Morocco's Unique Position in the Abraham Accords: Coexistence, Royal Diplomacy, and Comparative Muslim Responses

Abstract

The Abraham Accords, brokered by the Trump administration in 2020 and actively expanded under Trump's second term in 2025–2026, represent one of the most contested diplomatic frameworks in the contemporary Islamic world. Among its signatories, the Kingdom of Morocco occupies a uniquely distinctive position — not merely as a geopolitical actor, but as a civilization with over two millennia of documented Jewish-Muslim coexistence, institutionalized through the royal-protected Mellah system and grounded in Islamic wasathiyyah (moderation). This library research employs a historical-comparative approach within Islamic Studies to examine Morocco's participation in the Abraham Accords alongside the divergent responses of other Muslim-majority states. Drawing on Maqasid al-Shariah and faith-based diplomacy theory, this study argues that King Mohammed VI's normalization decision in December 2020 was not a mere geopolitical transaction — though US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara was a key incentive — but a reactivation of centuries-old Jewish-Muslim cultural affinity distinctive to the Moroccan Islamic tradition. The study maps the spectrum of Muslim-world responses: from outright rejection by Iran, Pakistan, and Algeria, to strategic ambiguity by Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, to full participation by UAE, Bahrain, and Kazakhstan. Morocco's sustained commitment — even as public support for normalization declined from 31% in 2022 to 13% following the Gaza war, according to the Arab Barometer (Princeton University) — distinguishes it as a sui generis case underpinned by royal religious authority and historical civilizational memory. This study contributes to Islamic Studies, interfaith relations, and Muslim-world diplomacy scholarship.