Kazakhstan announces plan to join Abraham Accords
Kazakhstan announced plans to join the Abraham Accords, signalling the expansion of bilateral relations between Israel and Muslim countries, as reported by Middle East Eye and agencies on November 6th.
The US-backed Abraham Accords, which began in 2020, aim to normalise relations between Arab countries and Israel. Kazakhstan’s plans to join the initiative are seen as largely symbolic, as the Central Asian nation has pre-existing diplomatic ties to Israel; the move is likely part of a US-led plan to bolster defences against Iran.
The announcement came despite US President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on 14 nations, including Kazakhstan, which was scheduled to start on August 1st. Trump warned countries not to retaliate in letters shared on his Truth Social platform, saying: “If, for any reason, you decide to raise your tariffs, we will add the same percentage to our 25% rate.”
After gaining independence from the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan maintained diplomatic relations with Israel. The country is also part of trade deals between the UAE and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), reportedly worth US$30 billion.
US envoy Steve Witkoff played a major role in negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and frequently works alongside Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Kushner, a personal friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was a proponent of the 2020 signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE.
However, Kushner’s involvement in the Middle East is controversial, not least because of remarks he made, in which he called for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza’s Palestinian population and said that Gaza’s “waterfront property could be very valuable.” Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, reportedly has connections to Israel’s Shlomo Group.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar are all reported to have invested in an Israeli company linked to the country’s military, through involvement with Kushner.
Kazakhstan is not the only majority Muslim state to back Israel, as Azerbaijan sustains its relationship with Israel through a mineral exchange and mutual strategic interests. Analysts have interpreted Azerbaijan’s deepening ties with Israel as an extension of the Abraham Accords framework.
Azerbaijan formally ended oil sales to Israel in 2024, although sources suggested that sales continued despite the reported embargo. Oil was reportedly provided by Azerbaijan and transported to Israel via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, according to UK Palestinian activists who accused the oil giant, BP, of complicity in Israel’s war on Gaza.
Kazakhstan appears willing to deepen its ties with Israel, despite the UN concluding on September 16th that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.
Middle East Eye and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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