The US State Department expects at least one more Arab state will join the Abraham Accords in the near future, normalizing relations with Israel, according to a report by Israel Hayom Wednesday morning.
The report claimed that the Biden administration has increased its efforts over the past few weeks to build on the momentum created by the Abraham Accords – first signed a year ago – reaching out to a number of Arab countries, including Sudan, to reach a deal for full normalization of relations with Israel.
Sudan, which recently recognized Israel but does not have formal diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, is a prime target for the administration’s bid to expand the Abraham Accords.
Israeli Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) is expected to hold a trilateral meeting Thursday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Emirati counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at an event marking the anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords.
Lapid is also scheduled to meeting separately with Blinken to discuss efforts to bring additional Arab states into the Abraham Accords.
On Tuesday, Lapid met with US Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and other senior Congressional leaders from both parties.
According to a report by Reuters Tuesday, the Biden administration is also working to use the Abraham Accords to reboot talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
State Department officials stressed that the Abraham Accords were not a substitute for the two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs.
"We continue to welcome the economic cooperation between Israel and all countries in the region. We hope that normalization can be leveraged to advance progress on the Israeli-Palestinian tracks," said one senior State Department official quoted by Reuters.