The Israel lobbys power over Congress: Both parties obey
Jan 15, 2021 22:51 · 967 words · 5 minute read
Let’s talk a little bit about Israel. We will always stand with Israel first and foremost, so everybody understands that very clearly. There’s nobody on this stage that’s more pro-Israel than I am. When I was a young senator, I’d say if I were a Jew, I’d be a Zionist. I am a Zionist. You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist. The uniform that I were in the military, unfortunately, was not an Israeli uniform. It was an American uniform. Israel has always been a strong ally of ours and I appreciate that.
00:34 - I voted just this week to give money – more money to them through the Iron Dome. And I made clear to him that his strongest ally on the globe is the state of Texas. I’ve always proudly stood by Israel. This is not just the result of my work but also of my many personal ties and experiences. I will never yield in my support of Israel and that unshakeable bond… And this relationship, from Truman to Trump, is a tradition of supporting Israel – deeply.
01:09 - And I think about that every day as I serve as America’s Secretary of State. We stand with the democratic state of Israel. And this is why today I come before you to support the 225 million in additional funding. We are the most natural of allies. And like Israel itself, that alliance is forever. Debbie Wasserman Schultz who was here… She has a very important position on appropriations, which is where this bill of funding for Israel takes place.
01:46 - Lois Frankel is on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Alcee Hastings on rules, but he’s our, our top person, our chairman of the Helsinki. And that’s important in terms of anti-semitism as well as pro-Israel initiatives.
02:00 - And I’ve been on both the Foreign Relations Committee for 10 years and I’m the number two person on the Intelligence Committee and been there for 10 years. So this– I’m not a stranger to this stuff. So… Ted Deutch is the Chair of the Middle East Subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs Committee. The list goes on. Nita Lowey is the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, the first woman and a big supporter of Israel, as you know. Eliot Engel is the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Adam Schiff is the Chair of the Intelligence Committee. So we have people very well placed who share our values. The two most important committees for Israel are Foreign Affairs and Appropriations, and you couldn’t have two stronger supporters of Israel, both New Yorkers, than Nita Lowey and Elliot Engel. And it is our honor to lead the committees that write nearly every piece of legislation that advances the strong U. S. Israel relationship.
03:08 - There is tremendous pressure, inside the political process, to make sure that the voters stay aligned inside either the Democrat or Republican parties. Why? Because both of those parties have been captured by special interests. And there’s no more special interest – that has any more influence than the pro-Israel lobby. But it’s important that Israel always maintains bipartisan support especially in the congress. I’ve, for my entire life, worked to make sure that anytime an issue of U.
S. Israel relationship comes up, that it’s overwhelmingly supported by Democrats and Republicans. For the last 10 years I’ve had the chance to do it.
03:54 - I always included a Republican lead sponsor because the foundation of our relationship must remain bipartisan, as it has been for decades. But if there’s one thing that we concur on, whether we be Democrats or Republicans, and we are a bipartisan delegation, we come together in support with our friends – our only true friend in the middle east – and that’s Israel.
04:18 - I believe Israel should never be a partisan issue and as long as I’m a United States senator, I will do everything in my power to ensure broad and bipartisan support.
04:31 - I want to thank you, Democrats and Republicans, for your common support for Israel, year after year, decade after decade. No matter on which side of the aisle you sit, you stand with Israel.
04:46 - And as we move legislation, we need all of you to build relationships on both sides of the aisle. Democrats and Republicans together.
04:58 - Every candidate for congress at that time had a pledge. They were given a pledge to to sign and, uh, so the pledge had Jerusalem as the capital city, uh, the military superiority of Israel… American Congress people have to sign this pledge? Yes. But we have to make sure that there is security because that is the first responsibility of any government.
05:26 - It’s the oath we take as members of Congress, and any of you who are part of any, uh, official organization, to protect and defend. And we have to make sure that the security of Israel is essential – that is essential to a solution. I don’t believe there is any long-term permanent peace solution and I think pursuing that’s the wrong thing to do. I believe that every day that we can have stability in that region by supporting the Israelis, and making sure they have the weapons and the security that they need, with our 100 percent backing, is the way to proceed in the middle east in regard to Israel.
For as long as I have the privilege of serving in the senate from New York, I will unflinchingly, unstintingly, and with all of my strength, be Shomer Yisrael, a guardian of Israel. If this capital crumbled to the ground, the one thing that would remain is our commitment to Israel. .