Congressman Alcee Hastings, the chairman of the U.S. House Helsinki Commission, is joining a bipartisan effort working to positively influence the Middle East peace process.
The Trump administration has also worked diligently in hopes of getting Arab nations to work with Israel.
This week, Hastings joined House Republicans and Democrats in introducing a resolution calling for “support for a two-state solution negotiated between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority and urges the Palestinian Authority and regional Arab and Muslim-majority states to engage in negotiations with the state of Israel to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and support the normalization of bilateral relations.” The resolution also approved “Israel's ongoing efforts to improve relations with Arab and Muslim-majority states in the region and those Arab and Muslim-majority states that have taken steps to improve bilateral relations with Israel.”
Speaking on why he supports the resolution, Hastings explained that “The Israeli-Palestinian conflict presents an immensely difficult challenge that has no easy answers. Despite the lack of progress on a formal peace agreement, Israel and some of her Arab neighbors have worked quietly and behind the scenes to improve bilateral relations in recent years.”
Hastings added that “Recent signals from Arab nations, including Oman, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, underscore the opportunities that exist to improve security, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East. The concurrent-track approach, where Arab and Muslim-majority states work to improve their bilateral relations with Israel as Israel and the Palestinian Authority work concurrently to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, can help establish a new paradigm for the region. I thank my colleagues for introducing this bipartisan resolution with me and urge its timely consideration by the House.”
The resolution was introduced by rep. Hastings on Tuesday, and it was directed to the Foreign Affairs Committee that same day.
