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[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 773 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 773

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 19, 2022

   Mr. Lankford (for himself, Ms. Rosen, Ms. Ernst, and Mr. Booker) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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 normalized relations 
        between Israel and Arab countries in more than two decades;
Whereas the leadership and success of prior normalization agreements 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 likelihood 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 relationship between the United States and Israel is rooted in 
        shared values and interests;
Whereas the Abraham Accords demonstrably have advanced religious freedom in the 
        Middle East, including through 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 the Foreign Ministers of Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, 
        Bahrain, Morocco, and the United States convened at the 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 increases in trade, tourism, and 
        investment in the Middle East, benefitting the people of those 
        countries;
Whereas, at the 2022 World Economic Forum, the Minister of State for Foreign 
        Trade of the United Arab Emirates indicated that bilateral trade with 
        Israel has surpassed $2,500,000,000 since the signing of the Abraham 
        Accords;
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 5 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 Senate--
            (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 to encourage other countries to 
                normalize relations with Israel and 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>
```