(JNS) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday complimented the Trump administration for the Abraham Accords that normalized relations with Israel and several Gulf states and Muslim nations. Blinken was testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the Biden administration’s foreign-policy agenda when U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) asked him what he thinks his predecessor, Mike Pompeo, did correctly.

In his response, Blinken referenced technological advances and the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords. “Trying to help bring the State Department into the 21st century, the use of technology and empowering some of our people with technology, [which is] something we really want to follow through,” he said. “And as we were talking about earlier, I think the initiatives that led to steps by countries to normalize relations with Israel were a very good thing and something we want to build on.”

The U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were signed on Sept. 15 in Washington, D.C. Sudan and Morocco followed suit just months afterwards.

Main Photo: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken delivers remarks to the media at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on February 26, 2021. State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha