Nearly three years after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 brought a fragile diplomatic experiment to a halt, the nations of the Abraham Accords gathered again in Manhattan — quietly, away from the main stage of the United Nations General Assembly — to ask whether the architecture of normalization could still hold, and perhaps grow. Kazakhstan's presence as a prospective member suggested that the answer, at least for now, is cautiously yes. In the long arc of Middle Eastern diplomacy, this meeting was a small room with a large question inside it: can shared interests outlast shared trauma?
Abraham Accords nations resume expansion push with Kazakhstan at first post-Oct. 7 meeting
Together we can do more than each individual country could do alone.
Mark
So this is the first time these countries have met officially since October 7 derailed everything. What changed?
Mimi
The Trump administration came back into office, and they're treating this as a priority. Rubio's State Department team and the White House envoy are actively pushing it forward.
Luke
But we should be clear—the source says an unnamed official told CBS News that. It's not a public statement from Rubio or the envoy themselves.
Mark
Fair. So what's actually new here? Kazakhstan showing up?
Mimi
Yes, and it's the first time they've been at an official meeting. They've expressed interest before, but this is a tangible step toward membership.
Luke
Though the source doesn't say when the signing ceremony will happen. Trump said it would be "soon" back in November, but we're now in September 2026 and it hasn't happened yet.
Mark
What does Kazakhstan actually want out of this?
Mimi
They mentioned technology and transport collaboration. The idea is that joining creates economic and strategic partnerships that benefit everyone.
Luke
That's what the Kazakhstan official said they're interested in. But the source doesn't detail what the actual agreements or commitments would look like.
Mark
So this is still in the early stages.
Mimi
Exactly. They're discussing next steps and formalizing cooperation, but the concrete details aren't public yet.
Luke
And we don't know if other countries are actually close to joining, despite Trump's claim that "many more" are trying to get in.
Mark
What's the real significance here?
Mimi
It's a restart. The framework had stalled for three years. Getting everyone back in a room together, and bringing in a new country, shows the initiative isn't dead.
El Pulso
- A framework that once seemed unstoppable was frozen in place by war, grief, and geopolitical fracture — and for nearly three years, no one sat down together officially.
- Kazakhstan's arrival at the table as a prospective signatory injected unexpected momentum, stretching the Accords' geographic imagination from the Gulf into Central Asia.
- The Trump administration, through Secretary Rubio's team and envoy Steve Witkoff, is treating the revival as a strategic priority — signaling institutional will behind what could otherwise be symbolic pageantry.
- Concrete cooperation on technology, transport, and regional integration is being positioned as the practical glue to hold the expanded framework together.
- The meeting ended without binding announcements, leaving the initiative at a hopeful but unproven inflection point — a restart, not yet a breakthrough.
Nearly three years after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 brought a fragile diplomatic experiment to a halt, the nations of the Abraham Accords gathered again in Manhattan — quietly, away from the main stage of the United Nations General Assembly — to ask whether the architecture of normalization could still hold, and perhaps grow. Kazakhstan's presence as a prospective member suggested that the answer, at least for now, is cautiously yes. In the long arc of Middle Eastern diplomacy, this meeting was a small room with a large question inside it: can shared interests outlast shared trauma?
On a Thursday morning in midtown Manhattan, a few blocks from the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. State Department officials convened a meeting that had been stalled for nearly three years. On the 43rd floor of an office tower, away from the main diplomatic spotlight, representatives from the five original Abraham Accords signatories — the United States, Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco — sat down together in an official capacity for the first time since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
The Abraham Accords, born in 2020 during Trump's first term, had once seemed to be gathering unstoppable momentum. Gulf Arab nations were formally recognizing Israel, and Saudi Arabia and others were reportedly considering joining. Then October 7 arrived, followed by wars in Gaza and Lebanon and deepening tensions with Iran. The expansion effort froze entirely.
Thursday's meeting signaled a thaw. For the first time, officials from Kazakhstan attended as a prospective member — a Central Asian nation that had expressed interest the previous year and whose leader had met with President Trump in November 2025. Trump announced on Truth Social that a signing ceremony would follow soon, and that many more countries were seeking to join.
The U.S. delegation was led by Under Secretary of Political Affairs Allison Hooker, who framed the gathering as evidence the framework was "moving forward again." Behind the scenes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio's team and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were treating the effort as a genuine priority.
The session was chaired by Jeffrey Talpins of the N7 Foundation, which has convened Abraham Accords meetings since 2021. He described the next phase as focused on deepening existing relationships and identifying practical cooperation in technology and transport. A Kazakhstan embassy official expressed enthusiasm, noting that "together we can do more than each individual country could do alone." The meeting was a restart — and a test of whether a framework built on shared interests could survive, and expand, beyond the wounds that had silenced it.
On a Thursday morning in midtown Manhattan, a few blocks from where world leaders gathered at the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. State Department officials convened a meeting that had been stalled for nearly three years. The gathering took place on the 43rd floor of an office tower, away from the spotlight of the main diplomatic calendar. For the first time since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, representatives from the five original Abraham Accords signatories—the United States, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco—sat down together in an official capacity.
The Abraham Accords themselves are a framework of diplomatic normalization agreements that began in 2020, during President Trump's first term. The UAE and Bahrain were the first Gulf Arab nations to formally recognize Israel, followed by Morocco. Before October 7, the momentum seemed unstoppable. Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-majority countries were reportedly considering joining. Then the Hamas attacks came, followed by wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and escalating tensions with Iran. The expansion effort froze.
Thursday's meeting signaled a thaw. For the first time, officials from Kazakhstan attended as a prospective member. The Central Asian nation had expressed interest in joining the framework the previous year, and President Trump had met with Kazakhstan's leader, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in November 2025 to discuss the prospect. Trump announced on Truth Social that a signing ceremony would follow soon, and that "many more Countries" were seeking to join what he called "this club of STRENGTH."
The U.S. delegation was led by Allison Hooker, the State Department's Under Secretary of Political Affairs. "Nearly three years after October 7, the Abraham Accords countries are back together," Hooker said, framing the meeting as evidence that the framework was "moving forward again." Behind the scenes, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity, Secretary of State Marco Rubio's team and Steve Witkoff, the White House Special Envoy for Peace Missions, were treating the effort as a priority.
The meeting was hosted by the N7 Foundation, a U.S.-based organization that has convened Abraham Accords meetings since 2021. Jeffrey Talpins, the foundation's founder, chaired the session and described the next phase as one focused on "deepening the relationships that already exist and identifying practical opportunities for countries to work together." A Kazakhstan embassy official told CBS News that the country was eager to participate. "We are very excited about joining the Abraham Accords and all the partnership can do," the official said, citing interest in collaboration on technology and transport. "Together we can do more than each individual country could do alone."
The participants discussed concrete next steps to formalize cooperation, though specifics remained limited in the immediate aftermath. Talpins emphasized the broader vision: "The Abraham Accords have demonstrated what is possible when countries come together around shared interests with a common vision for a more integrated and prosperous region." The meeting represented a restart of an initiative that had lost momentum, and a test of whether the framework could expand beyond the Middle East and North Africa into Central Asia and beyond.
Citas Notables
Nearly three years after October 7, the Abraham Accords countries are back together. The accords are moving forward again.— Allison Hooker, U.S. Under Secretary of Political Affairs
The next phase is about deepening the relationships that already exist and identifying practical opportunities for countries to work together.— Jeffrey Talpins, founder of the N7 Foundation
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