Since the second-half of 2020, four Arab nations (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco) have formed normalization agreements with Israel. Proponents of the deals believe they are a historic win for diplomacy-first champions. Meanwhile, others are more skeptical, and fear that normalization could cause harm to the Palestinian rights movement while driving further conflict in the greater Middle East.
In what scenarios could these agreements foster lasting peace? What are the drivers that shape these scenarios? What motivations did the signers have to normalize? Importantly, where do the Palestinians fall into the equation?
This event is co-sponsored by Georgetown University’s Conflict Resolution Program.
Speakers:
Mickey Bergman
Vice president and executive director, Richardson Center for Global Engagement
Khaled Elgindy
Senior fellow and director, Program on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs, MEI
Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen
Director, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Program, United States Institute of Peace
Mohammed Soliman
Non-resident scholar, MEI; senior associate, Middle East and North Africa Practice, McLarty Associates
Joyce Karam, moderator
Washington correspondent, The National
Co-Sponsor:
Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images