Trump Should Expand the Abraham Accords to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan

Both countries would economically benefit from closer ties to Israel and the West.

In his first term, President Trump accomplished what once seemed impossible by forging new agreements with Israel and neighboring Arab states. Key to the success of the Abraham Accords was that they formed significant political, economic, security, and cultural ties between Israel and Arab states without being constrained by the political impasse of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Now that Israel has dismantled and degraded Hamas, and the president is visiting the Gulf this week, the Trump administration is in an optimal position to expand the Abraham Accords. To that end, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, predicted that on the expansion of the Abraham Accords, “we [the administration] think will have some or a lot of announcements very, very shortly.” (RELATED: Trump and the Gaza Ceasefire: Implications for the Future of the Abraham Accords) First, the administration should push Saudi Arabia to join the Accords. Riyadh has participated in quiet engagement with Israel, including in Intelligence cooperation, business discussions, and overflight permissions for years. Saudi Arabia’s concern over Iran’s influence, the Kingdom’s growing economic diversification under Vision 2030, and its deepening ties with the U.S. and Israel are pushing it closer to the brink of a formal deal. (RELATED: The Abraham Accords Are the Way Toward Peace) Formal normalization would be a seismic shift — not just diplomatically, but symbolically. As the guardian of Islam’s holiest sites, Saudi Arabia’s inclusion would give political and religious cover to other reluctant Muslim-majority countries to join the Accords. In fact, its key role in brokering the UAE–Israel and Bahrain–Israel normalization agreements makes it an optimal candidate for such a role. If Saudi Arabia signs on, the Abraham Accords would serve as the foundation of a new Middle East order, as such a deal would project significant power against Iran and its proxies, and th...