Rep. Schneider traveling to Middle East despite Israel’s attack on Iran
A congressional delegation to the Middle East that will include U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Highland Park will not be deterred by Israel’s fresh military attack against Iran.
“I think this is an especially important time to be in the region,” Schneider, a Democrat representing the suburban 10th District, said in a telephone interview Friday.
Schneider is one of four lawmakers headed to the region. The others are fellow Democrat Jimmy Panetta of California and Republicans Zach Nunn of Iowa and Don Bacon of Nebraska.
The group intends to visit Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and meet with leaders of those nations, a Schneider spokesperson said. They’ll discuss issues including expansion of the Abraham Accords, the bilateral agreements concerning normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Inked in 2020, the agreements were mediated by the U.S.
Schneider is co-founder and co-chair of the U.S. House’s bipartisan Abraham Accords Caucus. The group aims to encourage deeper partnerships among the existing Abraham Accords countries and expanding the agreement to include nations that don’t have diplomatic relations with Israel.
“The hope of everybody is that we can chart a new course for the region,” Schneider said. “I see it as a way to break away from the gravity of history.”
Schneider, who is Jewish, has traveled to Israel and other Middle Eastern countries several times during his time in Congress, most recently last year.
The trip is expected to last a week, the spokesperson said. It’s sponsored by the N7 Initiative, a nonpartisan effort to enhance relations between the U.S. and nations in the Middle East and elsewhere. The initiative is funded by a think tank called the Atlantic Council and the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation.
Israel attacked Tehran, Iran's capital, early Friday, reportedly targeting nuclear and military sites. The attack occurred amid rising tensions about Iran’s advancing nuclear program.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted an anonymous official saying Iran will offer a “decisive” response to the attack.
Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn’t want — though officials there have repeatedly warned it could build them. The U.S. has been preparing for something to happen, already pulling some diplomats from Iraq’s capital and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East.
The trip also coincides with a war in Gaza that’s approaching its second anniversary. While supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, Schneider has called for peace and the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza. He did so again Friday.
But he also acknowledged there won’t be peace for the people of Gaza and Israel “as long as Hamas remains in control.”
· Daily Herald wire services contributed to this report.