Bill passed to establish envoy for Abraham Accords.

The Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements between Israel and four Mideast and Northern African countries, have been a significant development in the region. To further strengthen and expand these accords, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill on June 13 to create a new envoy position.

The Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords Act, co-sponsored by Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), passed 413–13, meeting the required two-thirds majority needed for passage.

The Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords is a State Department position, reporting to the Secretary of State. The ambassador-level role would be the primary adviser to, and coordinate efforts across, the United States government relating to expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords. Appointed by the president, the envoy would also need Senate confirmation.

Responsibilities of the Special Envoy

• Encouraging countries without diplomatic relations with Israel to establish formal diplomatic, economic, security, and people-to-people ties
• Seeking to expand and strengthen existing relationships between Israel and Muslim-majority countries
• Building on existing efforts, including the Negev Forum, to help foster enhanced cooperation between Israel and Muslim-majority countries on shared priorities including as relates to trade, agriculture, and water security
• Providing diplomatic support for Israel’s integration into cooperative efforts related to regional security
• Coordinating lines of effort across the United States Government, including the regional and functional bureau

The Abraham Accords were brokered under the Trump administration in 2020 as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan normalized ties with Israel. It was the first peace agreement between Israel and other countries in 25 years. The name of the accords is based off the Abrahamic faiths of the Middle East and North Africa: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Biden administration has pledged to build off the accords.

The bill also calls for the envoy to build on existing efforts, including the Negev Forum, to help foster enhanced cooperation between Israel and Muslim-majority countries on shared priorities including as relates to trade, agriculture, and water security. The Negev Forum was founded in March 2022 in Israel and met this past January in Abu Dhabi in trying to further the Abraham Accords and Mideast peace.

The House vote was overwhelmingly in favor of the bill, with only 13 members voting against it. The Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords Act is a significant step towards strengthening and expanding the Abraham Accords, and it will be interesting to see how the envoy will work towards achieving these goals.