The Abraham Accords Were Trump's First-Term Win. Now He Wants an Encore – With Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

The Abraham Accords were one of Donald Trump's signature foreign policy achievements during his first term. Now, back in the White House, the US president is pushing for an encore – and he wants some of the biggest names in the Muslim world to sign up.

But what exactly are these accords, and why is Trump so determined to expand them?

The Abraham Accords are a set of diplomatic agreements brokered by the United States in 2020. They normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries that had never officially recognized the Jewish state. The deals were signed during Trump's first presidency, with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco establishing formal ties with Israel. Sudan later agreed to join, though its path has been complicated by internal political turmoil.

For the signatory countries, the accords opened doors to trade, tourism, and security cooperation with one of the region's most technologically advanced militaries and economies. For Israel, they broke a long-standing Arab consensus that had made recognition conditional on resolving the Palestinian conflict. For Trump, they were a trophy: proof that his administration could achieve what previous presidents had not.

Now, Trump is pushing to expand the agreements as part of a broader effort to reduce tensions in the Middle East – specifically, during ongoing negotiations with Iran. The logic, from Washington's perspective, is that a unified bloc of Israel-friendly Arab states would present a stronger front against Tehran.

Recently, Trump suggested that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and even Pakistan should recognize Israel. That proposal would have been ambitious in 2020. In 2026, with the war in Gaza still fresh and public support for Palestinians running high across the Muslim world, many analysts consider it unrealistic.

Saudi Arabia, the most powerful Arab nation not yet party to the accords, has repeatedly stated that any normalization deal would require a clear path to Palestinian statehood. That condition is not new, but it has become politically non-negotiable after more than a year of devastating Israeli military operations in Gaza. Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, faces similar domestic pressure.

Supporters of the Abraham Accords argue that they have strengthened regional trade and security cooperation, created new tourism and technology partnerships, and demonstrated that Arab-Israeli peace is possible without solving the Palestinian issue first. Critics counter that the accords effectively allowed Arab governments to abandon the Palestinians at a time when they needed solidarity most. By normalizing ties with Israel without demanding concessions on occupation and settlements, the argument goes, the accords removed whatever leverage the Palestinian leadership once had.

Trump seems undeterred. He has floated the idea of making additional signatories a condition of any Iran deal – suggesting that countries benefiting from a reopened Strait of Hormuz and reduced tensions with the US should also sign onto the accords. Whether that carrot is enough to overcome the political costs of embracing Israel during a war in Gaza is an open question.

For now, the original four signatories remain committed. New members are not lining up. And Trump, who loves a deal almost as much as he loves his own name on a document, is finding that the second round of the Abraham Accords may be harder to close than the first.

Written by Thorben Thiede