Together, we can help usher in a new era of peace for Israelis, Arabs, and the entire region.
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With your help, conflict can give way to cooperation in the Middle East
Dear John,
Today at the White House, history was made. Israel is now at peace with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain after signing agreements with both nations at a ceremony this afternoon, which I was privileged to attend along with AJC CEO David Harris.
We all have reason to celebrate this momentous news. We celebrate Emirati and Bahraini leaders for their courage and foresight, Israeli leaders for their ability to seize the great potential of peace, and American leaders for their essential role in facilitating these welcome outcomes.
And we celebrate nearly three decades of unparalleled AJC engagement with Arab leaders—from North Africa to the Arabian Gulf—in pursuit of regional peace and interfaith reconciliation.
Cooperation can replace conflict in the Middle East. With your support, AJC is helping to make that possible.
 
Since our first consultations in the Gulf in 1994, AJC has made countless visits to the region. We met quietly with Emirati and Bahraini leaders, as well as senior officials from other Gulf states, and we diligently encouraged greater contact with Israel and the Jewish world.
When news broke of the deals between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain, they came as a surprise to many. Not to AJC.
This is what we have been working toward for more than a quarter-century, with support from friends like you.
In fact, in the months leading up to the peace accords, Arab officials used AJC platforms to reveal their thinking on the benefits of cooperation with Israel.
  • At AJC Virtual Global Forum 2020 in June, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash spoke of the wrongheadedness of isolating Israel and praised AJC for its “remarkable” work in building bridges among Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities.
  • Prior to that, during an AJC program in May, UAE Ambassador to the United Nations Lana Nusseibeh spoke about Israel’s place in the region and the need for the two countries to collaborate. Right after the agreement was announced, the Ambassador joined us again, saying: “It’s important to acknowledge the role that… AJC and your members played in getting us to this point.”
  • One year ago, AJC honored Bahrain with its Architect of Peace award in recognition of the role the country has played in encouraging interfaith cooperation. Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the country’s foreign minister at the time, received the award on behalf of King Hamad, explaining that, more than 40 years ago, “Sadat, a man of war, knew that at the right moment he would go to Israel and talk to the people.”
Yet again, we see how AJC’s unique vision and effective, behind-the-scenes diplomacy has helped forge new paths toward peace.
The next step on that path? AJC recently announced big news: We will open an office in the UAE, our 13th overseas outpost and our first in an Arab nation.
The winds of change are blowing in the Arab world. With your contribution to AJC, they will only grow stronger.
Together, we can help usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for Israelis, Arabs, and the entire region.
Salaam. Shalom. Peace.
Jason Isaacson
Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer
AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel,
and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world.

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