22 U.S.C. § 2735a — Presidential Envoy for the Abraham Accords, Negev Forum, and Related Integration and Normalization Fora and Agreements

(a) Office. The Regional Integration Office is established in State. (b) Leadership. (1) It is headed by a Special Presidential Envoy appointed by the President with Senate advice and consent, reporting directly to the Secretary of State. (c) The Envoy has ambassador rank and status. (d) Duties. The Envoy must: (1) lead diplomacy to strengthen and expand the Negev Forum, Abraham Accords, and related normalization agreements with Israel, including beneficial initiatives for key partners and other regional actors, and support regional integration; (2) carry out United States policy expanding normalization and integration within the Middle East and North Africa and between that region and sub-Saharan Africa, the Indo-Pacific, and beyond; (3) seek tangible economic and security benefits for citizens of Abraham Accords, Negev Forum, and other normalization-agreement countries; (4) be the United States ministerial liaison to the Negev Forum and other fora and represent the United States at relevant events and meetings; (5) coordinate agency engagements and strategies; (6) keep Congress regularly informed; (7) begin and advance an economic and security partnership framework with Forum countries, other key partners, and regional actors; (8) oppose efforts to delegitimize Israel and legal barriers to normalization; (9) negotiate an economic framework covering supply-chain security, common regulatory and financial standards, foreign investment, diversified and renewable energy and advanced technologies, and digital economy, cybersecurity, and cross-border data; (10) lead interagency efforts toward that framework; (11) seek to include established anti-money-laundering and anti-terrorist-financing standards; and (12) promote regional infrastructure and critical-sector investment that increases interconnection, growth, resilience, citizen benefits, and United States national-security, economic, and development interests. (e) The Envoy may not hold another executive-branch or State responsibility. (f) Congress states that whole-of-government resources should support the Envoy. (g) Within 180 days after December 22, 2023, and annually, the Envoy must report to the named committees on agency actions to strengthen and expand the Accords and Forum and advance regional integration. The report must be unclassified but may have a classified annex. (h) Within 180 days, the Secretary must submit an interagency strategy for using Federal economic tools and targeted investment to advance integration under (d)(12). (i) This section ends six years after December 22, 2023. (j) An individual already designated on December 22, 2023, consistently with (b), (c), (d), and § 2651a, satisfies (b) until leaving the Envoy position. (k) Definitions. “Abraham Accords” means the four declarations or agreements listed in subparagraphs (A) through (D). “Expand” means increasing the number of regional, Arab, or Muslim-majority countries seeking normalized relations with Israel. “Key partners” means any Accords country, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and other active, constructive countries supporting normalization and integration. “Negev Forum” means the November 10, 2022 Regional Cooperation Framework or a successor. “Observer” means a country or political entity, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, that supports the Forum’s objectives and processes, seriously wants to join certain beneficial projects, and is not a Steering Committee or working-group member; it includes Cyprus and Greece as 3+1 members. “Other regional actors” means the Palestinian Authority or a credible future political entity representing the Palestinian people. “Strengthen” means efforts improving Accords countries’ diplomatic relations and broadening the issues on which they cooperate.