Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Monday that expanding the Abraham Accords “is a shared interest of all peoples of the region,” contingent on their firm stance against Iran.
“I call for strengthening of the place of the Abraham Accords agreements in all spheres, for deepening and expanding the blessed cooperation they have fostered, and I hope that these agreements will soon expand to include additional countries,” Herzog stated.
He stressed that the region was standing at the threshold of a new era, led by the peace plan of U.S. President Donald Trump. The expansion of peace “is within our reach, provided that we stand together against the perpetrators of terror, particularly from Tehran,” he said.
The remarks were delivered at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem during an event hosting the traditional Iftar meal that marks the breaking of the Muslim Ramadan fast.
Diplomats, religious leaders and dignitaries from Arab Israeli society attended the event, according to the president’s spokesperson.
These included representatives from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as well as the ambassadors of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania; diplomatic representatives from Chad and Nigeria and the United Nations Special Envoy to the Middle East.
“The shared Abrahamic roots between Judaism and Islam are what form the foundation of the relations between Israel and the countries of the Muslim world,” said Herzog.
“They are also the foundation of the peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors, and they likewise lay the groundwork for the Abraham Accords, agreements that serve as a model of partnership, peace, and shared prosperity between peoples and nations,” he continued.
Herzog went on to call on the leaders in attendance to “prove to the world that there is no hatred between the children of Abraham.” The president said that the nations of the region can learn from one another and together build a “diverse and vibrant society that will stand as a model and an inspiration,” per the president’s spokesperson.
