‘Peace’ Groups Hate the Abraham Accords The more Arab-Israeli ties produce good results, the more people will reject Iran’s malign influence. . By Bryan Leib
Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid flew to Manama, Bahrain, in September to open the new Israeli Embassy, where he stated, “May our people live in peace and prosperity forever.” The ceremony was proof that last year’s Abraham Accords continue to foster peace and prosperity.
Mr. Lapid’s trip, the first by an Israeli foreign minister to Bahrain, showed the emerging Arab and Israeli determination to unite against the threat of Iran. As Mr. Lapid said: “Our opportunities are shared. Our threats are also shared, and they aren’t far from here.”
Iran’s propaganda apparatus sprang into action to condemn the visit: Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said: “This stain will not be erased from the reputation of Bahrain’s rulers. The people of the region will continue to oppose the process of normalization of ties with the Zionist regime.”
Opposing the Abraham Accords has become a diplomatic priority for Iran, and it’s clear why. The more Arab-Israeli ties produce good results, the more the people of the region will reject Iran’s malign influence. And so Iran has campaigned to sabotage new relations.
More than 300 Iraqis, including tribal leaders, attended a Sept. 24 conference in autonomous Kurdistan on normalizing ties between Iraq and Israel. But many who attended were soon forced to renounce the conference after receiving death threats from pro-Iran militias.
Equally disturbing is the Oct. 3 attempt to assassinate businessman Teddy Sagi and other Israelis in Cyprus. Whether Tehran is behind the attack is disputed, but Iran’s record of killing Israelis abroad is long. The hope is that other Israelis will be deterred from venturing abroad to form commercial relations with new partners in the region.
The question is why the regime is getting an intellectual assist from advocacy groups on the American left. “Why should we be celebrating a year of Abraham Accords?” the Quincy Institute’s Trita Parsi demanded in a Sept. 17 blog post. “The U.S. is helping cement conflict under the guise of forging reconciliation.”
In May, Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, tweeted that the accords “sought to paper over regional crises & exacerbate a simmering proxy war.” The group bestowed its 2021 Courage Award on Rep. Ilhan Omar, a severe critic of the accords. The council has also been working with the Jewish group J Street, whose vice president of government relations, Dylan Williams, received the Courage Award in 2016. It’s more than embarrassing that the self-described pro-Israel and pro-peace group was silent on the anniversary of the most consequential peace agreement involving Israel in a quarter-century.
By building what is essentially an ideological partnership with Iran, actors on the American left are helping style the regime in Tehran as the victim of Western aggression. The real victims are the long-suffering Iranian people.
The Biden administration did recognize the significance of Abraham Accords, albeit mildly. Secretary of State Antony Blinken participated in a virtual anniversary celebration with counterparts from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. The administration is no doubt wary of angering progressive Democrats, who look more hostile to Israel with every vote. But even the Biden administration can recognize an obvious instrument for Middle East peace and stability.
Opponents of the Abraham Accords on the far left are at odds with the administration, as well as with a growing coalition of Arabs, Israelis, Iranians and Americans eager for a peaceful and prosperous Middle East. The time is now for all parties to embrace the Abraham Accords instead of pouring cold water on them.
Mr. Leib is executive director of Iranian Americans for Liberty and a former Republican congressional candidate from Philadelphia.
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