HRES 1359

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 15, 2022

Mr. Schneider (for himself, Mrs. Rodgers of Washington, Mr. Trone, and Mrs. Wagner) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

RESOLUTION

Commemorating the second anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords Declaration.

Whereas on September 15, 2020, the United States, Israel, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain signed the historic Abraham Accords; Whereas on December 22, 2020, Morocco signed the Abraham Accords; Whereas on January 6, 2021, Sudan signed the Abraham Accords; Whereas the Abraham Accords created formal diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco increasing the number of Arab states with formal diplomatic ties with Israel to six; Whereas the Abraham Accords marked the first instance of new normalized relations between Israel and Arab countries in more than two decades; Whereas the leadership and success of prior accords between Israel and Egypt in 1979 and between Israel and Jordan in 1994 paved the way for creating formal diplomatic ties with other Arab and Muslim-majority countries; Whereas the Abraham Accords have reduced the prospect of armed conflict, improved ties between Israel and neighboring countries, and advanced the cause of achieving lasting peace in the Middle East, including through a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that ensures mutual recognition and guarantees that Israelis and Palestinians live side-by-side with freedom, security, and prosperity; Whereas the Abraham Accords provide an opportunity to make tangible improvements in the lives of Palestinians, including increased multilateral investment in the Palestinian economy among signatory countries of the Abraham Accords; Whereas continued political, economic, and security cooperation between the United States, Israel, and Arab states remains vital to the prosperity and security of the Middle East; Whereas the long-standing relationship between the United States and Israel is rooted in shared values and interests; Whereas the Abraham Accords have demonstrably advanced religious freedom in the Middle East and fostered interfaith and intercultural dialogue between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain; Whereas new opportunities for multilateral cooperation generated by the Abraham Accords may improve the ability of the United States to meet nascent threats and emerging challenges; Whereas the Embassy of Israel in Abu Dhabi was opened on January 24, 2021, and the United Arab Emirates became the first Gulf country to open an embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 30, 2021; Whereas Israel opened a resident embassy in Manama, Bahrain, in September 2021, and the first ambassador to Israel from Bahrain assumed his post in August 2021; Whereas in March 2022, the Foreign Ministers of Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and the United States convened at the first Negev Summit in Sde Boker, Israel, resulting in the establishment of the Negev Forum and six working groups tasked with furthering multilateral cooperation in the areas of energy, education and coexistence, food and water security, health, regional security, and tourism; Whereas the Abraham Accords have catalyzed dramatic growth in trade, tourism, and investment in the Middle East, benefitting the people of those countries; Whereas in May 2022, the Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates indicated that, since the signing of the Abraham Accords, bilateral trade with Israel has surpassed $2,500,000,000; Whereas on May 31, 2022, Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed a comprehensive free-trade agreement to cover 96 percent of bilateral trade, amounting to approximately $1,000,000,000; Whereas trade between the United Arab Emirates and Israel is expected to surpass $10,000,000,000 within five years, economic conditions that were made possible by the Abraham Accords; Whereas trade between Israel and Bahrain increased to $1,200,000 in May 2022, up from $0 in May 2021; Whereas trade between Israel and Morocco increased to $3,100,000 in May 2022, an increase of 94 percent since May 2021; Whereas the Abraham Accords have facilitated direct commercial airline flights, improving people-to-people ties in spite of obstacles created by the COVID-19 pandemic; Whereas on July 14, 2022, the United States and Israel signed the Jerusalem U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration, which calls for a deepening and broadening of the Abraham Accords; and Whereas destabilizing developments in the Middle East continue to demonstrate the importance of the Abraham Accords: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) commemorates the second anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords;

(2) reaffirms the enduring and ironclad alliance between the United States and Israel;

(3) believes that the United States should—

(A) prioritize the expansion and strengthening of the Abraham Accords by encouraging other countries to normalize relations with Israel and working to ensure that existing agreements reap tangible security and economic benefits for the citizens of those countries;

(B) with other signatory countries of the Abraham Accords, promote and develop new areas of regional collaboration including maritime security, defense cooperation, clean energy initiatives, water security initiatives, and direct flights; and

(C) build on the Abraham Accords to help advance prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, make tangible improvements in the lives of the Palestinian people, and make progress toward a negotiated solution that ensures mutual recognition;

(4) supports efforts to increase security and prosperity in the Middle East and North Africa via continued security and defense cooperation in furtherance of the Abraham Accords;

(5) encourages the expansion of the Abraham Accords to include countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, and urges the President to take the necessary steps to secure comparable agreements with other Arab and Muslim- majority countries; and

(6) supports opportunities to expand economic ties between the United States, Israel, and Arab states through comprehensive economic partnerships and other trade initiatives. <all>