Geopolitics of the Arab-Israeli Normalization of Relations

Abstract

Egypt and Jordan, as core countries in the Arab-Israeli conflict, signed peace treaties with Israel in 1979 and 1994 and, respectively, established full diplomatic relations with it. However, in the last few months, the Middle East North Africa "MENA" region has witnessed the current fostering process of Arab-Israeli normalization of relations which involved Arab countries whose lands had never been threatened by the Arab-Israeli conflict. The process began when UAE and Israel signed the “Abraham Accords” in August 2020. Soon after, UAE was followed by Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. Other Arab countries are expected to follow the path. This research analyzes the phenomenon of Arab-Israeli normalization of relations. It focuses mainly on both the geopolitical driving forces behind normalization and the prospects of the similar future Qatari move. The research investigates the relation between the current process of normalization and the great game which involves a number of geostrategic players in the "MENA" region and which aims to recreate the Middle Eastern regional system as well.