S.4443 - Eastern Mediterranean Gateway Act
S.4443 was introduced April 29. 2026 by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). It is currently pending before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Bill Summary: S. 4443 directs the Secretary of State to prioritize the Eastern Mediterranean region in U.S. foreign policy, with a focus on energy security and defense cooperation, and authorizes the establishment and institutionalization of multilateral strategic dialogues between the United States and countries participating in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). The bill directs a feasibility study on creating new bilateral programs with Eastern Mediterranean countries modeled on existing U.S.-Israel bilateral agreements: including the Binational Agriculture Research and Development Fund, the United States-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation, the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation, and the United States-Israel Science and Technology Foundation. and on expanding those existing U.S.-Israel programs to include other Eastern Mediterranean and IMEC countries. It requires reports and studies on implementation, multilateral initiatives, and the feasibility of creating or expanding such cooperative programs.
Context: S. 4443 should be thought of as an expanded version of the Abraham Accords. It cites the Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2022 in its findings to "expand and strengthen the Abraham Accords to encourage other nations to normalize relations with Israel." The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor is not a new concept; it was initially introduced at the September 2023 G20 Summit to create new trade routes linking India through the Middle East to the Mediterranean and Europe to counter the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. While S. 4443 does not explicitly focus on construction of those routes, it is built on the same concept and ideas that pre-date Israel's genocide in Gaza, accelerated settler violence in the West Bank, and wars in Lebanon and Iran. S. 4443 creates incentives and political cover for integration of other states into bilateral agreements between the U.S. and Israel while making no effort to resolve the underlying tensions that Israel's behavior has created.
The timing of S. 4443 is concerning, it follows rising tensions within Europe surrounding the EU-Israel Association Agreement. A vote on April 21st to partially suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement was blocked by Germany and Italy. A partial suspension requires at least 15 out of 27 member states representing at least 65% of the EU population. Belgium, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden have all called for banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements within the Occupied Palestinian Territories. While European partners move to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements, S. 4443 seeks to deepen U.S.-led integration between those same states and Israel. It circumvents what is happening in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and sends a message to the Israeli government that its actions in Gaza and the West Bank will not result in any substantive policy changes from the United States Congress.
It is important to note that many of the EU countries identified in S. 4443 have publicly announced they would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
American Values Analysis: Since World War II, the United States has positioned itself as a leader of the rules-based international order, with state sovereignty and human rights as foundational principles. S. 4443 widens the gap between those stated values by deepening defense and economic integration with Israel, while Israel faces ICJ genocide proceedings, continues strikes in Gaza, while overseeing expanding settler violence, authorizes illegal settlements, and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and ignoring the sovereignty of weaker states subjected to strikes by the region's dominant military power.
American Interest Analysis: S. 4443 is not in line with American interests because it ties U.S. regional strategy and the success of IMEC to deeper integration with Israel at precisely the moment Israel's conduct is alienating the partners IMEC requires, Saudi Arabia froze normalization talks after October 7, the UAE has criticized Israeli settlement policy, European partners consider suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and a global economic crisis due to Israel starting a war with Iran. Rather than pursuing regional cooperation conditional on credible movement toward a Palestinian state and humanitarian access in Gaza, the bill repeats the mistakes of the past and incentivizes other countries to integrate with Israel.
A New Policy’s Recommendation: OPPOSE
A New Policy strongly opposes S. 4443 because it places Israeli normalization at the center of U.S. policy with IMEC and Eastern Mediterranean partners. The bill continues a pattern of ignoring the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in favor of unconditional support for Israel, prioritizing Israel's foreign policy goals over Palestinian human rights and the broader strategic interests of the United States.
For more information please contact: Josh Paul, info@anewpolicy.org, (202) 770-0055
