Included the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, was a provision that would create a special envoy for the Abraham Accords, a proposal that was sponsored by a bipartisan pair of New York congressmen: Hudson Valley Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and New York City Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres.

The Abraham Accords are a set of diplomatic agreements between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates that were signed during the Trump administration in 2020. Later on, Morocco and Sudan were added. The agreement, which was mediated by the United States, allowed for full diplomatic relations and recognition of Israel between the Arab countries and Israel.

Due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the Bahraini and Israeli ambassadors have returned to their respective countries and Bahrain has suspended economic activity with Israel.

The legislation, which is headed to President Biden’s desk, would create an ambassador-level position of a special envoy with the task of coordinating U.S. interests with those governments, non-governmental officials and stakeholders in the region. The proposal was Rep. Lawler’s first bill to pass the House since he was elected last year.

In a joint statement, Lawler called the passage a “momentous step” and Torres said, “we are bending the long arc of the Middle East in its proper direction – toward peace and prosperity.”

The National Defense Authorization Act passed the House in a bipartisan fashion with a vote of 413-13. The bill will become law when it is signed by President Biden.