Senior officials from Israel, the United States, and countries participating in the Abraham Accords reconvened in New York on Thursday for the group’s first multilateral meeting since January 2023, signaling renewed efforts to deepen regional cooperation and expand the normalization framework after years of regional upheaval.
The high-level roundtable, convened by the N7 Foundation and chaired by its chairman and founder Jeffrey M. Talpins, brought together US Under Secretary of State Allison Hooker and senior officials from Israel, Bahrain, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan. It marked the first official engagement of Abraham Accords countries to include Kazakhstan, which is preparing to join the framework.
The meeting came nearly three years after the October 7 Hamas attack and the outbreak of the Gaza war, which significantly reshaped the regional diplomatic landscape and slowed efforts to build on the momentum created by the Abraham Accords. The United States brokered the agreements during the Trump administration, which established diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain in 2020, followed by Morocco.
Rather than focusing solely on additional normalization agreements, Thursday’s meeting focused on the next stage of the framework: translating diplomatic ties into practical cooperation. Participants reaffirmed the principles of the Abraham Accords and discussed opportunities to strengthen collaboration between Israel, Arab and Muslim countries, the United States and other partners.
Abraham Accords countries seek broader regional network
“The Abraham Accords have demonstrated what is possible when countries come together around shared interests with a common vision for a more integrated and prosperous region,” Talpins said. “The next phase is about deepening the relationships that already exist and identifying practical opportunities for countries to work together.”
The N7 Foundation said discussions centered on shared priorities and tangible outcomes, with the goal of using regional cooperation to promote stability, security and economic development. Potential areas of collaboration include technology, trade and investment, energy, water and food security, and strategic and security cooperation.
“The Abraham Accords have created a foundation for a more connected region, and their full potential will be realized through the practical cooperation they make possible,” N7 President Oren Eisner said. “Today's discussion focused on the work ahead: strengthening existing relationships, welcoming new partners, and advancing initiatives that deliver tangible benefits to people and economies across the region.”
Kazakhstan’s participation was one of the most significant developments of the meeting. Kazakhstan has described its decision to join the Abraham Accords as consistent with its foreign policy and has said that its accession will not change its support for a two-state solution and relevant international resolutions. Its expected entry could give the Accords a new dimension by linking Israel and its Arab partners with a strategically important Muslim-majority country in Central Asia.
The meeting does not, however, represent a return to the diplomatic environment that existed before October 7. The Gaza war has complicated Israel’s relations with much of the Arab world, while the regional confrontation with Iran and broader security concerns have created new pressures on governments that established ties with Jerusalem.
Still, the decision by senior officials from Abraham Accords countries to return to a multilateral format is significant. For much of the period following October 7, regional diplomacy focused primarily on the Gaza war, humanitarian issues, and the broader Israeli-Palestinian question. The New York gathering placed regional integration back on the agenda alongside those challenges.
The meeting also reflects continued US interest in using the Abraham Accords as a platform for broader regional cooperation. The Trump administration played a central role in establishing the framework, and the latest gathering suggests Washington still views it as an important component of its regional strategy.
The N7 Foundation, which hosted the first multilateral convening of Abraham Accords countries in 2021, said it would continue working with participating states and aligned partners to develop “durable mechanisms” for strategic cooperation.
The long-term question is whether the Abraham Accords can evolve from a series of bilateral normalization agreements into a broader regional network. Thursday’s meeting in New York aimed to take that next step by bringing existing partners back together, adding Kazakhstan to the discussion, and focusing on cooperation beyond diplomatic recognition.