The Biden administration will soon establish a new position aimed at expanding the Abraham Accords, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday, while also promising that Washington would continue to push back against settlement building or other activities that could endanger a two-state solution.
The idea for a point person tasked with shepherding normalization between Israel and its Arab neighbors has reportedly been in the works for the past several months. The announcement comes as the Biden administration has begun to prioritize brokering a diplomatic agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
But Monday’s remarks from Blinken at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington was the first time that a US official revealed the initiative publicly.
policy summit in Washington, DC, on June 5, 2023. (Mandel NGAN / AFP)
The Biden administration will soon establish a new position aimed at expanding the Abraham Accords, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday, while also promising that Washington would continue to push back against settlement building or other activities that could endanger a two-state solution.
The idea for a point person tasked with shepherding normalization between Israel and its Arab neighbors has reportedly been in the works for the past several months. The announcement comes as the Biden administration has begun to prioritize brokering a diplomatic agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
But Monday’s remarks from Blinken at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington was the first time that a US official revealed the initiative publicly.Into the Land: A Tale of Two CitiesPauseNext playlist itemUnmuteLoaded: 4.77% Picture-in-PictureFullscreenClose
“Israel’s further integration in the region contributes to a more stable, a more secure and more prosperous region. Blinken said. “That’s why President Biden has made it a cornerstone of his Middle East policy.”
“We will soon create a new position to further our diplomacy and engagement with governments and private sector, nongovernmental organizations, all working toward a more peaceful and a more connected region,” he added. The secretary of state did not elaborate further on the nature of the new position, but a US official confirmed to The Times of Israel last month that former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro’s name has been floated for the post.
Blinken’s appearance came a day before he was slated to travel to Saudi Arabia, where he said he would raise Israel normalization during his meetings with government officials.
“The United States has a real national security interest in promoting normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“We believe we can and must play an integral role in advancing it,” Blinken continued before acknowledging that “there are no illusions that this can be done quickly or easily.”
Saudi Arabia is seeking several large concessions from the US in exchange for normalization. Riyadh has also made clear to the Biden administration that any agreement with Israel will have to include a significant gesture for the Palestinians, a senior US official told The Times of Israel in May.
