Abraham Accords weather regional storm as Israel’s ties with Arab partners deepen

Arab nations such as the United Arab Emirates and Morocco have significantly increased their ties with Israel as talks of a permanent embassy and weapons sales circulate.

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The Algemeiner

As regional tensions reshape the Middle East and diplomatic alliances face mounting pressure, Israel is expanding its strategic partnerships with Arab nations, signaling that the Abraham Accords continue to open new avenues for cooperation even amid widespread uncertainty.

On Tuesday, Israeli authorities approved plans for a permanent 15-story United Arab Emirates embassy complex in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, featuring diplomatic offices and residential quarters for the Emirati ambassador and embassy staff.

Nearly a year after the plans were first submitted, the Tel Aviv District Planning and Building Committee approved the project, describing it as an important milestone in deepening diplomatic ties with Abu Dhabi.

The 15-story complex will cover up to 15,000 square meters, with residential quarters for the Emirati ambassador and diplomatic staff on the upper floors.

The development will also feature an underground parking garage, an expanded access road, and upgrades to nearby public facilities and pedestrian walkways.

Tel Aviv’s district planner, Erez Ben Eliezer, described the project as a significant milestone for the city, noting that it would reinforce international ties and create new opportunities for future cooperation.

So far, Israeli authorities have not announced when construction will begin or when the embassy complex is expected to open.

Currently, the UAE embassy operates from temporary offices in Tel Aviv and Herzliya, with the new complex set to serve as its permanent diplomatic headquarters.

The embassy project comes six years after the UAE normalized relations with Israel in September 2020 under the Abraham Accords, a series of historic US-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries.

Since then, the UAE and Israel have strengthened bilateral ties, exchanging ambassadors, establishing diplomatic missions, and signing a series of agreements to expand trade and economic cooperation.

Israel’s expanding regional partnerships are also gaining traction in North Africa, where Morocco is reportedly in advanced talks to purchase David’s Sling, a long-range air and missile defense system developed by Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to intercept ballistic missiles and other advanced projectiles.

If finalized, the deal would make Morocco the second foreign buyer of David’s Sling after Finland, marking a new chapter in bilateral defense cooperation and potentially integrating the advanced Israeli system into Morocco’s existing air defense network.

The Moroccan government has previously purchased Israeli air defense systems, including Israel Aerospace Industries’ Barak MX, designed to intercept a range of aerial threats, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ Spyder, which protects against aircraft, drones, and incoming missiles.

According to multiple media reports, Moroccan and Israeli officials are also discussing a potential purchase of Israel Aerospace Industries’ LORA, a long-range ballistic missile system designed to strike targets with precision.

These discussions come after Israel opened its first national pavilion at the Marrakech Airshow in Morocco last week, marking its first official participation in the defense exhibition since the two countries normalized relations.

With a delegation of eight Israeli defense companies, Israel presented combat-tested technologies ranging from loitering munitions and AI-powered robotic systems to autonomous navigation for unmanned aircraft, laser-guidance systems for FPV drones, and satellite communications.

Major Israeli defense companies, including Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, also showcased capabilities across air, land, naval, space, intelligence, and cyber domains.

As part of Morocco’s longer-term efforts to build its domestic defense industry and manufacturing capacity, Moroccan Military Industry (MMI), a joint venture subsidiary of Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems, is expected to begin delivering its first military systems and equipment to the country’s Royal Armed Forces in March 2027.

As part of the initiative, MMI’s new rotating structures and advanced combat turrets will be installed mainly on 8×8 armored vehicles assembled in Morocco, strengthening the military’s ground combat capabilities.

MMI is also developing a specialized system for countering drones, combining compact radars with munitions that release tungsten fragments to destroy low-cost aerial threats.

Morocco and Israel reestablished diplomatic ties in 2020 before signing a defense cooperation agreement the following year, opening the door to closer military collaboration in areas ranging from air defense and artillery to drones and domestic weapons production.

The partnership has also involved major weapons systems, with Elbit supplying Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces with Hermes 900 surveillance drones and the PULS precision rocket artillery system.

Israel Aerospace Industries’ subsidiary, BlueBird, Aero Systems also operates a local drone program at a facility in Benslimane, in western Morocco, where it trains Moroccan technicians to operate its WanderB-VTOL and ThunderB-VTOL surveillance drones.