Manama hints during president’s visit that it needs to see more from its economic relationship with Israel, while unlikely signs of hope emerge in next-door Qatar.
In my latest article on the Abraham Accords, I noted the continued interest to expand the Accords by former Israeli ambassador Danny Danon, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and even the Biden Administration and US officials. However, this isn’t where it ends. Israeli President Isaac Herzog is also working towards expanding the Accords in the face of its decreasing popularity in Bahrain.
“For those watching closely, it’s an open secret that there is reason for concern about the trajectory of Israel-Bahrain ties. While Hebrew headlines often tell of comfortable and joyous encounters between Israelis and Arabs in the Gulf, the data shows a worrying and unmistakable trend: As time goes on, the Abraham Accords are becoming less popular on the streets of Israel’s new allies.” (The Times of Israel)
It’s even believed that this reality is something that may cause Saudi Arabia to remain sitting on the sidelines as The Times of Israel noted, “With Israel seemingly unable to expand the Abraham Accords, its relationship with Bahrain will be another reason for Mohammed bin Salman and the rest of the Saudi leadership to keep their cooperation with the Jewish state covert and limited.”
To combat this, President Herzog seeks to “upgrade” and “strengthen” the existing agreement to include more countries and have the fruit of the Accords materialize. “Speaking to Israeli journalists in Abu Dhabi on the second day of his trip, Herzog emphasized that Bahrain and Israel ‘want to upgrade the agreements and are working to add more countries.'”, (The Times of Israel).
“Improving the relationship will take a ‘government effort to move in a direction of more regional cooperation with more countries’…’After two years of the Abraham Accords, when we took off so beautifully, now we need to reach cruising altitude, meaning upgrading the relationship even further, strengthening it and bringing more nations on board…” (The Times of Israel)
As I’ve covered in previous articles regarding the Abraham Accords and detail in my article, What is the Prophetic Significance of the Abraham Accords?, I believe that the Accords may be contributing to the stage setting for the Daniel 9:27 covenant as well as for the conditions needed for the Ezekiel 38-39 invasion.
We’re seeing the continued interest and push to expand and even “strengthen” the Accords as time continues. Only time will tell where this will all lead, but it’s worth paying attention to.
With doubts rising in Bahrain, Herzog seeks to get Abraham Accords back on track
The Times of Israel: Shortly after President Isaac Herzog’s Arkia charter flight took off Monday evening from Abu Dhabi for his journey back to Israel, the plane contacted Saudi air traffic controllers and made its way northeast.
The presidential flight over Saudi Arabian airspace is a tangible sign of the progress Israel has made in a region that rejected overt cooperation for decades. Since the 2020 Abraham Accords normalization agreements, Saudi Arabia has allowed Israeli airlines to use its airspace for flights to and from signatories United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and over the summer announced it would open its skies to all Israeli commercial flights.
But it’s also a reminder of the barriers the agreements have run up against in the two years since they were signed on the lawn of the White House.
The Saudis have been willing to offer minor gestures like opening their skies, but they are content to sit on the sidelines and observe how Israel’s relationships with Bahrain and the UAE develop before making any drastic moves.
With Israel seemingly unable to expand the Abraham Accords, its relationship with Bahrain will be another reason for Mohammed bin Salman and the rest of the Saudi leadership to keep their cooperation with the Jewish state covert and limited. Read More
Sources
- With doubts rising in Bahrain, Herzog seeks to get Abraham Accords back on track (December 8th, 2022) – The Times of Israel