{"id":24773,"date":"2026-06-18T09:10:37","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/18\/new-legislation-urges-expansion-of-abraham-accords-into-central-asia-and-the-south-caucasus-jewish-insider\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T09:10:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:10:37","slug":"new-legislation-urges-expansion-of-abraham-accords-into-central-asia-and-the-south-caucasus-jewish-insider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/18\/new-legislation-urges-expansion-of-abraham-accords-into-central-asia-and-the-south-caucasus-jewish-insider\/","title":{"rendered":"New legislation urges expansion of Abraham Accords into Central Asia and the South Caucasus – Jewish Insider"},"content":{"rendered":"

The bill is supported by a bipartisan group of 26 lawmakers
Bill Clark\/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Texas, leaves the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
A new bill introduced by the House Abraham Accords Caucus instructs the administration to work to expand the Abraham Accords to include nations in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
The bill is supported by a bipartisan group of 26 lawmakers, including the co-chairs of the caucus, Reps. Craig Goldman (R-TX), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). It follows an announcement earlier this year that Kazakhstan<\/a>, which has for decades maintained relations with Israel, would be joining the Abraham Accords.
\u201cThe more countries that are involved with Abraham Accords \u2026 then the more opportunity we [have] to guarantee peace in the Middle East,\u201d Goldman told Jewish Insider<\/em>. \u201cThat’s the overall goal, is to have peace, less war and more peace in the Middle East.\u201d
Goldman said the push was inspired by Trump\u2019s efforts and comments about expanding the agreements into that region, \u201cso we\u2019re following the president\u2019s lead on this\u201d with the goal of providing further momentum, though he said it\u2019s also a \u201ctruly bipartisan piece of legislation\u201d that should not be controversial on either side of the aisle.
The legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Earl \u201cBuddy\u201d Carter (R-GA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Rudy Yakym (R-IN), Randy Weber (R-TX), Addison McDowell (R-NC), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Mark Messmer (R-IN), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), Pete Stauber (R-MN), Don Davis (R-NC), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Lois Frankel (D-FL).
In addition to the provisions urging the expansion of the Abraham Accords into a new region, the legislation authorizes the ambassador-level special envoy for the Abraham Accords \u2014 a position created several years ago by Congress that has not yet been filled \u2014 to designate a deputy special envoy with relevant regional expertise, and bring on other necessary staff.
Lawmakers have urged President Donald Trump to fill the still-vacant ambassador post. Goldman, the Republican, said he hopes that the nomination comes \u201csooner rather than later.\u201d
Trump administration officials made early promises of quick expansion of the agreements, and Trump briefly called for Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states to join the Abraham Accords as a condition for ending the war with Iran. Gulf states have demanded progress toward a Palestinian state before joining the Abraham Accords.
Goldman firmly rejected the idea that looking at other regions for potential expansion of the Abraham Accords was an acknowledgement that Saudi Arabia or other Arab states were unlikely to join in the near future.
He said that the caucus has spoken to ambassadors from some of those countries, and said that expanding the agreements further would trigger a \u201cdomino\u201d effect. \u201cThe more we can reach out, the more countries will join, we think other countries then will be able to \u2014 and will.\u201d
Goldman also said that, coming into Congress, he wasn\u2019t expecting to join many or any caucuses \u2014 following the precedent he established during his dozen years in the Texas Statehouse \u2014 but he was recruited early on by Wagner to be a co-chair of the caucus, and has ultimately dedicated a significant amount of time and attention to it.
\u201cThe Abraham Accords Caucus has been absolutely unbelievable, completely bipartisan, incredibly educational,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cThe amount of knowledge \u2014 what I know now compared to what I knew a year and a half ago is like night and day.\u201d
He said he\u2019s also prioritized working to grow the caucus, which has picked up more than 30 new members.
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