Rishi Sunak: Let’s take the Abraham Accords from strength to strength
The prime minister was the surprise keynote speaker at a central London reception hosted by the Board of Deputies, ELNET and the UK Abram accords Group.
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the Abraham Accords at a special event last night to mark the second anniversary of the agreements signed by Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.
The prime minister, warmth echoing through his keynote address, told more than 250 people at the reception: “Today we send a clear message about our commitment to the Accords and all they represent. The Accords have kickstarted a new era of relations in trade, tourism, security and more. This would have been impossible just a few years ago, but it does show how we can transform peace and stability in the region.
“The UK is committed to working with you all to take this initiative from strength to strength.”
Chaired by the executive director of ELNET UK (a pro-Israel advocacy group) Joan Ryan, the event was hosted by ELNET, the Board of Deputies and the UK Abraham Accords Group, whose chair is Dr Liam Fox MP.
Those attending — including the ambassadors of all four signatory countries and ministers and political leaders from Bahrain, the UAE and Morocco — heard Mr Sunak reaffirm British commitment to the Accords. He called the signing of the Accords “one of the greatest achievements in the long process to securing peace in the Middle East”.
The agreement, the prime minister said, had “kickstarted a new era in trade, tourism and more. This is the dividend of diplomacy.” He added: “We all know that peace in the Middle East can be a hard road: it’s almost 45 years since Anwar Sadat reached out and travelled to Israel to address the Knesset. It was a brave and historic step towards peaceful coexistence. With the Abraham Accords, our generation took up the torch. We can deliver lasting peace and prosperity — and more than that, we can deliver hope”.
Mr Sunak’s remarks were echoed by Dr Liam Fox and Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies. All four ambassadors took part in a panel moderated by Joan Ryan, after which they were each presented with a version of a specially commissioned sculpture by the Israeli artist Arik Levy, to mark “their achievements towards advancing the Abraham Accords”.
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