‘An Affirmation of Arab-Israeli Peace’: House Passes Abraham Accords Envoy Bill
A view of the US Capitol, in Washington, DC, Dec. 21, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ken Cedeno.
The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill to establish a permanent Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords whose mission would be to expand the accords to other countries and deepen the ties between Israel and its new Arab partners.
The bipartisan legislation, written by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY), passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 413-13, with seven representatives not voting.
The two Republican nay votes came Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rich McCormick (R-GA). Massie is a libertarian who frequently votes against foreign policy legislation. McCormick did not immediately respond to The Algemeiner’s request for comment on his vote.
Democrats voting nay included seven members of the so-called “Squad” of left-wing progressives. They were joined by Reps. Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), and Barbara Lee (D-CA).
Asked for comment on her vote, a spokesman for Congresswoman Lee told The Algemeiner that her nay vote was cast in error and that the Congresswoman was attempting to correct the situation.
Speaking on the House floor on Monday during debate on the legislation, Rep. Torres described the 2020 Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries as a “monumental” achievement and a rejoinder to those who would seek to isolate Israel, citing the 1967 Arab League Khartoum Resolution that sought to cut off the Jewish state diplomatically.
“The Abraham Accords is both an affirmation of Arab-Israeli peace and a rejection of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement,” Torres said. “Instead of the three ‘noes’ of the Khartoum Resolution, we are living in the age of the three ‘yeses’ – yes to recognition of Israel, yes to negotiations with Israel, and yes to peace with Israel…Today, with the full passage of H.R. 3099, we are bending the long arc of the Middle East in its proper direction – toward peace and prosperity for Jewish people, Christians, and Muslims – the children of Abraham standing together as one.”
The legislation, which was first introduced in February, would create a Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords with the rank of ambassador who would be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The envoy would “serve as the primary advisor to, and coordinate efforts across, the United States Government relating to expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords” and “engage in discussions with nation-state officials lacking official diplomatic relations with Israel.”
During committee markup in February, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) noted that former US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro, who served during the Obama administration, was being considered for the role.
Rep. Lawler in a statement marking the bill’s passage on Tuesday specifically cited the envoy’s future role in influencing Saudi Arabia to join the accords.
“The addition of a Special Envoy will be critical for bringing Saudi Arabia into the Accords and continuing to strengthen and expand them,” Lawler said. “We now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build on this success.”
Following the bill’s passage in the House it will now need to be voted on by the Senate before it can proceed to the President for signature into law.
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