The Abraham Accords and the Strategic Reshaping of the Middle Eastern Order: A Postcolonial and Settler-Colonial Analysis from the Palestinian Perspective

Abstract

This article examines the 2020 Abraham Accords as a turning point in Arab–Israeli diplomacy and a strategic reshaping of the Middle Eastern order. Through qualitative comparison with Camp David, Oslo, and Wadi Araba, it shows that normalisation has been detached from any commitment to Palestinian statehood and instead anchored in shared threat perceptions (especially Iran), economic diversification, and U.S.-backed realignment. Using postcolonial and settler-colonial theory, the study interprets the Accords as reproducing colonial hierarchies of power and discourse, legitimising Israel's settler project, and further marginalising Palestinian agency. Document analysis and critical discourse analysis of official texts, policy debates, and societal reactions indicate that the Accords weakened Arab collective leverage on Palestine, eroded prospects for a just two-state settlement, and provoked rising popular resistance to normalisation after Gaza. The article concludes that any stability produced by the Accords is fragile unless Palestinian rights and decolonial justice are meaningfully centred.

Conflict of Interest: The author declares that there are no conflicts of interest related to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article, and that the data presented have not been fabricated or falsified.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant or financial support from public, commercial, or not-for profit funding agencies.

Participant Consent: The author confirms that no participants were involved in this study.

Data Fabrication/Falsification Statement: The author(s) declare that no data have been fabricated, falsified, or manipulated in this study.

Copyright: Copyright (c) 2025 Khurram Shahzad Siddiqui