ABRAHAM ACCORDS CAUCUS FORMS BIPARTISAN GAZA WORKING GROUP
WASHINGTON, DC – Representatives Brad Schneider (IL-10), Ann Wagner (MO-02), David Trone (MD-06) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) launched the bipartisan Gaza Working Group, which will focus on reengaging Abraham Accords countries to plan for the “day after” in Gaza once Hamas is defeated. The working group is part of the bipartisan, bicameral Abraham Accords Caucus, a group that was launched by Schneider, Wagner, Trone and McMorris Rodgers in 2022 to build on the success of the Abraham Accords, negotiated by the U.S. with Israel, Bahrain, Morocco and the UAE.
“A day will soon come when Israel completes its mission in Gaza, defeating Hamas and finally bringing home the remaining hostages. It is crucial we in Congress and leaders around the globe consider relief, recovery and – eventually – renewal in Gaza so that Israelis, Palestinians and their neighbors can break from the gravity of history and build a durable peace that brings safety and security to Israel and the Middle East,” said Rep. Schneider. “That is the mission of the Gaza Working Group. Much as we’ve done with the Abraham Accords Caucus, we are building in Congress the crucial bipartisan consensus needed to tackle one of the most difficult foreign affairs issues facing the region and U.S. national security interests.”
The Gaza Working Group aims to spearhead efforts in rebuilding Gaza with a strategic focus on thwarting extremism and ensuring sustainable peace in the region, all the while centering the role of Congress in any future agreements. The group will convene meetings to engage executive branch officials, diplomatic envoys and experts from civil society to deliberate and ask questions regarding pertinent issues. The first of those meetings featured a frank, off the record exchange with Israel's Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Herzog.
“Only when the U.S., Israel and our Abraham Accords partners present a united front to counter Iran and its proxies—including Hamas—can there be peace and stability in the Middle East,” said Rep. Wagner. “Creating a demilitarized, deradicalized, stable and economically strong Gaza when Hamas is defeated is an opportunity to resume that incredibly important project. It cannot be the United States’ job to rebuild Gaza, but together with Israel we can choose who sits at that table. Our friends and allies, including Abraham Accords countries, can shepherd in a new era of peace and prosperity, in Gaza and beyond. I appreciated introducing and meeting with Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog to begin this important work, which will be one of our major initiatives within the Abraham Accords Caucus.”
“As leaders of the Abraham Accords Caucus, we have an obligation to envision and work towards a future in which Israel — and all of the Middle East — is free of the evil that is Hamas,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers. “That important discussion began last week with the help of Michael Herzog, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., as we continue our work to usher in a new era of peace in the Middle East. I’m eager to see the impact this working group will have on our core mission of creating a better, safer and more prosperous world for our children and grandchildren.”
"Achieving long-lasting peace in the Middle East and around the world is a foundational aspiration of the Abraham Accords Caucus and will continue to be so for the Gaza Working Group,” said Rep. Trone. “Moving forward, we must work together to ensure Hamas is no longer in power by establishing a free and fair democracy in Gaza, secure the safety of Israel and surrounding nations and provide hope and diplomacy for their people. This working group is a promising starting point, and I'm proud to join my colleagues in this effort."
The working group builds on the efforts of the Abraham Accords Caucus, which aims to strengthen the Abraham Accords by encouraging and partnerships among the existing Abraham Accords countries and expanding the agreement to include countries that do not currently have diplomatic relations with Israel. The Caucus has successfully pushed for passage of the Israel Relations Normalization Act, DEFEND Act, and MARITIME Act as well as multiple NDAA provisions addressing diplomatic, military and intelligence cooperation. Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) co-chair the companion caucus in the Senate.
The Abraham Accords, which were signed on September 15, 2020, resulted in peace and normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states—the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco—transforming the region, enhancing Israel's security, creating economic opportunities for Arab states and advancing vital U.S. national security interests. The Accords built on the success of previous peace normalization agreements between Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
The Caucus is supported by the Atlantic Council, the Abraham Accords Peace Institute, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, Hadassah—The Women's Zionist Organization of America, the U.S.-Israel Education Association, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Israel Policy Forum, CUFI Action, the Jewish Federations of North America and B'nai B'rith International.
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