New Country to Join Abraham Accords: US Envoy
The United States is expected to announce on November 6 that a new nation will sign onto the Abraham Accords, 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,”
Witkoff stated at the America Business Forum in Miami.
During an interview with Bret Baier of Fox News, Witkoff declined to name the country, saying:
“I don't know if it's out yet.”
According to the Axios news outlet, the country expected to join is Kazakhstan, a Central Asian republic that has maintained diplomatic relations with Israel for many years. Reports suggest Kazakhstan’s participation aims to help "reinvigorate" the accords.
Kazakhstan’s president is among five Central Asian leaders scheduled to meet President Trump at the White House this month.
Background on the Abraham Accords
The Abraham Accords were launched during Trump’s first presidential term in 2020, establishing normalized ties between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.
Saudi Arabia had engaged in discussions with the United States regarding normalization with Israel — a development that would be momentous given the kingdom’s custodianship of Islam’s two holiest cities. However, Riyadh paused these efforts after the Gaza conflict erupted following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel.
Saudi leaders have repeatedly emphasized that normalization with Israel is contingent on progress toward a sovereign Palestinian state, a stance long contested by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Author’s Summary
Washington is preparing to welcome Kazakhstan into the Abraham Accords, marking a renewed phase in the initiative launched under President Trump to expand regional normalization with Israel.