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Lankford, Abraham Accords Caucus Members Honor Two-Year Anniversary of Abraham Accords Signing
September 15, 2022
WASHINGTON, DC – Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) today honored the two-year anniversary of the historic signing of the Abraham Accords by introducing a resolution to commemorate the historic moment on September 15, 2020, for the US, Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. Lankford attended the signing at the White House with President Trump.
“Two years ago, I witnessed a historic moment among leaders from Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates as President Trump held a White House signing of the once-thought-impossible Abraham Accords,” said Lankford. “Since then, we’ve added two other nations, Morocco and Sudan, to the Accords. As we build on that momentum together, we should remember that through reconciliation and common goals, even unlikely allies can find a way to come together. We continue to stand with Israel and should continue to lead in bringing nations together to further US national interests and the interests of our allies.”
“The historic Abraham Accords have transformed the Middle East – paving the way for unprecedented cooperation between Israel and Arab partners in energy and water security, cybersecurity, defense, and trade,” said Rosen. “As we celebrate two years since this landmark agreement, I am proud to join my fellow Senate Abraham Accords Co-Chairs in introducing a bipartisan resolution to celebrate the Accords, call for their expansion and enhancement, and encourage other countries to normalize relations with Israel.”
“The Abraham Accords was the most significant peace agreement of the 21st Century,” said Ernst. “This bipartisan measure seeks to honor the monumental effort achieved by the Trump administration in bringing together our Arab allies and Israel to forge an unprecedented and lasting peace deal that has made America and the world more secure. As co-chair of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, I remain committed to expanding upon the Abraham Accords and defending America, and our allies, from Iranian aggression.”
“Over the past two years, the Abraham Accords have promoted greater economic opportunity and security for Israel and the greater Middle East,” said Booker. “As co-chair of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, I remain committed to building on this achievement to bring new countries into the fold, foster meaningful people-to-people engagement, continue integrating the agreements within the region, including with Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinians, and advance progress towards a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
The Senators launched the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus in order to build on the success of the historic Abraham Accords. For decades, Congress has played a key role in promoting peace between Israel and its neighbors. The Caucus provides an opportunity 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.
Earlier this year, the Senators introduced the DEFEND Act to establish an integrated air defense capability among Israel and Arab allies. The Senators also joined in a statement earlier this year following the signature into law of the Israel Relations Normalization Act, which builds on the success of the Abraham Accords by strengthening and expanding normalization and peace agreements between Israel and United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, as well as previous agreement with Egypt and Jordan.