The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill to create the new diplomatic position of an ambassador for the Abraham Accords to help advance Israel’s normalization with its Arab neighbors, particularly with Saudi Arabia.
According to the bill overwhelmingly approved by 413-13 vote on Tuesday evening, the new envoy “would serve as the primary advisor to, and coordinate efforts across, the US Government relating to expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords”
That envoy would “engage in discussions with nation-state officials lacking official diplomatic relations with Israel regarding the Abraham Accords,” the bill stated.
Such an envoy would “consult with representatives of nongovernmental organizations that have attempted to expand and strengthen the Abraham Accords.”
Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY) who co-sponsored the bill along with Ritchie Torres (D-NY) lauded its passage.
Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, waits outside the Kedma Hotel, the location of ”The Negev Summit,” attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and the Foreign Ministers of Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt in Sde Boker, Israel, March 28, 2022 (credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)“The special envoy will help expand the accords and bring additional countries like Saudi Arabia into the agreement a critical step in the peace process,” Lawler said.
“The overwhelming bi-partisan support for my bill shows that working for peace in the Middle East isn’t a Republican value or a Democrat value but rather an American value,” he explained.
“Israel remains our strongest ally and a beacon of democracy in the region. The Abraham Accords not only guarantee Israel’s recognition by its neighbors but also present the hope of continued progress toward peace and prosperity across the region.
“We have never been closer to peace in the Middle East than we are today and that is something that all of us regardless of party or policy differences can celebrate,” he added.
Biden administration working to expand Abraham Accords
Passage of the bill, which now moves to the Senate, comes as the Biden administration is actively seeking to expand the accords created under the Trump administration by which Israel normalized its ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
The Biden administration has focused in particular on a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken already spoke of the Biden administration’s desire to create such a position when he addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) earlier this month.
There has been some speculation that former US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro could be tapped to fill that role.
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