The peace deals between Israel and Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan are sparking a discussion of what these countries expect to get in return for normalizing with Israel: American recognition of Moroccan sovereignty in western Sahara; stealth fighter jets for the Gulf states; the removal of Sudan from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. To make them appears less important, the Abraham Accords are being portrayed as merely expedient, which supposedly removes the idea of "peace," and certainly does not fall in line with diplomatic relations based on shared values and true unconditional partnership.
This is a naïve view of international politics and diplomatic agreements. The current period is marked by cold, calculating realism, which to a large extent has supplanted the aspiration to create a world based on common values. But peace treaties have always come with realpolitick baggage and a meeting of interests. This is true for the Middle East, as well.
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The peace treaty between Israel and Egypt remains one signed by leaders, rather than one between the two peoples, and Cairo has enjoyed real benefits from it, such as American economic aid and advanced weaponry. The same is true for the peace agreement between Israel and Jordan, and even more so for the various agreements signed with the Palestinians, which had much less to do with brotherly love than strategy, even though the latter turned out to be overestimated. Europe's romantic diplomatic fantasy about glittering treaties with shared values and willingness to make peace forever at their core was never a mold for peace treaties between Israel and its neighbors, even if they tried to market them as such.
But from the utilitarianism rolled into the Abraham Accords arises deep insight about the status of Israel, which is becoming a nation to be reckoned with in every sense. Israel has always proven itself in the defense sector and has even become to be seen as a strong player in the region. But powerful nations aren't measured by their military prowess alone, but also by their ability to synchronize other strengths – economic, technological, and scientific. In the past few decades Israel has become that kind of regional power, a country that has areas of strength outside the field of defense and security.
Israel is managing the security issues posed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran in Syria as a kind of ongoing security activity, without them comprising an actual threat, while also investing heavily in other sectors by which its power is measured. In the last generation, Israel has become a state on the forefront on technological advancement, a state and enjoys strategic depth and its own energy sources.
All these give Israel added value in the eyes of the countries around it. Given this, once can understand Sudan's move, which was the result of recognizing Israel's advantages in agriculture and technology. Morocco acknowledged Israel's diplomatic weight in Washington; and the Gulf states have spotted its economic strong points. From that perspective, it would be better to parse the Abraham Accords' utilitarianism not as a weak point, but as a litmus test that shows how far Israel has come in transforming from a regional and global problem to a magnet.
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