US House bipartisan resolution calls for expanding Abraham Accords through tolerance-based education

The U.S. House of Representatives presented a bipartisan resolution that urges the State Department to expand the Arab Israeli Abraham Accords by promoting peace and tolerance in education and civil society. The initiative was introduced by Abraham Accords Caucus representatives Brad Schneider, Ann Wagner, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Craig Goldman.

The resolution credits Muslim-majority countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Bahrain for implementing “transformative and positive changes” in their respective educational curricula.

However, much work remains to be done as antisemitism continues to be widespread throughout much of the Muslim and Arab world’s educational and religious institutions. It is especially pervasive within the Palestinian Authority's (PA) education system.

“If left unaddressed, extreme, antisemitic, and hateful curricula will continue to fuel instability and violence in the region,” Rep. Goldman warned.

Rep. Schneider believes the historic Abraham Accords provide the Middle East with a viable, positive path towards peace and connection.

“The Accords offer the region a chance to break free from the gravity of history, to move beyond conflict and toward connection,” the lawmaker said. “That future depends on education rooted in peace, tolerance, and mutual recognition.”

In 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump brokered the Abraham Accords, which led to normalized diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

Rep. Wasserman Schultz emphasized that genuine peace begins in classrooms where future generations are influenced.

“Encouraging and investing in those principles in classrooms throughout Abraham Accords countries is one critical way to build a safer world,” Wasserman assessed.

Rep. Wagner said, “This resolution encourages the State Department to proactively engage with regional countries to build new and stronger relationships that will enhance and entrench the Abraham Accords.”

The bipartisan resolution acknowledges organizations like IMPACT-se, an Israeli NGO that monitors education systems worldwide and advocates tolerance and mutual respect as a path towards genuine peace.

IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff praised the new bipartisan initiative.

“We commend the countries that have taken meaningful steps toward curriculum reform and urge others to follow. Our research highlights the critical link between education and normalization. We applaud the Abraham Accords Caucus co-chairs for advancing this important resolution,” Sheff said.

In 2024, IMPACT-se noted that the Saudi Education Ministry had reduced the levels of anti-Israel and antisemitic content in Saudi schoolbooks.

"Portrayals of Israel and Zionism have progressed further. Students no longer learn content which defined Zionism as a “racist” European movement that aims to expel Palestinians, or that Zionism’s “fundamental goal” is to expand its borders and take over Arab lands, oil wells and Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem," IMPACT said in its assessment.

Saudi Arabia and Israel do not currently have official diplomatic relations. However, the Saudi Kingdom supports the Abraham Accords and has opened its airspace for commercial Israeli airlines.

Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has repeatedly stated that he is willing to normalize relations with Israel, provided it publicly supports a path toward a two-state solution.

The Trump administration has signaled its intention to expand the Abraham Accords, with a likely emphasis on normalizing relations between its two key Middle East allies – Israel and Saudi Arabia.