WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers is announcing a new caucus to support the Abraham Accords.The caucus will include eight members from the House of Representatives and the US Senate. Among the eight co-founders are senators James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Cory Booker (D-New Jersey). The House members are Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-Washington), Brad Schneider (D-Illinois), Anne Wagner (R-Missouri), and David Trone (D-Maryland).“The caucus will provide an opportunity to strengthen the Abraham Accords by encouraging partnerships among the existing Abraham Accords countries and expanding the agreement to include countries that do not currently have diplomatic relations with Israel,” the lawmakers said in a statement.
They will engage partner countries, including European allies, “in multilateral efforts to promote the Abraham Accords,” they said, and to serve as a forum for conversations and connections between the countries “to advance cooperative and sustainable development partnerships in the areas of energy security, water infrastructure, biomedicine, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies.”Schneider told The Jerusalem Post that the Abraham Accords “are important for the countries, important for the region and [for] the prospects for peace.” “The United States had a critical role in promoting and facilitating the initial four normalization agreements, and I think we have a role to play in promoting and hopefully achieving more normalization of relations between Israel and countries in the region and beyond,” Schneider said.
THE COCHAIRMEN of the Abraham Accords Caucus in the Knesset – MKs Ofir Akunis and Ruth Wasserman Lande – congratulated their American counterparts. The US and Israeli caucuses will work together with Abraham Accords member countries to advance the agreements in various fields, while also working toward achieving peace agreements with additional countries, the two said in a statement.“The caucus we launched several months ago here in the Knesset created a huge momentum among legislators in parliaments around the world,” Akunis said. “They are looking very closely at the Abraham Accords and want to help take part in their implementation and expansion.”Wasserman Lande said, “The possibility of normalization and cooperation with Abraham Accords countries is a high-quality asset and a game-changer for Israel.”“The Abraham Accords Caucus in the Knesset is working on improving existing relations and creating additional platforms for long-term cooperation that will serve as anchors for future generations. Through the Abraham Accords, we must also leverage our existing peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. “I deeply cherish the support from the United States and offer my congratulations on the establishment of a sister caucus in America, with whom we can advance further frameworks for regional cooperation.”The Abraham Accords Peace Institute also welcomed the establishment of the caucus. “The institute applauds the senators and representatives heading the caucus for their leadership and looks forward to fruitful cooperation with them, as well as with the Israeli Knesset Abraham Accords Caucus, and counterparts across the Middle East and beyond,” AAPI president and executive director Robert Greenway said.“The Abraham Accords provide the pathway to the end of decades of conflict, and a future of peace, tolerance, and opportunity in the Middle East and around the world. These caucuses will help establish a foundation for peace in the Middle East by demonstrating the tangible benefits of interpersonal ties, trade, commerce, and mutual cooperation. They will help realize the historic opportunity to unleash the Middle East’s potential, keep America safe, and turn the page on a generation of conflict and instability in the region.”