A commentary arguing that Middle Eastern publics hate Israel even when their governments cut deals with it — bad for any push to expand the Abraham Accords.

• Saudi Arabia has not joined the Abraham Accords because its population strongly opposes Israel, even though its leaders are close to Israel.
• People across Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, and the wider region also reject normalization, blaming Israel for wars, destabilization, and overthrowing elected leaders.
• The argument is that pro-US deals with Arab rulers are puppet arrangements that do not reflect what ordinary people want.
• US public opinion is framed as the outlier, with many Americans seen as taken in by pro-Israel messaging that does not work in the Middle East.

Outlook: Expanding the Abraham Accords to Saudi Arabia will stay blocked as long as Arab public opinion remains hostile to Israel.