Result of Abraham Accords 2021
Almost a quarter of all Israel defence exports in 2022 have been to Arab partners, the Israeli Defence Ministry reported. The figure is symptomatic of warming military, economic and diplomatic ties as a result of the Abraham Accords. The Accords, signed initially by Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE and later by Morocco and Sudan, have ushered in unprecedented opportunities across sectors including trade, tourism, environmental research and defence – with the latter marking a 50% increase over a three-year period.
Of the defence exports, drone technology accounted for a quarter, whilst rockets and air defence systems made up another 19%. Morocco, which broke ties with Israel during the Second Intifada, has strengthened its military relationship in recent years. The rapprochement has paved the way for a variety of Israeli security officials, including the Minister of the Interior, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Chief of Police and Minister of Defence, to visit Rabat for meetings with their Moroccan counterparts. Joint military exercises, including the ‘African Lion,’ have pre-empted diplomatic successes – with Morocco poised to host the second Negev Summit this year.
The new defence figures come after the Bank of Israel published its 2022 annual report in March this year. The report found that Israeli natural gas exports to Egypt have increased by over 50% since the signing of the Accords, whilst gas exports to Jordan have also grown substantially.
Diplomatic relations between Israel and Kosovo, established in 2021, also appears to be strengthening. The Balkan nation is both the first Muslim country, and first country in Europe, to open its embassy in Jerusalem, and is currently calling for Israel to open an Embassy in Pristina Former Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, who heads the Israel parliamentary friendship group, led their first delegation to Israel this week. He said that his country seeks a “strategic partnership” with Israel which entails “working extremely closely, not only in economic cooperation and diplomatic relations”, but “working together and sharing information, helping each other to increase capacities in terms of security issues, strategic development”, he added.
Of the record $12.5 billion Israeli defence exports, Asia and the Pacific accounted for 30%, Europe for 29% and North America for 11%.
