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'BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS': Trump announces expansion of Abraham Accords, says Kazakhstan will join it

'BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS': Trump announces expansion of Abraham Accords, says Kazakhstan will join it

US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Photograph: (AFP)

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Donald Trump announced Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords, normalizing ties with Israel. The largely symbolic move follows his call with PM Netanyahu and President Tokayev. The U.S. hopes it will revive the accords amid efforts to expand Middle East peace initiatives.

In a big announcement, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Nov 7) said that Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords to have normalised relations with Israel. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that he held a call with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Trump also hinted at more countries joining the Abraham Accords soon. Earlier, Trump met with Tokayev alongside four other Central Asian leaders at the White House. However, the move is termed to be symbolic as Kazakhstan already has full diplomatic relations and economic ties with Israel, Reuters reported.

"I just held a great call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of Israel, and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is the first Country of my Second Term to join the Abraham Accords, the first of many. This is a major step forward in building bridges across the World.," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Further he added in his post, “Today, more Nations are lining up to embrace Peace and Prosperity through my Abraham Accords. We will soon announce a Signing Ceremony to make it official, and there are many more Countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH.”

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US special envoy Steve Witkoff had been hinting at expansion of Abraham Accords since July. Recently, at a business forum in Florida, Witkoff said that he would be returning to Washington for the announcement, without naming the country. Trump wants Abraham Accors - his foreign policy feather from first term to be a talk of the town in second term too. Reuters reported that Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, both of which have close ties with Israel, have also been seen as potentially joining the Abraham Accords. The US also wants Saudi Arabia the join the accords and all eyes are set at Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's November 18 visit to the White House.

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What is Abraham Accords?

Announced during the first term of Trump, the Abraham Accords is an agreement under which diplomatic relationship is established between Israel and several Arab states, on the mediation of the United States. In 2020, Bahrain and the UAE became the first Arab countries to recognise Israel after Jordan in 1996. Later, Sudan and Morocco also established diplomatic relationships with Israel. Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who worked as his advisor to the President of the United States in his first term, was instrumental in the signing of this accord. Often referred to as an offwing of the Oslo Accords, the Abraham Accords were a part of Trump's peace plan that he announced in 2020.

In the statement about the Abraham Accords, US said that the goal is to "promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue", "end radicalization and conflict", pursue a vision of peace, security, prosperity in the Middle East", and strengthen "peace based on mutual understanding and coexistence." It further said that the to achieve this goal, the US encourages expansion of "friendly relations" between Israel and its neighbours.

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Navashree Nandini

Navashree Nandini works as a senior sub-editor and has over five years of experience. She writes about global conflicts ranging from India and its neighbourhood to West Asia to the...Read More