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Join Telegram ChannelEXCLUSIVE: A pair of bipartisan senators are introducing a new bill on the fourth anniversary of the Abraham Accords aimed at deepening cooperation between the United States and Middle East partners.
The LINK bill, introduced by Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, co-chairs of the Abraham Accords Caucus, would establish a “military-to-military exchange program” to deepen cultural ties and strategic cooperation between U.S. troops and their allies in the Middle East.
“In the face of intensified Iranian aggression, I am deepening the historic partnerships created by the Abraham Accords four years ago today,” Ernst said.
“Tehran seeks greater cooperation among our Middle Eastern partners. The LINK Act achieves this by coordinating military planning and creating a permanent and effective defense alliance. By working hand in hand with our partners, the strength and security of our nations increases.”
Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks during a Christmas Eve ceremony at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, Dec. 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)
Both senators have signed three of their previous Middle East-related bills into law.
The Gulf states, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, signed a US-brokered normalization deal with Israel in 2020, known as the Abraham Accords.
Under the agreements, the UAE and Bahrain recognized Israel's sovereignty and established full diplomatic relations. This is the first time Israel has established peace with an Arab country since the 1994 Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty.
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Senator Joni Ernst speaks with reporters after the Senate Republicans' weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill, March 6, 2024. (Reuters/Bonnie Cash)
Sen. Jacky Rosen speaks during a news conference on June 16, 2023, at the East Vegas Library. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
In the months that followed, Sudan and Morocco signed agreements to normalize relations with Israel.
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The bill comes at a time of high tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Israel and Saudi Arabia were on the verge of reaching a deal that included the United States and would have normalized relations when Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7.
The United States has strengthened its relationships with Middle Eastern countries to counter the growing threat of a potentially nuclear-armed Iran — even those with mixed human rights records, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
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The Biden administration recently lifted a suspension of $320 million in military aid to Egypt that it had frozen in response to human rights concerns, bringing the total amount transferred from Washington to Cairo this year to $1.3 billion.
Egypt is playing a central role in negotiations between Hamas and Israel on a ceasefire agreement.