February 24, 2025
For decades, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) has worked with governments across the Arab world to increase cooperation with Israel and the Jewish people. AJC was the first American Jewish organization to open an office in Israel, and is the only Jewish organization with an office in an Arab state, having opened AJC Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding, in 2021. AJC's engagement in the Middle East goes back to the 1950s, allowing us to establish trust and deepen relations over decades.
AJC heralded critical achievements of the first Trump Administration advancing Israel’s security, fair treatment in the international arena, and further integration in the Middle East, culminating with the Abraham Accords in 2020. We lauded the Accords as a game changer in the Middle East, providing new opportunities for people-to-people exchanges, business partnerships, and government agreements that have led to new investments, greater stability, and increased security cooperation.
While October 7 will forever be a devastating reminder of the power of hatred, as hostilities wind down, there will be an opportunity to reshape the Middle East.
To meet this moment, AJC created the Center for a New Middle East, reorienting its network of contacts and its 15 international offices on five continents to create innovative and regionally interconnected initiatives that deepen political, economic, and civic ties throughout the Middle East.
AJC’s Center for a New Middle East is eager to work with the Trump Administration and offer its support and global network to advance Israel’s integration in a region transformed by October 7 and its aftermath.
AJC’s Center for a New Middle East is driven by the following beliefs:
Israel’s long-term security and peaceful integration into the Middle East and North Africa region are key U.S. interests;
The horrors of the October 7 massacre and the upheaval of traditional status quos across the region present a rare opportunity to implement new agreements that can help advance peace and stability across the Middle East;
U.S.-led economic prosperity and integration benefits American interests and the peoples of the region, while also pushing back against Iranian, Chinese, and Russian aggression;
Key U.S. allies and strategic partners, including the European Union and India, can and should play important roles in strengthening the Abraham Accords and creating a more integrated Middle East;
Gaza reconstruction offers an opportunity to include the Palestinian people in the benefits of regional integration, while opening up their leadership to necessary reform;
The Iranian regime continues to be the most significant regional threat to the United States, Israel, Arab partners, and the Iranian people – and must be denied nuclear weapons capability, further ballistic missile development, and regional power projection through terrorist proxies.
AJC and the Center for a New Middle East proudly offer its assistance in furthering regional cooperation, the Abraham Accords, and promoting Israel’s place in the world:
Diplomacy and Policy | AJC frequently holds high-level gatherings in Israel, UAE, and within our 25 U.S.-based offices that bring together Arab and Israeli partners committed to new opportunities to work together. AJC has 15 overseas posts across Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America that promote a unique and global approach to engaging Israel and advancing Middle East integration. AJC encourages the Administration to focus on the following programs to advance government-to-government relations:
Show unwavering support for U.S. commitment to Middle East security, stability, and prosperity. For decades, AJC has brought thousands of American and international leaders to the Middle East to better understand the region and advocate for strong U.S. ties to the region.
Expand and regionalize several ongoing programs that can support U.S.-Israel relations and help fulfill the promise of the Abraham Accords. These programs include USAID's Middle East Regional Cooperation Program (MERC), Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD), Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA), Israel-U.S. Binational Science Foundation (BSF), Israel-U.S. Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD), USAID-MASHAV Cooperation, and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Treated Water Reuse.
Promote new layers of Israeli-Arab engagement. AJC’s Israel educational arm, Project Interchange, has led numerous delegations for Arab leaders to experience Israel first hand. Future programs will focus on hosting Arab parliamentarians, junior diplomats, and mayors.
Business and Innovation | AJC seeks to bridge Israeli, Arab, and American business leaders in an effort to deepen connections and – over time – fund innovative ideas that can improve daily lives and bolster economic opportunities within the Middle East. We hope to involve key members of the Administration in a number of our business and innovation programs, including:
Bring the power of the Abraham Accords to American business leaders. AJC’s Regional Business Collectives, a three-day U.S.-based program, brings together American, Israeli, and Arab entrepreneurs from similar sectors. Together, the cohorts meet with leading business, government, and civic officials to build new connections and encourage greater business engagement between Israel and the Arab world.
Showcase the value of India and Europe to promote Israeli, Arab, and American business interests. AJC’s India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) project seeks to bring together Israeli, American, Arab, Indian, and European experts and diplomats from the energy, water, and transportation sectors. The initiative will convene business leaders across India, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.
Harness the power of American and Israeli innovation in Africa. AJC’s Africa-Israel Agricultural Dialogue is a four-day event that brings together farmers, diplomats, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders from the U.S., Africa, and Israel. The ultimate goal is to find ways to better incorporate Israeli technology, American investment, and African ingenuity to help promote food security and energy cooperation across Africa. Future programs will be expanded to include Gulf nations.
Civil Society, Religion, and Education | The recent dramatic steps toward Israel's regional integration, advancing an agenda to which AJC has long been committed, offer evidence that old mindsets can change and inherited hatreds can dissolve. AJC has been at the forefront of this movement through its decades of interfaith engagement and work with trusted civic partners to facilitate necessary changes within civil society and religious institutions.
Promote Jewish-Muslim young professional engagement as a way to advance Israeli-Arab understanding. AJC’s Michael Sachs Fellowship for Emerging Leaders is a six-month fellowship that brings together young American, Israeli, and Arab experts to deepen their understanding of Muslim-Jewish ties while also exploring new partnerships in the fields of health, agriculture, and tourism.
Invest in partnerships that bring together American, Israeli, and Arab academic institutions and promote new opportunities for student exchange. AJC’s newly created Center for Education Advocacy has been at the forefront of developing ties with U.S. centers of higher education. In the coming months, robust efforts will be made to connect leading academics and student leaders across the U.S., Israel, and the Arab world.
Support the Hostages | Since October 2023, AJC has facilitated advocacy efforts for hostages’ family members across the globe, and with frequency in Washington, D.C. We have organized hundreds of engagements for them, including meetings and press events, with U.S and international government officials, including at the White House, the State Department, the FBI, and national media outlets. AJC CEO Ted Deutch has significant hostage expertise from his many years in Congress, having led the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on American Hostages and Americans Wrongfully Detained Abroad, and as the author of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, which created much of the infrastructure we have to support and bring home American hostages. AJC is profoundly grateful for the efforts of the Trump Administration to secure the deal that is allowing hostages to finally go home. We offer our connections and our expertise. Further, once they are all home, we would be eager to discuss how the U.S. can leverage American global leadership to deter and more effectively respond to hostage taking and how to improve American systems and support for family members.
