Deep-lomacy #9

Cultural icons as discursive measures of common denominators between peoples - Why has the biblical prophet Abraham appeared in the peace treaty between the UAE and Israel? \ Netanel Govhari, Intelligence Analyst, Middle Eastern Geopolitics

The peace treaty between the UAE and Israel, signed on September 15, was labeled by the parties involved as the Abraham Accords. This is not the first time in which the biblical prophet has been used to label an Emirati project.

On September 20, 2019, the UAE unveiled its plan for the construction of the Abrahamic Family House, a complex in Abu Dhabi that will contain a church, a mosque, and a synagogue, as a projection of “interfaith fraternity”. Abraham is viewed as holy in both Jewish and Islamic cultures, and as the patriarch of the Arab and Jewish peoples alike, through his sons, Isaac and Ishmael.

The revered prophet, thus, serves as a symbolic discursive measure in the peace treaty itself, as the common denominator of the parties. This is reflected in the sixth clause of the Abraham Accords, which stipulates that “the parties undertake to foster mutual understanding, respect, co-existence and a culture of peace between their societies in the spirit of their common ancestor, Abraham, and the new era of peace and friendly relations ushered in by this treaty, including by cultivating people-to-people programs, interfaith dialogue and cultural, academic, youth, scientific, and other exchanges between their peoples”.

For the Israeli side, this discursive measure, and its implementation in a peace-making process with an Arab state, carries another symbolic meaning. As the father of both Arabs and Jews, Abraham the prophet serves to bestow upon the Jewish state historical continuity, promoting the discourse that Israel is an integral part of the Middle East. This serves as a counter-narrative to a prevalent Arab discourse that the state of Israel is a fruition of a colonial project. The treaty, in this context, bears a symbolic, yet strategic importance.