At first glance, Kazakhstan’s decision to join the Abraham Accords last week holds little relevance. Israel and Kazakhstan have held diplomatic relations for over thirty years, prompting critics to view the latter’s entry into the accords as nothing more than a self-aggrandizing act by President Donald Trump. But there is more to this decision than meets the eye. 

The Abraham Accords are a strategic partnership between Israel and Muslim-majority nations with the aim of expanding regional cooperation. In some cases, the accords have opened the door to normalizing ties with Israel, with countries like the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, and Bahrain recognizing the country for the first time. Signed in 2020, the Accords represented a watershed moment in the history of the Middle East, breaking with decades of entrenched grievances toward Israel in a region where many states still do not recognize its right to exist.