S.-designated terrorist movements, the Islamic State and al Qaeda.
Middle East expert Eugene Kontorovich, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, "With Iran humiliated, Lebanon and Syria are quite realistic, but I would be impressed if it were soon as in months. I do expect them to make peace with Israel and come into the Abraham Accords during Trump's term."
He added that "Syria could be possible simply because the new government has so much to gain, as it seeks legitimacy."
Witkoff's teasing of an expansion of the Abraham Accords has electrified the Israeli media and veteran Middle East observers.
In May, Trump asked Syrian President al-Sharaa to fully normalize relations with Israel in exchange for sanctions relief.
"The barriers of entry for expanding the Abraham Accords are incredibly low. It will not surprise me if President Trump expands the Accords within his second term," Robert Greenway, former senior director for the National Security Council and key architect of the Abraham Accords, told Maria Bartiromo, on "Mornings With Maria" on FOX Business.
After the completion of the Abraham Accords, which normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in 2020, there was a growing expectation among U.S. officials and Middle East experts that Saudi Arabia would follow suit.
In February, Fox News Digital reported that Trump administration officials said the White House was seeking an expansion of the Abraham Accords.
The Biden administration faced criticism for failing to expand the Abraham Accords and for picking fights with states who made peace with Israel as part of the landmark agreement.
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee, the Israeli prime minister's office and the country's foreign affairs ministry for comment.
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