No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section expresses the sense of Congress that (1) educating relevant federal officials on the Abraham Accords (i.e., 2020 normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states) and prior Israel normalization agreements is essential to advancing U.S. commitments to Middle East peace, cooperation, and stability; (2) the Secretary of State should ensure comprehensive training on the history, principles, and future applications of these agreements for U.S. diplomats and personnel working in the region or on related issues; and (3) the Secretary of State should train U.S. diplomats on the policy codified in sec. 104 of the Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2022, as amended.
This section authorizes the Secretary of State to (1) supplement existing courses at the Foreign Service Institute (i.e., the primary training institution for Department of State personnel) and other State Department training facilities with instruction on the Abraham Accords, peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, and other normalization agreements relating to Israel, covering their diplomatic history, implementation strategies, and implications for regional peace; and (2) develop virtual training modules and interactive content on the principles, history, and diplomatic impacts of these agreements, accessible to Department of State employees and officers worldwide. For the virtual training, the Secretary determines eligible countries to ensure alignment with current diplomatic objectives.
This section authorizes the Director General of the Foreign Service to award fellowships or grants to eligible Foreign Service officers participating in programs, projects, or activities engaging with counterparts in Abraham Accords and other normalization agreement countries—as determined by the Secretary of State pursuant to section 3(b)—or with regional organizations in the Middle East. Such activities include (1) short-term and long-term fellowships with educational institutions, nongovernmental organizations, or diplomatic organizations involved in negotiating and implementing the Abraham Accords and other agreements; and (2) opportunities to collaborate with regional governmental and nongovernmental institutions that are part of the Abraham Accords or have normalized relations with Israel.
This section establishes a nonpartisan Abraham Accords and Normalization Advisory Board consisting of four individuals with expertise in diplomacy, Middle Eastern studies, interfaith dialogue, and peace-building. The Secretary of State must establish the board not later than 180 days after enactment, with one member appointed by the chair and one by the ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and one member appointed by the chair and one by the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. The board shall provide unanimous independent advice and recommendations on curriculum development, resource management, and strategic planning for education and training curricula within the Foreign Service Institute and Department of State relating to the Abraham Accords and other normalization agreements.
This section directs the Secretary of State, not later than one year after enactment, to submit to the appropriate congressional committees a strategy for Department of State training and education programs focused on the Abraham Accords (i.e., normalization agreements between Israel and certain Arab states) and other Israel normalization agreements. The strategy must include (1) a plan to integrate such education into existing training for Foreign Service officers and other personnel, (2) unanimous recommendations of the Abraham Accords and Normalization Advisory Board (under section 5) with explanations for any departures, (3) training requirements and goals to build understanding and capacity among U.S. personnel on related issues in relevant countries, and (4) an analysis of alignment with the strategy required by sec. 105 of the Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2022; the Secretary must submit progress reports on implementation not later than one year after the strategy submission and annually thereafter for four years.