New Country Expected to Join Abraham Accords
The United States is preparing to announce that another nation will join the Abraham Accords, the framework through which several countries have established diplomatic relations with Israel. The declaration is expected later on November 6, according to President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
"I'm flying back to Washington tonight because we're going to announce, tonight, another country coming into the Abraham Accords,"
— Steve Witkoff, speaking at the America Business Forum in Miami
When asked which nation was set to join, Witkoff replied to Fox News interviewer Bret Baier:
"I don't know if it's out yet."
The news outlet Axios reported that the country in question is Kazakhstan, a Central Asian republic that has maintained diplomatic relations with Israel for decades. According to the report, Kazakhstan’s involvement aims to reinvigorate the agreements. President Trump is scheduled to meet with five Central Asian leaders, including Kazakhstan’s president, at the White House in November.
Background on the Abraham Accords
The Abraham Accords, first launched during Trump's initial term in office, led to normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations:
- United Arab Emirates — established ties in 2020
- Bahrain — joined in 2020
- Morocco — joined in 2020
While Saudi Arabia had engaged in discussions with the United States regarding potential normalization with Israel, those talks were paused after the outbreak of war in Gaza following Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023. The kingdom has consistently stated that any normalization depends on concrete progress toward an independent Palestinian state, a stance at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies.
Author’s Summary
Kazakhstan is reportedly set to join the Abraham Accords, marking a new expansion of the U.S.-brokered agreements aimed at deepening diplomatic ties with Israel.