A coalition of young Israelis, Emiratis, Bahrainis, and Moroccans are in America together to celebrate three years since the signing of the Abraham Accords and build new initiatives focused on tourism and environmental sustainability. The group will meet officials from the White House, State Department, Congress, and Senate. A special bi-partisan roundtable discussion will be held in Congress, hosted by the Abraham Accords Caucus.

In addition to meeting representatives of think tanks, academics, faith leaders, students, and philanthropists to showcase how the agreements have changed their lives for the better.

The Leaders of Tomorrow program is a joint initiative of the Tel Aviv-based ISRAEL-is and the American Jewish Committee (AJC).

The mission of the trip is to empower the next generation of leaders who are both personally and professionally connected with their peers in other signatory countries to strengthen and broaden ties and build a better future together.

Nimrod Palmach, CEO of Israel-is, said: “We are brought together an incredibly diverse group of individuals that all share a genuine mission to make our region better. We will build new programs to ensure our children are raised in a more peaceful, sustainable, and kinder version of the Middle East and North Africa.”

Zainab Al Ali, a young executive from the United Arab Emirates, described her experience thus far: “I think this experience represents imagination, richness, hope, connections, and solidarity. When we come together and work towards the Accords, we take one more step towards a better future.”

Leena Al Ayoubi, an artist and designer from Bahrain, said, “The part I loved the most and felt the most connected to was when we talked about tourism and culture; these are the essential things that need to be nurtured. When you travel, it’s how you discover culture and connect on all levels. As an artist, I can connect to this because art is the continuation of history and culture. Cultural exchange between embassies and organizations to projects between Israelis and the Accords countries – it can open another door of understanding and a shared language.”

Israeli participant Noam Bedein, Founder and director of the Dead Sea Revival Project, was hopeful: “We aim to inspire collective action in water diplomacy, including the development of regional ecotourism. This invaluable initiative fosters unity among cultures, people, and religions, promoting awareness of our region’s and the world’s most precious natural resource.

By advocating for sustainable regional ecotourism, we can harness the power of tourism to not only raise awareness about our water resources and create economic opportunities that benefit local communities and foster conservation efforts. Given our region’s distinction as the driest in the world, integrating ecotourism into our water diplomacy strategy is a crucial step toward sustainable development and global water security.

Source: Arutz 7