Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, has been named the recipient of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Scholar-Statesman Award in recognition of his role in cementing the Abraham Accords.
The institute made the announcement on Tuesday, marking the anniversary of the historic agreements.
In its press release, the institute mentioned Sheikh Mohamed’s “leadership in securing the breakthrough peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel as well as his commitment to expanding religious tolerance at home".
Robert Satloff, the institute's executive director, hailed the UAE's openness to people of all religions.
“The flowering of churches, synagogues and related religious institutions in the UAE sets a new standard for religious tolerance one hopes countries around the region begin to emulate,” Mr Satloff said.
The award will be given to Sheikh Mohamed on November 18 in New York City at the institute’s annual gala.
Previous recipients include Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Israel’s former president Reuven Rivlin, former US president Bill Clinton, former UK prime minister Tony Blair, former US secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice, Henry Kissinger and George Shultz as well as former secretary of defence Leon Panetta.
The Abraham Accords were signed in September 2020, normalising relations between the UAE and Israel. Bahrain, Morocco, Kosovo and Sudan followed suit in establishing diplomatic ties with Israel.
