# The PEACE Act: What It Does

The PEACE Act is designed to make sure American diplomats and State Department employees working in the Middle East understand the Abraham Accords and other peace agreements involving Israel. The Abraham Accords are a series of agreements that started in 2020 where several Arab countries (like the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain) agreed to normalize relations with Israel. This bill essentially says the State Department should teach its staff about these agreements so they can do their jobs more effectively in the region.

Here's what the bill actually requires: The State Department needs to create new training courses at the Foreign Service Institute (where diplomats learn their skills) and develop online training modules about the history and details of these peace agreements. The bill also allows the State Department to give fellowships and grants to diplomats who want to study these agreements more deeply or work with organizations involved in implementing them. Additionally, the bill creates an advisory board of four experts in diplomacy and Middle Eastern affairs who will help guide what gets taught and how the training programs are designed.

The practical impact is fairly limited for most Americans. This mainly affects State Department employees and diplomats who work on Middle East issues—they'll need to complete training on these agreements as part of their job. The bill requires the State Department to report back to Congress within a year with a detailed plan for how they'll implement this training, and then submit annual progress reports for the next four years. There's no funding amount specified in the bill itself, so Congress would need to approve money separately if they want this program to actually happen. For everyday citizens, this is essentially about making sure American diplomats are better informed about Middle East peace efforts, which could theoretically lead to more effective foreign policy in the region.