Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony
Abraham Accords Signing CeremonyOfficial White House Photo by Andrea Hanks

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is holding up a bill intended to formalize Congressional approval of the Abraham Accords over last minute amendments that significantly water down support for Israel, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

On July 24, Cruz released a statement explaining his reasons for removing himself as co-sponsor of the Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021.

Cruz stated that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee re-wrote the bill at the last minute to declare that pushing for a Palestinian state is US policy and authorizing the transfer of millions of dollars to the Palestinian Authority. It also overturned longtime US policy with regard to supporting Israel in negotiations with the PA.

“Too many American lawmakers have forgotten that Israel is one of our closest allies and a sovereign nation,” said Cruz. “Over the years, multiple administrations have pressured Israel to give up its sovereignty and its territories for a Palestinian state, an act not just of breathtaking hubris but which emboldened Palestinian terrorism.”

Cruz noted that when the “Trump Administration ended those counterproductive policies by standing with Israel and turning off the spigot of money to the Palestinians (that) subsidized terrorism,” the path toward the “historic success and peace” of the Abraham Accords was created.

“The Biden Administration has reversed those successes and even banned the use of the phrase Abraham Accords,” said Cruz.

Remarking that until this week, Congress was making headway advancing the Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021, which “celebrated the spirit and letter of those Accords” and of which he was a “proud” co-sponsor, Cruz said that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee “radically changed” the bill hours before the vote.

“The language added declared it would be ‘policy of the United States' to create a Palestinian state and to pour millions into Palestinian areas despite ongoing Palestinian government salaries for terrorists,” Cruz said. “I offered amendments to return the bill to its original bipartisan embrace of the Abraham Accords, but they were rejected.”

Cruz added, "US diplomats have no business telling our Israeli allies what to do with their territories, let alone pressuring them to cede sovereignty for a Palestinian state. We should not be subsidizing Palestinian terrorism. I have removed myself as a co-sponsor of the rewritten Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021, I voted against it today, and I will continue to oppose it."