The Israeli Prime Minister called it “a pivot of history”. On September 15, 2020 Israel signed a memorandum of understanding - the Abraham Accords - with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Since then, some 130,000 Israelis have visited Dubai and according to a report by the Dubai Customs, trade between Israel and the UAE has reached 1 billion AED in five months. Very soon after these countries signed the Abraham Accords, Sudan and Morocco followed suit.
Now, a new initiative is being launched to allow people around the world to sign their name to the cause of peace. “The People’s Abraham Accords” comprises a short text, written – as in the original accords – in English, Hebrew and Arabic. The text reads: “As people in the Middle East and around the world, We, the undersigned, embrace our shared humanity.
Despite differences and divisions, we come together in support of peace between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and others in the region. We believe mutual respect, normalization, and cooperation are the key to a more just and peaceful future.”
Via a dedicated website which can be found at https://www.standwithus.com/abrahamaccords or at www.abrahampeace.com, visitors can sign their name to the accords. They can also print the accords and take and upload a #PeaceSelfie photo showing their support for the growing peace efforts in the Middle East.
“The People’s Abraham Accords” is a multi-pronged StandWithUs campaign designed to educate about the incredible progress towards peace between Israel and its neighboring countries like the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. “The campaign will focus on building grassroots support for the Abraham Accords and people-to-people relationships”, said Rena Nasar First, StandWithUs Executive Director of Campus Affairs, “It will show the benefits of cooperation and peace, as opposed to toxic efforts by anti-Israel groups to stop any form of normalization or progress.”
“This is a positive, proactive campaign to bring people together to share a powerful message of peace from the Middle East to college campuses, high schools and beyond”, explains CEO and co-founder of StandWithUs, Roz Rothstein, “It’s about embracing our shared humanity, moving forward in a positive direction, and overcoming the toxic ‘us vs. them’ approach which has plagued the region for far too long. Those who really seek a just and peaceful future should take their lead from countries that have committed to work together for the benefit of all.”
This new campaign was launched at the StandWithUs International Conference: Israel in Focus, sponsored by the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, which took place virtually January 30th -31st, 2021. The launch was announced as part of a panel on the topic of peace, a conversation featuring Omar Al Busaidy from the United Arab Emirates who is a Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum, bestselling author in the UAE and a member of the US-UAE Public Affairs Committee. Omar discussed the benefits of the Abraham Accords together with Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, who has travelled to the UAE and Bahrain following the signing of the accords in order to build business cooperation between the Gulf countries and Israel.
Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan Nahoum, Emirati writer Omar Al Busaidy and StandWithUs Israel Executive Director Michael Dickson, discuss peace at the StandWithUs International Conference
StandWithUs is planning a number of activities around The People’s Abraham Accords, including speakers from the region addressing college, high school and community groups. The educational organization has also launched The Abraham Accords Youth Forum, bringing together Israeli and Emirati youth for virtual meetings, with plans set for Bahraini and Moroccan youth to join as well. The Forum was established by the StandWithUs TEVEL Israel high school program.
“At StandWithUs, our motto has always been that education is the road to peace. This is people-to-people peace-making – meeting each other, learning together, and ensuring that the next generation is living the promise of the Abraham Accords”, said Michael Dickson, Executive Director of StandWithUs-Israel. “The People’s Abraham Accords allows everyone to add their voice to the growing movement for normalization and peace.”
