Father of slain American hostage urges broader Israel-Arab peace to honor his son
Ruby Chen, whose son Itay was killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, is promoting a new initiative that seeks to expand the Abraham Accords and normalize Israel’s relations with Arab states.
Ruby Chen, whose 19-year-old son Itay died serving in the Israeli military during the Oct. 7 Hamas assault, has founded the Middle East Legacy Initiative to champion an expanded Abraham Accords framework. He contends that a broader normalization with Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations could prevent future cycles of bloodshed and give meaning to his son’s sacrifice. Drawing on his relationship with the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, Chen calls on Washington and Jerusalem to translate Graham’s peace-and-prosperity vision into policy.
He points to President Donald Trump’s push for additional Arab signatories and a pending U.S.-Saudi nuclear cooperation agreement as potential levers. Chen also urges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly commit to steps that would enable Saudi-Israeli normalization despite internal coalition challenges. The effort seeks to tie U.S. economic interests to regional stability while honoring the memory of the 46 Americans killed in the attack.
Why it matters
The proposal links a grieving family's advocacy to potential diplomatic shifts that could alter Middle-East stability.
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