Witnesses push to expand Abraham Accords and use regional integration to lock in gains

Senators and witnesses at the subcommittee hearing emphasized using diplomatic integration — particularly the Abraham Accords — to convert recent military gains into durable regional stability.

Chairman McCormick and Ranking Member Rosen both highlighted the Abraham Accords as a diplomatic vehicle. Dan Shapiro described the accords as “one of the great events of recent Middle East history” and urged reconvening and expanding a multilateral “negative forum” of partners to drive cooperation on water, health, education and commerce.

Shapiro said Saudi normalization depends in part on credible progress toward a Palestinian outcome, and he recommended appointing a special envoy for the Abraham Accords and negotiating nonbelligerency between Israel and Syria as part of a broader integration effort. He suggested bringing Jordan, and potentially other Muslim-majority countries that have shown interest, into expanded multilateral working groups.

Several senators — including those who said they co-chair the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus — framed accords expansion as both a security and economic project, noting potential cooperation on energy, water, transportation and cybersecurity.

Witnesses cautioned that the Gaza war complicates near-term expansion and that progress on Palestinian issues and a viable day-after plan are political prerequisites for some partners. They recommended pairing normalization incentives with economic and humanitarian commitments so that regional integration yields tangible citizen-level benefits.