The 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal significantly altered the Middle east’s geopolitical landscape, resulting in a shared security threat and increased cooperation between Israel and moderate Gulf states. The turning point of this Arab-Israel rapprochement was the Abraham Accords of 2020, which marked the normalisation of ties and new strategic partnership between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco. The implications, changes and challenges, as well as potential for other countries to join the peace circle, is explored.

Jonathan Ghariani recently completed his doctorate at the University College london, in Hebrew and Jewish Studies . His thesis focused on the diplomatic history of Arab-Israeli relations and geopolitical negotiations. He holds a master’s degree in Security and Diplomacy at Tel Aviv University, Israel and a bachelor’s degree in Government Diplomacy and Strategy from IDC Herzliya. Ghariani has also completed internships at the Institute for National Security Studies and at the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies. Most recently, he was a visiting scholar at the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he spoke and published his research on Israel’s historical relations with Morocco and Oman.