US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced today (Thursday) that former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro has been named as the Biden Administration's envoy for the expansion of the Abraham Accords.
"Pleased to announce former U.S. Amb. Daniel Shapiro is joining @StateDept NEA as Senior Advisor for Regional Integration. Dan will support U.S. efforts to advance a more peaceful and interconnected region, deepen and broaden the Abraham Accords, and build the Negev Forum," Nlinken wrote on Twitter.
Shapiro served as US Ambassador to Israel from 2011-2017 under the Obama Administration. Shapiro continued to live in Israel following the end of his term and has worked as a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
Last month, Axios reported that Shapiro was being considered for the position, the creation of which signals that the Biden Administration is hoping to expand the peace accords Israel signed with four Arab countries during the Trump Administration.
Between August 2021 and March 2022, Shapiro worked at the State Department as a “part-time senior adviser” to US envoy for Iran Rob Malley.