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US Lawmakers Mark 5th Anniversary of Abraham Accords, Offer Cautious Praise Amid Gaza War
Sen. James Lankford speaks during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press
Lawmakers gathered Tuesday at an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee’s Center for a New Middle East to mark the fifth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, the historic series of normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states.
Speakers uniformly praised the accords as a bright spot in a region long defined by conflict, pointing to increased trade, cultural exchange, and security cooperation as proof of their durability. The gathering also underscored bipartisan support in Washington for the agreements, which were signed in 2020 by Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, later joined by Morocco and Sudan. The speakers also emphasized the need to expand the Abraham Accords.
Among the participants were Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).
But amid the celebration, many lawmakers struck a note of caution. Several lawmakers referenced the ongoing war in Gaza and the rising tensions across the Middle East, warning that instability threatens to overshadow the progress made in the past five years. Some lawmakers also cautioned that Israel’s recent strike against Hamas leaders in Qatar might have stymied ceasefire efforts and set back the Jewish state’s
Lankford, Co-Chair of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, underscored the importance of bipartisan support for both Israel and the Abraham Accords, saying that the landmark series of normalization agreements are “not called Trump’s accords It’s called the Abraham Accords.”
During President Donald Trump’s first administration from 2017-2021, the White House helped broker the Abraham Accords, a series of historic normalization agreements between Israel and several countries in the Arab world. These agreements are credited with helping to stabilize the relationship between Israel and many of its neighbors.
Since returning to the White House, President Trump has vowed to expand on the Abraham Accords, arguing that bolstering the normalization agreements
Lankford added that he notices a difference in how countries involved in the Abraham Accords, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco, have handled the ongoing war in Gaza, noting that these nations have curtailed extremist behavior within their own populations.
Ernst, Co-Chair of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, indicated that she is hopeful that the accords will help strengthen Israel’s relations with its Arab neighbors. She also lamented Israel’s recent strike in Qatar, noting Qatar’s status as an American ally and its integral role in mediating ceasefire negotiations.
She also added that Saudi Arabia was very close to joining the Abraham Accords until the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. Despite the setback, the lawmaker believes that Saudi Arabia remains open to normalizing relations in Israel after the war in Gaza concludes.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.