Abraham Accords envoy bill passes House, 413-13

The Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords Act, co-sponsored by U.S. representatives Ritchie Torres and Mike Lawler passed the full house Monday on a suspension vote of 413-13.

The bipartisan legislation would establish a new special envoy position within the U.S. Department of State dedicated to advancing the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-sanctioned 2020 normalization agreements between Israel and Arab countries in the Middle East. It also calls for the person to be appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and report directly to the secretary of state.

“If there is one cause that should transcend partisan politics, it is peace in the Middle East,” Torres said on the House floor. “Building a bridge between Israel and the Arab world is neither a Democratic value nor a Republican value. It is an American value, and the Abraham Accords is both an affirmation of Arab-Israeli peace and a rejection of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.”

Lawler said the bill would be critical in bringing Saudi Arabia into the Accords and continuing to strengthen and expand them.

“When so much of the discourse on national politics is division and gridlock, the broad bipartisan support for the Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords Act shows that both parties can still come together and do something really good.

“We are closer to a lasting, long-term peace in the Middle East than we have ever been,” Lawler said.

A suspended bill vote is one where the House of Representatives suspend the rules for a non-controversial bill. It requires a two-thirds vote, 40 minutes of debate and does not allow amendments.

The bill now heads for the Senate for consideration.