A new cross-partisan parliamentary alliance to secure EU support for the Abraham Accords between Israel and neighbouring nations was quietly launched by Roberta Metsola on June 1st. Pro-Israel MEPs are now lobbying to secure additional support for the landmark agreement.
The Abraham Accords are a series of agreements reached in 2020 between Israel and several Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, aiming to normalise diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab nations, marking a significant shift in the Middle East’s geopolitical dynamics.
The EU has been moving towards tacit support of the accords with a March symposium held in the European Parliament, hearing from lawmakers and Israeli officials wishing to urge the EU to throw its weight behind the agreement.
The Abraham Accords Network in the European Parliament (AANEP) aims to be the voice of MEPs advocating for the normalisation process between Israel and the Arab world and has the support of members from five parliamentary factions, including the ECR and Greens.
According to documents seen by The European Conservative, the initiative is led by Swedish Christian Democrat David Lega, a prominent pro-Israel voice, and Italian S&D politician Pina Picierno.
The AANEP calls on the EU to support the Accords as a stepping stone to lasting peace in the Middle East in line with the bloc’s commitment to intercultural dialogue.
The inclusion of Morocco may pose some challenges, considering recent corruption scandals and speculation by Politico that AANEP could fall foul of recent post-Qatargate legislation banning Moroccan friendship groups.
The agreement has been heralded as a landmark moment in Middle Eastern politics brokered towards the end of the Trump administration. Critics, however, warn that the Accords minimise the plight of Palestinians—and normalise relations with despotic regimes such as Bahrain.
The EU as of yet has no official position on the Accords, but Austrian MEP Lukas Mandl has suggested that Brussels could potentially offer free trade agreements to Arab nations backing the agreement.
Those opposing EU endorsement of the Accords, primarily on the political Left, say it weakens European credibility in the Global South and Islamic world.
President of the Parliament Roberta Metsola signalled greater policy alignment with Israel over combatting alleged Iranian-backed extremism in bilateral talks with the Israeli Foreign Minister last month, as the EU moved towards labelling key Iranian groups as terrorist organisations.
Iran, the subject of new EU sanctions for human rights violations, vehemently opposes the Abrahams Accords.
