Normalization Without Resolution? Regional Peace Initiatives

Nadya Fitri Budiargo; Arie Kusuma Paksi

doi:10.15642/sarpass.2025.5.1.30-45

Authors

Nadya Fitri Budiargo Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta
Arie Kusuma Paksi Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15642/sarpass.2025.5.1.30-45

Keywords:

Abraham Accords, Arab Peace Initiative, Cold Peace, Palestinian–Israeli Conflict, Normalization Without Resolution

Abstract

This study analyzes the dynamics of "normalization without resolution" as manifested in the 2020 Abraham Accords to assess the extent to which regional peace initiatives can serve as instruments of stability in the Middle East or instead deepen internal fragmentation in Palestine. Using a qualitative method based on analytical case studies and John Galtung's conflict resolution theoretical framework, this study examines the shift from the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative consensus, which emphasized the principle of land for peace, to a realpolitik paradigm driven by security calculations in the face of Iran, economic interests, and US support. The results show that the Abraham Accords have only produced a transactional cold peace at the state level, creating a negative peace in the form of the absence of direct inter-state violence, but failing to achieve a positive peace based on structural justice. This normalization has effectively marginalized the Palestinian issue, weakened its bargaining position in international diplomacy, and exacerbated the political divide between Fatah and Hamas. Furthermore, the neglect of core issues such as refugee rights shows that this initiative reproduces historical inequalities. In conclusion, normalization without resolution reflects the paradox of hybrid peace: fragile elitist stability that ignores the need for substantive reconciliation. The implications of this study confirm that sustainable peace can only be achieved through inclusive transformation that places Palestinian national unity and structural justice as key prerequisites.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abdullayev, H. P. (2024). Between Peace and Conflict: The Middle East After the Abraham Accords. Vestnik RUDN. International Relations, 24(1), 40–50. https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-0660-2024-24-1-40-50

Acharya, A. (2021). Constructing security communities. In Constructing a Security Community in Southeast Asia. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315796673-14

Alijla, A. (2019). Political Division and Social Destruction. Contemporary Arab Affairs, 12(2), 81–103. https://doi.org/10.1525/caa.2019.122004

Arabia, S. (2025). THE ACCORDS BEFORE ABRAHAM ’ S. 15(November 2024), 108–135.

Bakare, N. (2024). Arab-Israel normalisation of ties: Global perspectives. Arab-Israel Normalisation of Ties: Global Perspectives, June, 1–293. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7765-9

Benstead, L. J. (2023). Civil society, insecurity and Arab support for normalization with Israel: Contextualizing the Abraham Accords. Mediterranean Politics, 28(4), 525–553. https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2021.2008669

Coleman, P. T. (2018). Conflict Intelligence and Systemic Wisdom: Meta-Competencies for Engaging Conflict in a Complex, Dynamic World. Negotiation Journal, 34(1), 7–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/nejo.12211

Daffern, T. C. (2022). Peacemaking and Peacebuilding. In Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, & Conflict: Volume 1-4, Third Edition (Third Edit, Vol. 1). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820195-4.00141-2

Dana, T. (2023). The New (Dis)Order: The Evolving UAE-Israel Security Alliance. Journal of Palestine Studies, 52(3), 62–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/0377919X.2023.2244868

Espín Ocampo, J. (2022). Los acuerdos de Abraham y la reconfiguración geopolítica regional ¿“paz por paz”? Revista de Pensamiento Estratégico y Seguridad CISDE, 7, 39–52. www.cisdejournal.com

Goldstein, R. (2022). The Palestinian Refugees in Light of the 2020 Abraham Accords. Middle East Policy, 29(2), 46–54. https://doi.org/10.1111/mepo.12624

Hallward, M. C., & Biygautane, T. (2024). Arab State Narratives on Normalization with Israel: Justifying Policy Reversal. Contemporary Review of the Middle East, 11(1), 23–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/23477989231220444

Harutyunyan, L. (2025). The Abraham Accords and Normalization between Arab Countries and Israel: The Impact of the Gaza-Israeli War of 2023. Journal for Interdisciplinary Middle Eastern Studies, 11(1), 103–134. https://doi.org/10.26351/JIMES/11-1/5

Jin, W. (2024). Analysing the Role of the Belt and Road Initiative in Promoting Peace and Stability in the Middle East - A Moral Realism Perspective. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media, 73(1), 104–109. https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/73/20241061

Jones, C. (2025). Israel and the Gulf monarchies: a new Regional Security Complex or just complex regional security? Middle Eastern Studies, 61(3), 321–328. https://doi.org/10.1080/00263206.2025.2455378

Kastner, P., & Roy-Trudel, E. (2019). Addressing Masculinities in Peace Negotiations: An Opportunity for Gender Justice. Gender, Development and Social Change, Part F2146, 145–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77890-7_8

Kurtzer-ellenbogen, L., & Scheindlin, D. (2021). Israeli and Palestinian Youth Attitudes toward the Conflict and Each Other : Cause for Concern , Openings for Hope , Areas for Action. 1–14.

Levitt, J. I. (2019). in Africa : Who Will Safeguard Abeena and Afia ? (Vol. 170).

Roger Mac Ginty. (2022). Contempory Peace Making Peace Processes, Peacebuilding and Conflict.

Saikia, Y. (2011). Insāniyat for peace: survivors’ narrative of the 1971 war of Bangladesh. Journal of Genocide Research, 13(4), 475–501. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2011.625739

Seul, J. R. (2019). Coordinating Transitional Justice. Negotiation Journal, 35(1), 9–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/nejo.12245

Sevilla, H. J. A. (2024). the Abraham Accords and Peace in the Middle East: Regional Reception and Implications. Jurnal CMES, 17(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.20961/cmes.17.1.85649

Terms, F. (2020). The Abraham Accords: Israel–Gulf Arab Normalisation. Strategic Comments, 26(8), iv–v. https://doi.org/10.1080/13567888.2020.1853892

Veen, E. Van. (2025). The Future of the Occupation of the Palestinian Territories after Gaza. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-93798-9

Wildeman, J., & Swan, E. (2021). What lies ahead? Canada’s engagement with the Middle East Peace Process and the Palestinians: an Introduction. Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, 27(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/11926422.2021.1888761

Woodhouse, T. (2010). Peacekeeping, peace culture and conflict resolution. International Peacekeeping, 17(4), 486–498. https://doi.org/10.1080/13533312.2010.516657

Zazai, A. K., & Jamili, F. (2025). U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Strategic Goals, Oil Interests, and the Promotion of Democracy. Journal of Progressive Law and Legal Studies, 3(01), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.59653/jplls.v3i01.1330