The process of normalization between Israel and the Arab countries, which was initiated by the peace treaty (the Abraham Accords) between Israel and the UAE, was a surprise not only for the international community, but also for specialists. The sharpness of the contradictions and the irreconcilability of the parties, caused by the clash of different nationalist aspirations, historical narratives, inter-ethnic and inter-religious contradictions, seemed to leave almost no room for compromise, despite numerous attempts by mediators to facilitate talks between the opposing parties. The intractability of the conflict was the result of the formation of the Palestinian problem, which became a symbol of the common struggle for justice, seasoned with the bitterness of defeat both for the Arabs and for a significant part of the Muslim world.  The current normalization has become possible due to several fundamentally important changes in the region. First, the Palestinian problem has ceased to politically dominate national interests of individual Arab countries. Second, the security uncertainty in the Gulf caused by policies of regional powers and by a prospect of reduction of the US direct involvement has become a most important driver. Third, the peace accords have been preempted by the formation of ties in the field of business, trade, transport corridors. Forth, the settlement is conceived by the former opponents as a broad process that demands the creation of a tolerant social atmosphere. However, if normalization remains to be primarily focused on countering Iran, the prospects for its development and for the accession of new states may easily loose its dynamics.