During the first quarter of 2026, the Abraham Accords continued to evolve into a framework for regional cooperation and integration. Across the opening months of the year, cooperation among the United States, Israel, and Abraham Accords partners advanced in fields ranging from defense planning and scientific research to medical supply chains, energy security, AI, and regional connectivity. These developments reflected the growing recognition that the Accords are not only a diplomatic achievement, but also a practical mechanism for addressing shared strategic, economic, and national resilience–related challenges.
Several of the quarter’s most notable developments centered on the institutionalization of cooperation. Israel and Morocco convened their third Joint Military Committee and signed a 2026 military work plan; the U.S.-initiated Pax Silica framework expanded to include the UAE; the AASPIRE Network brought together scientific and policy leaders from the United States, Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Kazakhstan; and new U.S. legislation established a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Abraham Accords office to help secure medical supply chains among trusted partners.
The quarter also highlighted the expanding geographic reach of the Accords. Kazakhstan’s accession began to translate into concrete benefits that include high-level Israeli diplomatic and business delegations focused on trade, investment, AI, agriculture, water, tourism, and regional diplomacy. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on the International Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) and India-Israel-UAE-United States I2U2 Group during his state visit to Israel in February underscored the connection between the Abraham Accords and broader U.S.-aligned initiatives linking the Middle East with Asia and the West. The participation of Abraham Accords members and Israel’s Muslim-majority peace partners in discussions surrounding Gaza stabilization further demonstrated the potential of these relationships to contribute to regional problem-solving.
Operation Epic Fury/Roaring Lion brought the security dimension of this regional architecture to the fore. As the conflict with Iran intensified, defense cooperation among Israel, the UAE, the United States, and other regional partners illustrated how the trust and channels created by the Accords can be mobilized during moments of regional crisis, thereby contributing to shared security. New congressional efforts to strengthen Abraham Accords defense cooperation and President Trump’s direct call for Saudi Arabia to join the Accords all indicated that the Accords are increasingly critical for ensuring and advancing U.S. interests and partnerships in the Middle East.
Timeline of Developments, January–March 2026
January 5, 2026
The third meeting of the Israel–Morocco Joint Military Committee took place in Tel Aviv. During the meeting, which marked five years since the reestablishment of Morocco–Israel relations, the two countries signed a joint military work plan for 2026, visited Israel Defense Forces (IDF) units and defense industries, and discussed shared objectives for cooperation.
January 7, 2026
Israel’s Finance Ministry announced a successful $6 billion international bond offering, the first major offering following the Gaza ceasefire. The offering reportedly attracted around 300 investors from more than 30 countries including Abraham Accords states.
January 14, 2026
The UAE signed the U.S.-led Pax Silica declaration, joining Israel and six other countries in what the U.S. State Department described as an “economic security coalition built for the AI age.” The State Department further noted that the UAE’s accession marked a “a historic milestone in the region’s economic integration.”
January 16, 2026
U.S. energy company Chevron and its partners reached a Final Investment Decision to expand the production capacity of Israel’s Leviathan natural gas field. Chevron stated that the project will help to “provide essential energy to millions of people in Israel, Egypt and Jordan” and that “[p]ragmatic U.S. and regional energy policies are helping to strengthen energy security across the Eastern Mediterranean and foster an environment that encourages investment in the Middle East and globally.”
January 27, 2026
Against the backdrop of Kazakhstan’s November 2025 decision to join the Abraham Accords, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar traveled to Astana, meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to discuss trade, investment, AI, agriculture, water, and tourism. Foreign Minister Sa’ar noted that Israel “welcome[s] the President's decision to join President Trump's historic Abraham Accords. Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian country to do so…. The Accords have brought stability and economic prosperity to Israel and moderate Muslim nations, with a shared vision of tolerance and cooperation.”
January 28, 2026
The first meeting of the Abraham Accords Science Partnership for Innovation and Research Excellence (AASPIRE) Network took place in Abu Dhabi. The Network was initiated by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and brought together senior figures from national academies of sciences, universities, policy bodies, and stakeholders representing the U.S., Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Kazakhstan. Discussions focused on developing a regional framework for scientific, research, and commercial-industrial cooperation and on identifying shared priority areas including health, energy, water, agriculture, AI, and advanced technologies.
February 3, 2026
President Trump signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R. 7148), whichincludes the "United States–Abraham Accords Cooperation and Security Act" establishing an FDA Abraham Accords office. The purpose of the office is to provide FDA assistance to partners in Abraham Accords countries with the goal of securing medical supply chains, increasing “friendshoring,” and reducing dependence on hostile nations for medical components.
February 10, 2026
The Israeli Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee's Subcommittee for Foreign Policy convened a debate on strengthening and expanding the Abraham Accords, during which the subcommittee heard from representatives of the National Security Council (NSC); the IDF; the Ministries of Defense, Economy, Energy, Tourism and Education; and other bodies. The NSC reported that discussions surrounding advancing the Abraham Accords receive very high priority, both on the level of the Prime Minister and at the NSC.
February 19, 2026
Among the countries that took part in the February 19 meeting of President Trump’s Board of Peace in Washington were Abraham Accords members and Israel’s Muslim-majority peace partners including the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Jordan, and Kosovo. Israeli Foreign Minister Sa’ar participated as well. Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, and Kosovo committed to providing personnel to the envisioned Gaza International Stabilization Force
February 25, 2026
During Indian Prime Minister Modi’s state visit to Israel, IMEC and I2U2 featured in both his Knesset address and his bilateral talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Modi called for deeper India–Israel cooperation through the IMEC and I2U2 frameworks, and India’s Foreign Secretary later confirmed that the two leaders discussed IMEC “at some length.”
March 2026
During Operation Epic Fury/Roaring Lion, Abraham Accords defense cooperation, particularly between Israel and the UAE, expanded significantly. Israel provided the UAE with the Iron Dome missile defense system and counter drone technologies and cooperated with other CENTCOM countries on air defense and intelligence.
March 17, 2026
Elbit Systems told Reuters that “there is a lot of interest [in its systems] in many countries who are suffering from the same enemy," including in Abraham Accords countries.
March 26, 2026
According to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the UAE and met with Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, leading to what the PMO described as a "historic breakthrough" in relations between the two countries. However, the UAE later denied that such a secret visit had taken place and issued a statement “reaffirm[ing] that its relations with Israel are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements.”
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U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R–NC) and Joni Ernst (R–IA) introduced the Abraham Accords Defense Cooperation Act, which would require the Secretary of War to establish an initiative to bolster defense cooperation with Abraham Accords countries and “to prioritize deterring aggression by Iran and its proxies while also enhancing regional planning and cooperation” among Accords member states.
March 27, 2026
At a Saudi-sponsored Future Investment Initiative conference in Miami, Florida, President Trump turned to Saudi Public Investment Fund Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan and declared, “I hope you’re going to be getting into the Abraham Accords finally.” He then recalled conversations he had with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in which he worked to convince Riyadh to join the Abraham Accords. President Trump concluded, “It’s time now…. We’ve got to get into the Abraham Accords.”
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