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, mores, 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.”