Understanding the Abraham Accords inside and out - opinion

Election after election has shown us that the majority of Israel’s citizens are committed to Israel’s founding principles as Jewish and democratic as its core identity

By MICHAL COTLER-WUNSH
Updated: DECEMBER 22, 2020 22:14
ISRAELIS AND locals celebrate Hanukkah in Dubai, on December 10. (photo credit: CHRISTOPHER PIKE/REUTERS)
ISRAELIS AND locals celebrate Hanukkah in Dubai, on December 10.
(photo credit: CHRISTOPHER PIKE/REUTERS)
The Abraham Accords signify a potential paradigm shift in the Middle East, one that moves away from rejectionism and toward normalization. In a historic pivot, Arab states, once committed to an ideology embodied by the 1967 Khartoum Conference and its “three No’s,” have normalized relations and moved to a paradigm where country after country – the United Arab Emirates, then Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco – have shifted toward the “three Yeses,” declaring yes to recognition, yes to negotiation, and yes to peace.
While “negotiation” and “peace” are perhaps more intuitive to understand, the fundamental step of “recognition” is the most essential; without it, the additional processes are impossible to embark upon. To understand the precondition of recognition, we must identify what it was, or is, that is being rejected. Indeed, the very legitimacy of the State of Israel as Jewish and democratic to exist was, and remains, the hurdle for some. Only when Israel as both Jewish and democratic is recognized by its neighbors is it possible to move toward negotiation, ultimately enabling peace.
The imperative for recognition must be acknowledged, even and especially in the euphoria surrounding the Abraham Accords. While headlines focusing on business opportunities and transactions dominate the press, and though this is part of the historic process, it is secondary to the monumental acceptance of a Jewish and democratic Israel as an equal and legitimate partner by the UAE. In this regard, the fact that the UAE inculcated its children with “tolerance” of religious differences for years is far more ground-breaking than what military technology may be sold or shared.
Similarly, Israeli business leaders and tourists flocking to the UAE, anxious to grab a piece of this peace, must not take for granted the fundamental step of recognition. By focusing solely on interests and implications, we might miss the monumental potential of applying the transformative framework of “three Yeses” internally, to achieve internal recognition, internal negotiation and internal peace.
Contributing to the imperative for this internal reflection and process is the fact that to date, Israel has yet to pass the core document – a constitution – that would enable it to achieve internal peace. In its absence is a patchwork of Basic Laws, none truly and singularly recognizing Israel’s core identity as Jewish and democratic.
THE DECLARATION of Independence, upon which the State of Israel was founded, most clearly outlines this identity, yet continued failure to enshrine it in law forces it to remain only declarative in nature.
For this reason, I proposed that the Declaration of Independence be enshrined as a Basic Law, so that we recognize and realize the opportunity of this moment, acknowledging and affirming our own identity as a Jewish and democratic state that represents the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in our indigenous homeland and is committed to the equality of all its diverse citizens. These identities can and must coexist in harmony, on the basis of the foundational document signed on May 14, 1948.
By acknowledging and reaffirming our own identity first and foremost, we can engage and negotiate our internal differences, addressing the issues that challenge our resiliency, such as the balance of “religion and state,” among others. Only on the basis of this first imperative step can we move toward internal peace, ensuring that all Israel’s citizens have equality, fundamental freedoms, and mutual respect for one another.
Election after election has shown us that the majority of Israel’s citizens are committed to Israel’s founding principles as Jewish and democratic as its core identity, with more extreme parties earning few votes, despite the volume of their voices. If we again take to the polls, we will likely see similar results – with parties identifying as Jewish and democratic together achieving the majority of votes. It is imperative we act upon what binds us together, and not allow extreme voices to again dominate the rhetoric and challenge our resiliency.
As stated by the late Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, “Optimism is the belief that things are going to get better. Hope is the belief that we can make things better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope is an active one. It takes no courage to be an optimist, but it does need courage to be hopeful.”
Whatever the coming weeks hold, we must take responsibility in order to rekindle hope, realizing the potential paradigm shift of the Abraham Accords not just with our neighbors in the region, but among all Israel’s citizens and the Jewish people as a whole.
The writer is a member of Knesset for the Blue and White Party in Israel.