White House special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff hinted Wednesday that a number of countries will likely join the Abraham Accords in the near future, normalizing their relations with Israel.
Speaking with CNBC, President Donald Trump’s top Mideast envoy teased the expansion of the 2020 Abraham Accords, without revealing details regarding which nations are poised to sign on, or how soon a formal announcement will be made.
“We think we’re going to have some pretty big announcements on countries that are now coming into the Abraham Peace Accords,” Witkoff said.
The comments came a day after Israel and Iran entered into a shaky ceasefire, ending 12 days of hostilities marked by attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, ballistic missile launchers and production sites, and Iranian missile attacks on Israel.
Witkoff said Trump placed a high priority on expanding the Abraham Accords.
“One of the President’s key objectives is that the Abraham Accords be expanded, that more countries come into it, and we are working on that my team and in coordination with the Secretary of State and the entire State Department.”
The 68-year-old businessman-turned-diplomat added that some of the countries poised to normalize ties with Israel will come as a surprise.
“We are hoping for a normalization across and array of countries that maybe people would never have contemplated would come in [to the Abraham Accords].”
Witkoff made similar comments last month during an event marking Israeli Independence Day.
“We think [we] will have some, or a lot of announcements, very, very shortly, which we hope will yield great progress by next year.”
Recent talks between Israel and the new Syrian regime have fueled speculation that the government of Ahmad al-Sharaa could be among the countries seeking to join the Abraham Accords.
Should Syria enter the Accords, it would mark the end of a 77-year-long state of war between Israel and Syria, and pave the way for the formal establishment of a mutually agreed upon border.
While the two countries agreed to ceasefires in 1949, 1967, and 1973, and a separation of forces agreement in 1974, Damascus has never formally recognized the State of Israel.
