Abraham Accords countries meet officially for first time since October 7 attacks

A senior administration official said Marco Rubio’s team and Steve Witkoff are prioritizing efforts to revive and expand the Abraham Accords
The meeting took place on September 24, 2026, with representatives from the United States, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco attending (Getty Images)
The meeting took place on September 24, 2026, with representatives from the United States, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco attending (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: On Thursday, Sept 24, US diplomats quietly pushed the Abraham Accords forward again, just ten blocks from the United Nations General Assembly. This meeting was the first official gathering of Abraham Accords countries since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, putting the whole process on ice.

State Department officials sat down with their counterparts from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco on the 43rd floor of a Manhattan office tower. After nearly three years of stalled progress, this was a real restart for the initiative. And for the first time, Kazakhstan sent officials, signaling their growing interest in joining the Accords.

US officials frame it as a turning point

The US delegation was led by a senior State Department official, Under Secretary of Political Affairs Allison Hooker.



"Nearly three years after October 7, the Abraham Accords countries are back together," Hooker said, adding that President Trump brokered the historic agreements during his first term, and Thursday was an important signifier that the accords are "moving forward again."

The meeting was hosted by the N7 Foundation, a US-based organization that has convened multilateral meetings of the Abraham Accords countries since 2021.

"The next phase is about deepening the relationships that already exist and identifying practical opportunities for countries to work together," said Jeffrey Talpins, founder of the N7 Foundation, who chaired the meeting.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 20: Jared Kushner, CEO & Founder, Affinity Partners; speaks on stage during In the Room: A Memoir into the Abraham Accords at The 2022 Concordia Annual Summit - Day 2 at Sheraton New York on September 20, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)
Jared Kushner speaks on stage during In the Room: A Memoir into the Abraham Accords at The 2022 Concordia Annual Summit - Day 2 at Sheraton New York on September 20, 2022 in New York City (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

Another senior administration official who was not authorized to speak publicly told CBS News that Secretary of State Marco Rubio's team and Steve Witkoff, the White House Special Envoy for Peace Missions, "are clearly prioritizing this effort."

A stalled expansion looks to regain momentum

The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020 near the end of Trump’s first term, marked a turning point. Israel established diplomatic ties with the UAE and Bahrain, the first Gulf Arab nations to formally recognize it, and Morocco soon followed.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 15: (L-R) Foreign Affairs Minister of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan participate in the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords on the South Lawn of the White House September 15, 2020 in Washington, DC. Witnessed by President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu signed a peace deal with the UAE and a declaration of intent to make peace with Bahrain. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
(L-R) Foreign Affairs Minister of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan participate in the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords on the South Lawn of the White House September 15, 2020 in Washington, DC (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Before October 2023, there was real momentum for Saudi Arabia and others to join. That progress stopped cold after the Hamas attacks and the wars that erupted in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.



President Trump announced Kazakhstan's intention to join the Abraham Accords during an Oval Office meeting with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in November 2025.

"We will soon announce a Signing Ceremony to make it official, and there are many more Countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH," Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.

Participants discussed next steps to formalize cooperation among Abraham Accords countries, according to a person familiar with the meeting.

"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.

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