The Foreign Service Journal, October 2020

18 OCTOBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL country, after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, to normalize relations with Israel. As part of the deal, Israel agreed to suspend plans to annex part of the West Bank. “Normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is a historic step that will enhance the security and economic interests of both countries,” NBC quoted Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) as saying. “This breakthrough is a power- ful example of how diplomacy can bridge historic divides and advance the United States’ interests.” On Aug. 19, The New York Times reported that the Trump administra tion is planning to sell F-35 stealth fighters and advanced drones to the Emirates, but that “without the support of the Israeli government, it is unlikely Congress would support the sale.” Netanyahu, the NYT reports, has strenuously denied “that he gave even tacit consent for the sale of the F-35s … as part of recent diplomatic nego- tiations with the White House.” Al Jazeera reported Aug. 20 that Presi- dent Donald Trump expects Saudi Arabia to join the Israel-UAE peace deal, but that Riyadh said it won’t join an agreement until Israel “has signed an internationally recog- nized peace accord with the Palestinians.” Diversity & Inclusion Proposals Go to State Management T hree State Department employee affinity groups sent a memo to Dep- uty Secretary of State Stephen Biegun on July 8 requesting reforms they say would “enable employees of color to success- fully thrive and rise through the ranks of the Department of State.” The three groups—theThursday Luncheon Group, Pickering and Rangel Fellows Association, and Blacks in Gov- ernment–Carl Rowan Chapter—called for six reforms in the areas of accountability, retention and career advancement. The groups urged the department to reform the FS selection board process “by mandating the inclusion of an affinity group representative on all boards.” They also said any Foreign Service or Civil Service member subject to an equal employment opportunity complaint of merit should be excluded from serving on any selection board for two to five years, as determined by the Director General of the Foreign Service. The groups requested the creation of a new office to address toxic workplace dynamics and reports of microaggression and discrimination. They also requested that the bureaus of Global Talent Management and Medical Services provide Foreign Service mentor- ing and counseling services to support employees of color at every stage of their careers. They also said that the department should include “Diversity and Inclu- sion Effectiveness” as a fourth tenet of employee evaluation reports, and that senior performance pay should be linked to the promotion of diversity and inclu- sion. n This edition of Talking Points was com- piled by Cameron Woodworth and Shawn Dorman. Diplomats’ Tremendous Work [We were] forced to pull back thousands of our diplomats and their families, but you didn’t just pack up and go without a thought of your fellow Americans. Instead the department launched an unprecedented mission to help return more than 100,000 Americans safely home. All of us who par- ticipated in that are greatly appreciative of the department’s work in that regard. In some cases, this involved convincing countries to reopen their airspace for flights and roads for transport. In other places, you even chartered planes to get our American people home. There are lots of folks who may never come in contact with the department, yet now there are more than 100,000 Americans who can person- ally attest to the tremendous work that the department does for our people every day, and the chal- lenges get more numerous and complex. We want to support a State Department that is up to the task, fully funded, staffed and equipped to advance U.S. national interests on all fronts. —Chairman Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, “Review of the FY 2021 State Department Budget Request,” July 30. Diplomacy’s Strength Of course, as we all know, the strength of our diplomacy starts and ends with the strength of our diplomatic corps. —Ranking Member Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, “Review of the FY 2021 State Department Budget Request,” July 30. HEARD ON THE HILL JOSH