A year after normalization deals, Israel and new Arab partners make joint UN statement

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Israel and three Arab countries it normalized relations with last year – Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco – presented on Wednesday a joint statement to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, calling to “have women’s voices influencing an agenda for human rights, sustainable development, security and peace.”

Bahrain‘s ambassador to the UN institutions in Geneva, Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri, delivered the statement on “Women, Peace and Diplomacy” on behalf of the four countries.

This is the first formal four-way joint action by the four countries since the U.S.-brokered agreements were signed last year.

The statement, which was endorsed by 52 countries, calls to integrate women in peace processes and conflict prevention, and to ensure the integration of women in diplomacy by instilling a gender-based outlook on peace processes and the agendas of international bodies, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

The UAE’s Ambassador Ahmed Aljarman said the statement was “in line with UAE’s national policy on women’s empowerment.”

Over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held an online event to mark the first anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords. Blinken said the Biden administration will continue the work of the Trump administration, during which the accords were signed, by continuing to develop relations between Israel and other countries in the region.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid reinforced Blinken’s comments during the livestream, saying that the “Abraham Accords club is open for new members as well.”

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The normalization agreement with the UAE and Bahrain was signed at the White House last September. Later on, Sudan and Morocco joined the Trump-sponsored initiative. The agreement with Sudan was never finalized.