عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Jared Kushner Founds 'Abraham Accords Institute'

Bahrain’s FM Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE FM Abdullah bin Zayed participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords (Reuters)
Bahrain’s FM Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE FM Abdullah bin Zayed participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords (Reuters)
TT
20
TT

Jared Kushner Founds 'Abraham Accords Institute'

Bahrain’s FM Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE FM Abdullah bin Zayed participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords (Reuters)
Bahrain’s FM Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and UAE FM Abdullah bin Zayed participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords (Reuters)

Former US President Donald Trump's advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner is founding an organization called the Abraham Accords Institute for Peace, to work on deepening the normalization agreements he helped strike between Israel and Arab countries.

Kushner was the main architect of the Abraham Accord between several Arab countries and Israel.

According to a statement, the institute will focus on increasing trade and tourism between Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco and Sudan, and developing programs to foster people-to-people connections between the countries.

It will also "provide analysis of the benefits of normalization and the potential benefits additional Arab countries can receive if they join the Abraham Accords,” reported Axios.

The board is still being formed with talks underway to include representatives from both Morocco and Sudan, and it is expected to launch activities in 2022.

The founders also want to add more democrats and advisers from the region.

“In less than a year, this warm peace is melting decades of misunderstanding and hostility across the region. This is a peace among peoples as much as it is among nations. This will be the institute’s focus – to nurture and deepen these human connections.”

The statement and leaks in the US and Israeli media did not mention the peace agreements between Israel, Egypt, and Jordan.

Former White House envoy Avi Berkowitz is also founding the institute, along with Israeli-US businessman and Democratic donor Haim Saban, and three top officials from the region: the US and Bahraini ambassadors to Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba and Abdulla al-Khalifa, and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.

The executive director will be Rob Greenway, the former top Middle East advisor on Trump's national security council.

The final weeks of the former administration witnessed the signing of peace and normalization agreements between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.

Observers regard those agreements as arguably Trump's biggest foreign policy achievement and the biggest breakthrough for relations between Israel and the Arab world for 25 years.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration said it wants to expand on the Accords and potentially include additional countries.

President Joe Biden spoke Tuesday with UAE Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed and said the normalization of relations between the UAE and Israel was of strategic importance to the US.

They discussed regional and global challenges, including Afghanistan, the nuclear and regional dimensions of the threat posed by Iran, as well as the common quest for de-escalation and peace in the Middle East, according to the White House.

President Biden and the Crown Prince agreed on the priority of working together to address conflicts.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

Lebanon Fights Tough Battle to Renew UNIFIL Mandate

French UNIFIL soldiers in the town of Aita al-Shaab, southern Lebanon (File photo – EPA). 
French UNIFIL soldiers in the town of Aita al-Shaab, southern Lebanon (File photo – EPA). 
TT
20
TT

Lebanon Fights Tough Battle to Renew UNIFIL Mandate

French UNIFIL soldiers in the town of Aita al-Shaab, southern Lebanon (File photo – EPA). 
French UNIFIL soldiers in the town of Aita al-Shaab, southern Lebanon (File photo – EPA). 

As the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) approaches its expiration on Aug. 31, Beirut has launched a political and diplomatic campaign to secure a one-year renewal. The effort comes amid Israeli pressure to end the mission altogether and US hesitation over its continuation, with Washington leaning either toward withdrawing support or gradually reducing troop numbers.

France has assumed the role of rallying international backing and securing enough votes in the UN Security Council to extend the mission, emphasizing its importance in maintaining security and stability in southern Lebanon.

The renewal of UNIFIL dominated the agenda of US envoy Morgan Ortagus, who accompanied President Donald Trump’s special representative Tom Barrack during a visit to Beirut. A Lebanese political source familiar with the talks revealed that Ortagus’ focus was solely on UNIFIL and that she conveyed Washington’s reservations about renewing the peace-keeping mission’s mandate.

According to the source, Ortagus told Lebanese officials that if the Security Council reached a consensus and presented compelling justifications for renewal, the US would agree to a final one-year extension. She did not raise the issue of modifying UNIFIL’s mandate, instead stressing the need for the force to fully exercise its existing role.

The source added that no changes to UNIFIL’s powers are expected to be discussed in the upcoming Security Council session, noting that France has already taken the lead in drafting the renewal resolution. He underlined that the mission’s role remains defined by cooperation frameworks between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army, which have been in effect since the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel took hold.

British and Pakistani Support

As part of Lebanon’s push for international backing, Foreign Minister Youssef Raji met with UK Ambassador Hamish Cowell, who affirmed Britain’s support for Lebanon’s position on extending UNIFIL’s mandate. Cowell also reiterated London’s stance that all weapons in Lebanon must remain under the authority of the state.

Raji also met with Pakistan’s Ambassador Suleman Athar, whose country currently holds a non-permanent seat on the Security Council. Athar conveyed Islamabad’s backing for renewing the mission in line with Lebanon’s position.

Former Lebanese Ambassador to Washington Antoine Chedid described the renewal as “a difficult battle,” one that will likely require intense lobbying until the very last moments before the Security Council vote. He cautioned that even if the extension passes, it could come with American conditions - chief among them closer US scrutiny of UNIFIL’s operations in the months ahead, ensuring its freedom of movement, protection from attacks, and the right to self-defense.

Washington’s reservations about UNIFIL go beyond the Trump administration. According to Chedid, there is a prevailing view in Congress that the mission is ineffective, costly to US taxpayers, and hampered by frequent restrictions and assaults.

This skepticism aligns with Washington’s broader stance: that full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which extends Lebanese Army authority throughout the south, consolidating state control over all weapons, Israel’s withdrawal from occupied positions in southern Lebanon, and the demarcation of Lebanon’s southern border, would render UNIFIL unnecessary.

Only under such conditions, Chedid argued, could the Lebanese Army effectively secure the borders and respond to any Israeli violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty.