After decades of disconnection, denial, and distrust, two years of normalized and remarkably warm relations between Israel and two Arab Gulf states have shown how ready the Middle East was — and is — for fundamental change.
Everything You Need to Know About Israel
American Jewish Committee (AJC) works to set the record straight on Israel, calling out fact from fiction and standing up to those seeking to tear down and discriminate against the region’s only democratic nation and world’s only Jewish state.
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The Abraham Accords Inspired a Daring New Path for the Middle East
Biden’s Middle East Visit: An Alternative View
President Biden recently made his first visit to the Middle East as president. It included two days in Israel, along with separate meetings with Palestinians in East Jerusalem and Bethlehem and two days in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabia leg was politically controversial in the US primarily because of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 as well as criticism of the Saudi role in the war in Yemen. The president’s visit to Israel was a welcome opportunity to show support for a beleaguered ally, but it broke little new ground.
American Jewish Committee Hails Saudi Decision to Open Air Space to Israeli Flights
American Jewish Committee (AJC) hailed today’s announcement that Saudi Arabia will permit Israeli commercial flights to traverse the kingdom’s airspace. “In the spirit of the historic Abraham Accords, today’s Saudi announcement is a significant example of normalization that will further advance the promise and reality of Arab-Israeli peace,” said AJC CEO David Harris.
Building on the Abraham Accords: President Biden’s Trip to the Middle East, and Its Implications for Israeli-Saudi Relations
This week, retired U.S. Ambassador Marc Sievers, Director of American Jewish Committee’s office in Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding, joins us to discuss President Joe Biden's visit to the Middle East on a tour that included Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia.
AJC Project Interchange Alumni Introduce Winds of Change: The New Middle East
At AJC Gobal Forum 2022, AJC Project Interchange Alumni Shaikh Abdulla Alkhalifa, and Lilia Rizk shared their experiences as some of the first Arab participants on AJC's Project Interchange trips to Israel.
Winds of Change: The New Middle East
At AJC Gobal Forum 2022, United Nations Ambassadors from Israel, Morocco, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates took to the stage for a historic conversation showcasing the widening circle of peace in the Middle East nearly two years after the Abraham Accords.
AJC Delegation Visits Japan to Bolster Strong Ties with American Jewish Community
An American Jewish Committee (AJC) delegation has returned from Japan, where they met with top government leaders and diplomats to reinforce strong ties among Japan and the U.S., Israel, and the American Jewish community.
The Deep Roots Of The Abraham Accords
The announcement on Aug. 13, 2020 that the United Arab Emirates and Israel had agreed to move toward full diplomatic relations surprised much of the world. What culminated last summer had deep roots. My American Jewish Committee colleagues and I, traveling regularly to Gulf capitals since 1994, observed signs of fresh thinking in the region early on—and did our part to encourage it.
One Year Later: The Abraham Accords and the Future of Emirati-Israeli-American Relations - AJC Advocacy Anywhere
As we reflect on the first anniversary of the Abraham Accords, American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy are honored to announce a new partnership to promote deeper American, Israeli, and Emirati understanding.
People of the Pod: How the Abraham Accords Has Changed Hearts and Minds: A Sit-Down with Israel’s Top Official in the UAE
This week marks the one-year anniversary of normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This historic agreement, known as the Abraham Accords, would soon grow to include Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. In one fell swoop, the number of Arab countries Israel had formal relations with tripled from two (Egypt and Jordan) to six. With us to discuss this pivotal moment and the future of Israeli-Arab engagement is Ambassador Eitan Na’eh, head of mission at the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi - formally dedicated just six weeks ago.
Hezbollah’s Defiance And The United Nations’ Duty
The UN Security Council will convene in August, as it does every year, to renew the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Unless the Council takes the necessary measures to ensure that its resolutions regarding Lebanon are upheld, UNIFIL’s mandate will remain unfulfilled.
People of the Pod: How Interfaith Relations Helped Drive the Abraham Accords; A View From Campus
This week, we bring you highlights from AJC Virtual Global Forum 2021. First, in a conversation moderated by Manya Brachear Pashman, we hear from H.E. Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of Hedayah, and Rabbi David Rosen, AJC Director of International Interreligious Affairs, in The Siegler Family Annual Muslim-Jewish Symposium on How Interfaith Relations Helped Drive the Abraham Accords.
Then, two college student activists, Julia Jassey, University of Chicago ‘23, and Talia Rosenberg, University of Pennsylvania ‘21, help us understand today’s challenges and opportunities on campus for pro-Israel students during the AJC Virtual Global Forum’s session, The View from Campus, moderated by Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman, AJC Deputy Director of Young Leadership.
Then, two college student activists, Julia Jassey, University of Chicago ‘23, and Talia Rosenberg, University of Pennsylvania ‘21, help us understand today’s challenges and opportunities on campus for pro-Israel students during the AJC Virtual Global Forum’s session, The View from Campus, moderated by Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman, AJC Deputy Director of Young Leadership.
We Must Honor the Abraham Accords 'Side Deals' for the UAE and Morocco
As Middle East and North African leaders increasingly question old orthodoxies and recognize the benefits of new alignments—with normalization agreements offering advantages not only for Israel and Arab states, but also creating opportunities to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace—Washington, too, must look at this evolving region with fresh eyes. To advance its objectives, the new administration should take advantage of all the tools at its disposal—including those left to it by its predecessor.
History in the Making: The Interreligious Breakthrough Paralleling the UAE-Israel Accord – AJC Advocacy Anywhere
Following this week's dramatic ceremony at the White House, we hear the compelling story of UAE interreligious initiatives, particularly for the Abrahamic faiths -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
American Jewish Committee Hails Abraham Accords, Attends White House Signing
American Jewish Committee (AJC), the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, saluted today’s signing at the White House of the Abraham Accords, formalizing the normalization of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, and between Bahrain and Israel. AJC CEO David Harris and Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson attended the signing ceremony on the White House South Lawn. Isaacson has led AJC engagement with Bahrain, the UAE and other Arab countries in the region for more than 25 years.
Malaysia’s Israel Obsession Must Be Addressed
Malaysia is 4,700 miles away from the Middle East, yet the leadership of this Muslim-majority country in Asia long ago chose sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Malaysia has recognized the “State of Palestine” and hosts a Palestinian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, but refuses to recognize the State of Israel.
Israel’s Expanding Ties with Gulf States
A pattern of improved relations with almost all the Gulf states is emerging, backed by occasional statements by senior officials and a much livelier debate than ever in the local media about the legitimacy of Israel's presence as a player in the region.
AJC Ad in Wall Street Journal on Unjust UN Human Rights Council Treatment of Israel
On September 25, 2018, AJC published an ad in The Wall Street Journal calling on world leaders to end the structural bias against Israel at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte Visits Israel: A Historic Moment in Israel – Philippine Relations
On September 2, Rodrigo Duterte will become the first Philippine president to visit Israel since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1957. The two nations have enjoyed reciprocal support and respect over the last 61 years, but even prior to the formal relationship, it is notable that in 1947, the Philippines was the only Asian nation to vote in favor of UN Resolution 181 that created the State of Israel.
Why Israel is Striving to Expand Ties with These 10 Asian Countries
Here’s what you need to know about the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their ties with Israel and the Jewish people.
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