For the first time since the signing of the Abraham Accords on September 16, 2020, a coalition of young Israelis, Emiratis, Bahrainis and Moroccans traveled to Washington, DC, together to celebrate what has been achieved and to build personal bonds between the countries.
During their stay from September 15 to 19, the group met officials from the White House, State Department, Congress and Senate. A special bipartisan roundtable discussion was held in Congress, hosted by the Abraham Accords Caucus.
They also met representatives of the European Union, think tanks, academics, faith leaders, students, and philanthropists to explain how the agreements have changed their lives for the better.
The delegation, dubbed Leaders of Tomorrow, is part of a joint initiative of the Tel Aviv-based ISRAEL-is organization and the Mimouna Association of Morocco, together with a coalition of young leaders from all the Abraham Accords countries.
“The accords have not only dramatically changed the geopolitical reality in our region. They have changed the lives of millions of Jews, Christians and Muslims who would have never had the opportunity to interact,” said Eyal Biram and Matan Dansker of Israeli-is.
“Israel-is has been at the forefront of pushing long-term people-to-people programs ever since. This is the first time that we have united friends from all the countries as one unit to celebrate and plan for the future.”
El Mehdi Boudra, founder of the Mimouna Association, said the mission to was “an opportunity to bridge the gap between Jews and Muslims by creating an authentic space with a circle of emerging Arab and Israeli young leaders from the Abraham Accords countries to build a sustainable peace and better for future for our region.”
Majed Alseyabi of the UAE Youth Council added, “Leaders of Tomorrow is a great platform for connection and collaboration between young and talented professionals from our nations, throughout which we will discuss local, national, and global issues and come up with creative and innovative solutions. As an Emirati, I believe that it’s my responsibility to build connections and culture to enhance a warm peace, based on tolerance and coexistence.”
The delegation was supported by Voices of Israel and hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
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