Israel Axes Abraham Accords Conference after Concerned Arab Countries Decline Invite

From left, Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House, Sept. 15, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images)
From left, Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House, Sept. 15, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images)
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Israel Axes Abraham Accords Conference after Concerned Arab Countries Decline Invite

From left, Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House, Sept. 15, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images)
From left, Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House, Sept. 15, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images)

Israel canceled a conference to mark the two-year anniversary of its signing of the Abraham Accords to normalize ties with four Arab countries after their diplomats voiced concerns it could be exploited for political gains as Tel Aviv prepares to hold elections.

Israel’s Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Freige, whose ministry co-initiated the event with the United Arab Emirates, said he respects the decision.

He added that the government will cancel the conference since it is pointless to be held for Israelis alone.

“It is with great sadness that we are forced to postpone the conference marking the two-year anniversary of the Abraham Accords due to election exigencies, and in order to not drag our partners into the campaign,” Freige said, adding that the ministry is now working to hold an alternative summit after the elections.

The government began promoting the event, which was scheduled to be held on September 12, before the Knesset was dissolved.

It contacted the relevant countries, namely the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, with plans for the conference to be held at the level of foreign ministers.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned that the conference agenda would have tackled a number of civilian domains that could have helped expand and develop the Accords.

They included the possibility of opening a land commercial route through Israel (or from it) to the Gulf states by expanding and developing the infrastructure at the border crossings, such as the Sheikh Hussein Bridge on the Jordan River Crossing, and the main roads and converting them to international roads.

In addition, participants were going to discuss advancing the implementation of regional projects to resolve structural problems in the Gaza Strip, in partnership with Egypt, Israel and the Gulf states, as well as the energy food and water crisis caused by the war on Ukraine.

Opening of a Moroccan embassy in Israel in the presence of Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and expanding the agreements to include other Arab and Islamic countries were also on the agenda.

Freige said there were plans to deepen and expand initiatives in education and culture to support peace, confront extremism, and promote the values of tolerance, freedom of worship, and coexistence in the fields of art, sports, cinema and others.

“This is the basis of peace among peoples, not only between states and governments,” he stressed, noting that it is more important to develop personal relations between peoples since governments change but peoples remain.

The Accords were announced on August 13, 2020 under the term of then-US President Donald Trump, who said they were the product of lengthy discussions between Israel, the UAE and the United States.



Syria Reaches Deal to Integrate SDF within State Institutions, Presidency Says

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) shaking the hand of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi after the signing of an agreement, to integrate the SDF into the state institutions, in the Syrian capital Damascus on March 10, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) shaking the hand of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi after the signing of an agreement, to integrate the SDF into the state institutions, in the Syrian capital Damascus on March 10, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
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Syria Reaches Deal to Integrate SDF within State Institutions, Presidency Says

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) shaking the hand of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi after the signing of an agreement, to integrate the SDF into the state institutions, in the Syrian capital Damascus on March 10, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) shaking the hand of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi after the signing of an agreement, to integrate the SDF into the state institutions, in the Syrian capital Damascus on March 10, 2025. (SANA / AFP)

The Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls much of Syria's oil-rich northeast, has signed a deal agreeing to integrate into Syria's new state institutions, the Syrian presidency said on Monday.

The deal, which included a complete cessation of hostilities, was signed by interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the SDF's commander, Mazloum Abdi.

Under the deal, whose text was posted online by the presidency, all civilian and military institutions in northeast Syria will be integrated within the state, which will thus take over control of borders, airports and oil and gas fields.

The SDF agrees to support the government in combating remnants of deposed president Bashar al-Assad's regime, and any threats to Syria's security and unity.

Since Assad was overthrown by Sharaa's Islamist forces in December, groups backed by Türkiye, one of Sharaa's main supporters, have clashed with the SDF, the main ally in a US coalition against ISIS militants in Syria.

The SDF is spearheaded by the YPG militia, a group that Ankara sees as an extension of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought the Turkish state for 40 years.

Türkiye regards the PKK, YPG and SDF as terrorist groups, and Sharaa's new Damascus administration had been pressing the SDF to merge into newly-minted state security forces.

Abdi had previously expressed a willingness for his forces to be part of the new defense ministry, but said they should join as a bloc rather than individuals, an idea that was rejected by the new government.

The US and Türkiye’s Western allies list the PKK as a terrorist group, but not the YPG or the SDF.