February 26, 2025 — Washington, DC
Middle East Envoy Steven Witkoff Discusses Prospects for a Secure & Integrated Region
American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, brought together the Trump Administration, elected officials, diplomats, and thought leaders in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday to introduce AJC’s Center for a New Middle East and present a vision for a new path forward in the Middle East in a post-October 7 world. As outlined in the Center’s policy recommendations for the Trump administration, released at tonight’s event, the Center’s work focuses on interconnected initiatives that deepen ties throughout the Middle East with a focus on diplomacy, business, and civil society.
"Right now, there are two choices for leaders in the Middle East: the death and destruction touted by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, or the vision of the Abraham Accords and regional integration, which seeks to unite the Middle East behind shared values," said AJC CEO Ted Deutch, former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism. "It is because of AJC's decades of work in the Middle East, the Gulf, and around the world that we have the opportunity to create this once-in-a-generation change."
Through decades of building trust and a unique international architecture, AJC has become a respected and valued partner to diplomats, civic society, and business leaders across the Middle East and around the world. These relationships afford AJC distinct insight into the region and allow the new AJC Center for a New Middle East to build on these decades of work and continue fostering peace and civility between Israel and its neighbors.
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steven Witkoff, in a fireside chat with Jason Isaacson, AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer, who has led the organization’s outreach to the Arab world, discussed the vision of a secure Israel fully integrated into the Middle East, including the prospect of normalizing Israeli-Saudi relations coupled with a strengthening of U.S.-Saudi strategic ties.
“Israel is a bedrock of great technological innovation. I think all of the Arab countries – UAE, Saudi [Arabia], Qatar – they’re into blockchain, robotics. They’re into hyperscale data centers. These are the things that interest Israel,” said Witkoff. “Imagine all of them working together. It could be an incredible region. So, we’re hopeful for that prospect.”
“What we felt when the President of the United Arab Emirates, the King of Bahrain, and later the King of Morocco declared in the last months of the first Trump administration that they were normalizing relations with Israel, and what we felt when AJC opened our office in Abu Dhabi, The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding, in 2021, are the same feelings we have today,” said Isaacson. “While we’re fully aware of the dangers and challenges, they are feelings of hope, of confidence in the courage and determination of wise regional leaders, and of our continued resolve to help usher in a new era of peace, stability, and prosperity for Israel and its Arab neighbors.”
As noted in the AJC Center for a New Middle East Initiatives and Policy Recommendations and a video introducing the Center, AJC’s engagement in the region dates back to the 1950s and was broadened and intensified after the 1991 Middle East Peace Conference. The Center stands ready and 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.”
“While the obstacles are clear, so too are the unprecedented opportunities -- and the peculiar fact is that, despite the events of the last 16 months, the current reality now requires Israelis and Arabs to be dependent – that is, to be interdependent – in ways not imaginable in the past,” said Benjamin Rogers, AJC Director for Middle East and North Africa Initiatives.
Through its permanent presence in Washington, D.C., Jerusalem, and Abu Dhabi, as well as constant travel to the region, AJC actively engages leaders from across the Middle East, including through high-level gatherings in Israel, UAE, and its 25 U.S.-based offices that bring together Arab and Israeli partners committed to new opportunities to work together. AJC endeavors to help fulfill the promise of the Abraham Accords through various programs that deepen diplomatic, civic, and business engagement across countries and throughout the region.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org.
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