Skip to main content

Former US envoy to Israel Dan Shapiro named Abraham Accords adviser

Shapiro's appointment to the newly created position comes as the Biden administration seeks to boost Israel's ties in the Arab world, particularly with Saudi Arabia.

Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
Dan Shapiro speaks during his swearing-in ceremony as the US ambassador to Israel at the State Department July 8, 2011, in Washington, DC. — Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

WASHINGTON — The State Department has named former US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro as its point person for expanding the Abraham Accords between Israel and its Arab neighbors. 

Shapiro's appointment as the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs’ senior advisor for regional integration comes as the Biden administration seeks to build on the Abraham Accords, which under former President Donald Trump in 2020 established formal ties between Israel and Arab states including Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.  

“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,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a tweet Thursday.  

Blinken announced earlier this month that the State Department would be creating a new position aimed at further integrating Israel into the region, which he described as a “cornerstone” of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy. 

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Continue reading this exclusive analysis

Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. Subscribe to AL-MONITOR to read this story and access everything we publish