Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Begs US Elected Officials to Broaden Abraham Accords
Jose Nino
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On April 24, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged a United States congressional delegation led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to continue expanding the Abraham Accords. These accords refer to a Trump-era normalization agreement that Israel was able to consummate with four Arab states (Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and United Arab Emirates).
“The prime minister thanked Congressman Jeffries and the members of the delegation for their support for the State of Israel and emphasized to them the importance of the relationship between Israel and the United States,” Netanyahu’s office recounted in a press release after the meeting.
This delegation was made up of 12 members. As The Cradle reported, the meeting came at a time when Democratic voters are no longer backing Israel as fervently as in previous decades. In addition, Netanyahu’s pleas are coinciding during a time when Sudan, a signatory to the Accords, is facing considerable internal chaos.
Democrats and Republicans in the House are still plowing forward with trying to broaden the scope of the Abraham Accords. Other factors that are propelling this move is how Israel is finding itself more isolated internationally as Arab states have moved towards normalizing diplomatic ties with Iran and Syria.
During an interview on CBS on April 23, Netanyahu stressed that declining support for Israel in the US can be traced to the media’s “demonization” of it where the press emphasizes the “collateral damage” Israeli troops and extremist settlers have caused. Per The Cradle report, these actors have killed over 100 Palestinians since the start of 2023.
“I think we have to work harder to persuade our Democratic colleagues – or those of our Democratic colleagues who forget perhaps that Israel is the solitary democracy in [the Middle East] – that America has no better friend and no better ally than Israel,” Netanyahu declared.
Israel is clearly finding itself in a precarious diplomatic position. In a multipolar world where the US — Israel’s main patron and security guarantor — is no longer considered the sole hegemon, Israel can no longer act in a unilateral manner and will see its most controversial moves be met with increased pushback from Eurasian actors such as China, Iran, Russia, and Turkey. Those are the new rules of the international order that’s unfolding before our very eyes
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