As the battle against the Iranian regime and its Islamic terrorist proxies continues, key congressional testimony highlighted the importance of expanding the Abraham Accords, President Donald Trump’s historic peace agreements with Arab nations.
During his opening remarks to the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Africa of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Asher Fredman, visiting fellow in the Allison Center for National Security at The Heritage Foundation, argued that the United States can expand the accords by introducing legislation that builds on the proposed framework to bring stability to the Middle East.
“Congress should help establish the Abraham Accords Critical-Technology Partnership, and the cultural leadership and alliances will then increasingly shape the global balance of power,” Fredman said. “Such legislation could build on the proposed U.S.-Israel AI Center Act, introduced by then-Sen. Marco Rubio in 2021.”
Fredman’s goal is to create stronger alliances among the United States, Israel, and Arab countries that cannot be broken by the Iranian regime’s influence during wartime.
Fredman argued that the deal should now “be expanded to include additional Abraham Accord partners” to strengthen regional defense integration.
“The United States should establish an Abraham Accords comprehensive security, integration, and prosperity agreement modeled on the agreement between the United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain in September 2023,” he continued. “This can be achieved by adapting existing U.S. scientific, educational, and leadership programs to include dedicated tracks, accords, and initiatives in the Abraham Accords.”
Fredman doubled down on the importance of creating a stable alliance among the various countries.
“There are more than two dozen countries, Arab Muslim countries, that lack formal relations with Israel,” Fredman stated. “The special envoy should develop detailed roadmaps for multiple potential Abraham Accord countries based on the national priorities, goals, and shared interests of each.”
On Wednesday, Trump, posting on Truth Social, suggested that Saudi Arabia should join the Abraham Accords.
During the hearing, Fredman added that even if this seems like a challenge, the original Abraham Accords also seemed challenging, and they proved to be a historic success that shaped regional “peace, prosperity, and partnership.”
Daniel Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel under former President Barack Obama, echoed Fredman’s remarks by championing the historic peace deal Trump struck with the Arab world, adding that it “formalized the first Arab-Israeli relationships in a generation, forged on a basis of mutual security, trust, and economic benefits.”
However, the rise of radical Islam, also known as Islamism or militant Islam, has forced the United States to revisit the deal, Shapiro argued.
“Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, and the war that followed, have delayed many of the follow-on integration efforts, but they did not extinguish the Abraham Accords themselves, [but] that gives us a solid base to build on,” he said.
On Oct. 7, 2023, more than 1,000 Israeli civilians were brutally raped, kidnapped, killed, and tortured by an Iranian-funded militia. Shapiro said while Israel may fear similar attacks in the future, and while the Iran war complicates regional integration, the parties have the opportunity to strengthen ties through participation.
Furthermore, Shapiro added that the war in Iran, which has partially decimated the regime’s leadership, military capabilities, and economy, has complicated American leadership in the region, prompting the United States to adopt new legislative solutions to adapt to Iran’s aggression.
“The regime in Tehran is considered more radical now, having absorbed our strongest punch and emerged with unprecedented leverage through control of the Strait of Hormuz,” Shapiro continued.
Finally, he recommended that Congress appoint and confirm a special envoy for the Abraham Accords as was done in the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.
Continue reading...
[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
