A US congressman has withdrawn his support for a bill promoting the expansion of the normalization of ties between Israel and Arab countries, US media reported.
New York Representative Jamaal Bowman announced dropping his co-sponsorship of the Israel Relations Normalization Act, also known as HR2748, according to the New York-based daily news website TAG 24.
US Rep. #JamaalBowman, the New York Democrat who has been less critical of #Israel than other members of the progressive “#Squad,” is dropping his support for a bill that would help Israel expand normalization agreements with Arab countries.https://t.co/gMB3kzVsfg
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) February 17, 2022
The bill promotes the creation of a strategy to strengthen the former US President Donald Trump-era so-called “Abraham Accords” to establish relations between Israel and Sudan, Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates.
After expressing his initial support, Bowman will eventually vote “no” on the bill when it is brought to the House floor, though his vote is not likely to impact the result.
Honorable step against sports normalization…
Algerian international players, Rafeeq Saifi, Rafeeq Hallish, and Rabeh Majer, have withdrawn from an exhibition match with the best Arab and international players due to the participation of an Israeli coach.#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/BT9fAqo2tr
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) December 18, 2021
In a letter to his constituents, Bowman said he first supported the bill “as an opportunity to make progress toward justice and healing in the Middle East as well as a path to a two-state solution.” But he changed his mind and decided to walk back his support, explaining that “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.”
“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.”
(WAFA, PC, Social Media)
Any deal with Israel that does not recognize Palestine is a bullshit deal.