US Congressman Jamaal Bowman to withdraw co-sponsorship of Arab-Israel normalisation agreements

Congressman Jamaal Bowman says he plans to withdraw his co-sponsorship of a bill that supports Israel's normalisation with some Arab states and will vote against the bill when it comes up in the House, according to a report by Jewish Currents.     

The Israel Relations Normalization Act gives legitimacy to and strengthens the so-called Abraham Accords, which opened relations between Israel and Arab states Sudan, Bahrain, Morocco, and the UAE.

The deal, brokered by former President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, created official ties between Israel and the Arab countries that already had similar political leanings and interests.  

At the time, the deal was widely criticised for its superficial nature and lack of coordination with all relevant parties, particularly the Western Saharans, whose claims to their ancestral land were granted to Morocco with the stroke of a pen. In addition, many slammed the deal for not including the Palestinians in these decisions that would impact their lives.  

Since then, the deal has quietly and slowly won more support among the mainstream political class, a clear example of which is the Israel Relations Normalization, which has bipartisan support from 330 (or 75 percent) of the members of the House. 

Bowman, who ousted longtime Israel supporter Eliot Engel in 2020, is considered among the more progressive members of Congress. His record on Palestinian rights, however, is sometimes criticised for instances of inconsistency. 

Last year, he co-sponsored a bill to prevent aid from being sent to the Israeli military that could lead to human rights abuses against Palestinian children. He also voted to block the sale of $735 million in bombs to Israel.

But he disappointed some of his progressive supporters for other positions, such as backing an extra $1 billion being sent to Israel for its Iron Dome anti-rocket defence system.

In November, he took part in a trip to Israel and Palestinian territories, which angered several chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America, an important backer of his 2020 campaign. 

It appears to be this very trip that influenced his most recent position on Israel. In the letter to his constituents, explaining his reasoning behind voting against the normalisation act, he cited that he had learned from his tour of the region. 

He wrote that although he originally supported the bill because he saw it as a chance for "justice" and "healing" in the Middle East - and for a two state solution - his recent trip convinced him otherwise.  

"My experience on the ground and further conversation with constituents led me to see that it is not the right step to fulfill these goals," he wrote.

"Furthermore, I became aware that the deals that this bill supports and seeks to pursue, have included deals at odds with human rights and safety for everyday people in the region."