The House of Representatives on April 25 passed a bill encouraging nations in the Middle East to normalize their relations with Israel.
The House passed the bill in a 401–19 bipartisan vote under a suspension of normal House voting rules.
The legislation was introduced by Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), who emphasized the “strong bilateral relationship between the United States and Israel.” She cited a long history of “cooperation on issues such as defense, diplomacy, energy, cybersecurity, agriculture, science, and space.”
The bill comes in the wake of the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements that saw Israel normalize its relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan in late 2020 and early 2021.
Wagner’s legislation seeks to build on these accords by encouraging other nations to follow suit, citing the tangible security and economic benefits that such agreements can bring.
The bill further expresses Congress’s continued support for security assistance to Israel, as outlined in the United States-Israel Memorandum of Understanding.
It also affirms the House of Representatives’ support for Israel’s involvement as an active member of the community of nations, stating that Israel’s participation benefits both the country and the United States as partners “who share common values and a commitment to democracy.”
The resolution’s passage marks the latest development in the longstanding relationship between the United States and Israel.
The bill’s introduction is tied to Israel’s upcoming 75th year as a recognized state. Israel was declared a state by Jewish leaders on May 14, 1948, following negotiations between the region’s Muslims, Christians, Jews, and the United Nations.
President Harry S. Truman recognized the state the same day that Jewish leaders declared its creation.
Israel’s relations with its neighbors have been strained from the beginning of the state’s existence.
Immediately following its declaration in 1948, five of the region’s Muslim states invaded the country, which had for around two millennia been known by the Roman name Palestine. Though agreements were reached guaranteeing political and territorial rights for the region’s native Muslim and Christian populations, Israel has increasingly cemented its control over nearly all of the territory formerly guaranteed to Palestinian non-Jews.
This in turn has led to continuing tensions with Israel’s neighbors, who consider themselves the protectors of particularly Muslims in Palestine.
The United States has sent over $94.7 billion in financial aid to Israel since 1999 and considers Israel a key non-NATO ally.
