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Lawmakers from 19 countries discuss energy security, sustainability implications of Abraham Accords
May 01, 2023
The goal of the session was to inform the parliamentarians about the opportunities the Accords have generated and how they can be better integrated into larger global conversations
Lawmakers from 19 countries gathered virtually on Thursday to discuss the possibilities for energy security and sustainability cooperation from the Abraham Accords, Jewish Insider has learned.
The event marked the second installment of an inter-parliamentary dialogue on the Abraham Accords hosted by the House and Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, AIPAC and the American Israel Education Foundation.
Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and James Lankford (R-OK), Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), a senior Israeli ministerial official and lawmakers from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Austria, Hungary, Portugal, Canada, Germany, Singapore, France, Japan, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, Greece, Serbia, Estonia and Lithuania participated in the dialogue, according to an individual involved in organizing the event.
The session focused on how the Accords can help address energy security issues around the world, with a particular focus on the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a source of such instability, the organizer said. The goal of the session was to inform the parliamentarians about the opportunities the Abraham Accords have generated and how they can be better integrated into larger global conversations.
“When we traveled to the Abraham Accords countries in January, we heard a consistent message in each of those countries — for the Abraham Accords to succeed, we need to bring about tangible projects and initiatives that improve the lives of ordinary people across the Middle East,” Rosen said during the forum. “This means advancing cooperative and sustainable development partnerships in the areas of energy security, water infrastructure, trade, cybersecurity and emerging technologies, as well as building long-lasting people-to-people exchanges.”
The event, which included a briefing from an energy security specialist from the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, included discussion of how the Abraham Accords allow Israel and the region to be more integrated with Europe and Asia, and how Israeli natural gas could help address some of Europe’s energy needs. Russia’s invasion, the individual said, has accelerated long-standing discussions on these issues.
“These are huge opportunities to help educate decision-makers… about the importance [of the Abraham Accords] and how it will eventually help them,” the individual said.
The meeting included conversations about how the Abraham Accords bloc can more closely integrate with the Eastern Mediterranean region and the energy projects underway there, and about how India could be brought into the region as well through the I2U2 forum. The individual said that the participants seemed interested in pursuing such cooperative efforts.
The group also discussed the opportunities for collaboration in the shift toward renewable energy.