[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 159 (Tuesday, September 15, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S5577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            THE MIDDLE EAST

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, the signing of the Abraham Accords 
today at the White House represents a very historic breakthrough for 
peace in the Middle East. I am not saying that this accord alone will 
bring peace to that troubled region, but this is the first tangible 
progress toward peace in that area in a quarter century.
  I met Anwar Sadat at the time of the Camp David Accords in 1978, when 
he was present in the Ways and Means Committee room over in the House 
of Representatives, and I had an opportunity also to witness, at the 
White House, the handshake between Rabin and Arafat in 1993. Both 
events seemed to herald a new peace in the Middle East that, quite 
frankly, never materialized, and yet we still have peace between Israel 
and Egypt and between Israel and Jordan.
  Israel has been a country for over 72 years. It is the only democracy 
in the region. It is a major economic, military, and political power, 
and, of course, it is our greatest ally in the Middle East. It is 
overdue for other states, then, and those states that are in that area 
especially to recognize Israel and pursue normal relations.
  The outdated notion that recognition of Israel's existence should be 
withheld until somehow Israelis and Palestinians agree on the details 
of a two-state solution has not worked. The two-state solution hasn't 
made an agreement more likely, but it has prevented diplomatic 
interactions that could be a stabilizing force in an unstable region.
  In a polarized time, today's historic accord between Israel and the 
UAE and Israel and Bahrain is good news that anyone can celebrate. We 
ought to give President Trump great credit for his leadership in this 
area. He has delivered in a lot of areas where both Republican and 
Democratic Presidents could not deliver in the past.
  I yield the floor.

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