PALESTINE

Tue 13 Jun 2023 11:28 pm - Jerusalem Time

The US Congress passes the Abraham Accords Act

On Tuesday evening, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to create a new special envoy position in the US State Department devoted to normalization agreements between Arab countries and Israel known as "Abraham's spending" with the aim of continuously integrating Israel into the Greater Middle East region.

The project was presented in a bipartisan form by the Republicans, sponsored by Democratic Representative Richie Torres (New York State) and Republican Mike Lawler (New York State also), and both representatives are known for their strong ties with the Israeli lobby organization "AIPAC", which provides them with a lot of support.

The legislation required the Biden administration to prioritize "Israel's regional integration."

The bill passed by 413 votes in favor, 13 against, with eight members not voting. Eleven nos came from progressive Democrats who consistently criticize Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, as well as the Biden administration's supposed failure to hold Israel accountable: Representatives Jamal Bowman, Betty McCollum, Cory Bush, Jesus "Choy" Garcia, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Barbara Lee Summer Lee, Ayanna Pressley, Delia Ramirez and Rashida Tlaib, while Republicans Reps. Thomas Massie and Rich McCormick broke with Republican orthodoxy by not embracing aggressively pro-Israel voting records.

The legislation calls for the Envoy—appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate and reporting directly to the Secretary of State—to be responsible for coordinating on behalf of the United States Government with regional ambassadors, NGOs, and other stakeholders to promote and expand the scope of the Compacts.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged in his speech to AIPAC last week that "we will soon create a new position to strengthen our diplomacy and our engagement with governments, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations, all working toward a more connected, peaceful region in order to achieve significant historic progress to deepen and expand the Abraham Accords." Building on the work of the Trump administration.”

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The US Congress passes the Abraham Accords Act

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