Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, Representative Torres, for working with Representative Lawler to introduce this very important piece of legislation that would create a senior-level special envoy dedicated to enhancing and expanding the important Abraham Accords.

Mr. Speaker, I have spoken in the past about my support for the accords, which I believe have the potential to transform the security, diplomatic, and economic environment in the Middle East for peace and to advance United States' interests.

These agreements are already showing promise and deserve the attention of this Congress. I believe it is advantageous to the State Department to have an official in place focused on managing and implementing regional strategy for peace and encouraging cooperation between and among Israel, Arab states, and the Palestinians to enhance such prospects for a true peace and create tangible benefits for all.

As Mr. McCaul said, starting with the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco with the Abraham Accords, we need to grow and have more nations involved, saying this time that we know that Israel has the right to exist and will exist, and we are going to look and work together for peace in the Middle East.

That is why adding a special envoy dedicated to working on and having and stimulating conversation among the other nations in the Gulf region with Israel is tremendously important. This is something that I am proud to support, and I hope my colleagues in the House join me.

Mr. Speaker, I know that the Biden administration has taken implementation and expansion of the Abraham Accords seriously. I know that the President has dedicated several government agencies to their success. I believe that this high-level special envoy will be another asset to the State Department and help them coordinate and streamline implementation of the accords. It is something that we should focus on because success means peace in the Middle East, and peace is good for all of us on this planet.

Mr. TORRES of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Meeks for his friendship and mentoring, and I thank Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Meeks for setting the gold standard of bipartisanship here in Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler) for his legislative partnership and leadership.

If there is one cause that should transcend partnership, it is the cause of peace in the Middle East.

Building a bridge between Israel and the Arab world is neither a Democratic value nor a Republican value. It is an American value.

The Abraham Accords is both an affirmation of Arab-Israeli peace and a rejection of BDS as a relic of the past.

Indeed, the three noes of the Khartoum Resolution have been replaced by the three yeses of the Abraham Accords: yes to recognition of Israel, yes to negotiations with Israel, and yes to peace with Israel.

The Abraham Accords is an achievement so monumental that it demands and deserves its own special envoy whose sole and singular mission is to build on the inexorable progress of peace in the Middle East.

Today, we in the United States Congress are bending the long arc of the Middle East exactly where it belongs, toward peace and prosperity for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The children of Abraham are finally standing together as one, divided no longer.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

As we have heard here today, there is strong support in this Congress for the normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and countries in the Arab and Muslim world.

``Diplomatic'' and ``diplomacy'' are words that we need to use more often, and we need to get more engaged in diplomatic activity, working for peace and working for true recognition of Israel in the Middle East.

Sustained agreement from the United States with a special envoy will help maintain the momentum that has built and will lead to a more peaceful region.

Imagine that, Madam Speaker, nations talking and working together in a region where it had been full of war and where people are recognizing Israel's right to exist, working in a diplomatic way across borders for better lives for everyone in the region.

For peace in the region, there is work to do, but it gives us hope that others will join and that we will be able to assist with a special envoy bringing people to the same table to support a more peaceful region.

Madam Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in support of this important resolution.

Again, I thank Mr. McCaul, Mr. Lawler, and Mr. Torres for bringing this resolution to the floor of the House of Representatives so that all can hear that, again, we are united and working collectively together, without party affiliation, for the betterment of the world.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source