Introduction

As a Christian and follower of the Word of God, I believe God’s Covenant to Abraham grants overarching legitimacy to the nation of Israel and it is the duty of all Judeo-Christian nations to support the continued prosperity of Israel. Since its founding, Israel has remained a close ally of the United States and the history of relations between the two nations is one of friendship and comradery. Our strong bond with Israel is cemented in a strong foundation of shared values, morals, and beliefs, and it is in the best interest of the United States and Israel to extend our harmonious relationship into the future as an example of strong fellowship between nations.

America looks to the inspirational history of Israel as an example of the economic, political, and social stability democracy can bring to a country. Israel’s economic, diplomatic, and cultural success in the face of a constant barrage of enemy attack and subterfuge serves as a beacon of hope for the advancement of peace throughout all nations. As a contemporary in the effort for stability and prosperity in the Middle East, Israel has served alongside the United States as a steadfast ally. The United States, in return, has provided financial, military, and diplomatic support to Israel in order to further our shared goals.

If elected to Congress, I will support measures that will strengthen the bond between the United States and Israel and I will lend my voice in Congress to assert the continued support of the United States to Israel as one of our strongest foreign policy agendas.

In short, our shared history and commitment to strong, continued relations with the nation of Israel can be summed up by President Reagan’s statements at the National Conference of Christians and Jews on March 23, 1982, “Since the rebirth of the State of Israel, there has been an ironclad bond between that democracy and this one … America has never flinched from its commitment to the State of Israel–a commitment which remains unshakable.”

United States Assistance to Israel

Peace in the Middle East requires a strong presence from the United States and its allies, and no ally has been more stalwartly in the advancement of democracy and order in the Middle East than Israel. In the face of the ever constant threat of Islamic terrorism at home and abroad, it is always in the interest of the United States to support Israeli military, counter-insurgency, and counter-terrorism efforts. In an effort to advance our own national security and the security of our allies, I support efforts of the United States to arm and equip Israel with the necessary defenses to protect their resources and, most importantly, the lives of their citizens. If elected to Congress, I will support policies that increase the

ability of Israel to defend itself. Pro-Israeli policy is paramount in our efforts to protect our interests overseas, therefore I support the authorization of U.S. security assistance for Israel as outlined in the 2016 U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding, extending authorization of loan guarantees to Israel, a joint assessment between the U.S. and Israel of the type and amount of munitions needed by Israeli forces to defend itself against terrorist groups, and all other provisions outlined in the United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018.

Threat of Iran

Due to its continued sponsorship of terrorism, aggressive military actions towards citizens in Syria and the backing of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, and its continued violation of human rights against its own citizens through judicial repression, Iran should be considered an aggressive enemy of the U.S. and its allies and their development of nuclear weapons should be prevented at all costs. Despite efforts of previous administrations to curb Iran’s threat to the U.S. and Israel in the “Iran Nuclear Deal,” Iran continues to test ballistic missiles which violate U.N. prohibitions and many are skeptical whether or not Iran is honoring the provisions set forth in the agreement to prohibit Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. Furthermore, the agreement does not restrict Iran’s ability to manufacture nuclear weapons after the provisions expire.

Therefore, I support further sanctions designed to hinder Iran’s testing of ballistic missiles, halt the state’s sponsorship of terrorism and terrorist activities, and deter further violations of human rights by Iran against its own citizens and the citizens of other countries.

Support of Israel Anti-Boycott Legislation

The call for an International economic boycott of Israeli goods is a thinly veiled attempt to delegitimize Israel and the continued targeting of Israeli goods and products is unsound and irrational. Not only is economic prosperity in Israel is a boon to the global economy, but strong business development is key in mending cultural divisions and creating peace in the region. Israel continues to prosper as one of the most diverse countries in the world and the underlying goals of the boycott on Israel are counterintuitive to their own defined purposes of creating harmony in the region.

If elected, I will support the Israeli Anti-Boycott Act and other Anti-Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) legislation. Policies that reiterate Congress’s opposition to BDS activities and strive to end commercial activities with the sole intent of harming Israel’s economy are needed to protect Israeli business owners and further stabilization efforts in the region.

Peace Process

Peace will be realized in the Middle East through the efforts of the nations in the region, not through impositions of third parties such as the United Nations. As a sovereign nation, Israel has the sole right to decisions about it’s long term security and must be present, along with the Palestinian Authority, at the negotiating table for any peace-making provisions to be considered legitimate. Furthermore, the Palestinian Authority must cease its involvement with terrorist organizations and demonstrate its commitment to peace in Israel. It is the responsibility of the United States to use its veto power in the United Nations Assembly to block any efforts made by the international community to impose peace on Israel or mitigate the efforts of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to create peace on their own terms.

If elected, I will continue to publicly iterate my support of a peace process framework developed through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and I openly reject any form of an imposed solution upon the state of Israel from the international community.

Conclusion

If elected to Congress, I will work to maintain a strong relationship between the United States and Israel. The prosperity of both our nations relies on our the prosperity of each of our nations individually. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the United States to continue our military assistance to Israel so that it can properly defend itself against all forms of insurgency and foreign aggression, to impose further sanctions against Iran to protect domestic and overseas interests from the threat of Iranian backed terrorism and nuclear attack, to support legislation to mitigate the impacts of the illogical and ill-willed attempts of BDS organizations, and to support a peace process developed between Israel and the Palestinian authorities without disturbance or imposition from the international community.

In closing, I would like to point, again, to a short statement made by President Reagan that states, in the simplest terms, the future of relations between Israel and the United States of America: “We will always remain at each other’s side.”