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Dear A.,
Next week, Israel will go through its annual transition from profound sadness to profound joy.
Tuesday is Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, the day when Israelis across the country come to a standstill in honor of those who have died defending the State of Israel and all victims of terrorism. Unfortunately, 90 Israelis were added to this list in the past year.
Wednesday is Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, the day when a people were officially reunited with their historic homeland following thousands of years of exile. Israelis around the country celebrate this momentous achievement.
This immediate transition is no coincidence. It is an intentional and stark reminder of the sacrifices required to maintain a Jewish state.
Israel exists as a homeland for the Jewish people today because generations of young men and women have been willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to defend it.
It's this essential truth that inspires us all to do everything we can to defend and strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship day after day, decade after decade.
And this year is a particularly historic milestone for the Jewish state, marking 75 years of Jewish independence in the modern state of Israel. We shared these memos with congressional offices, looking back on 75 of
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history ,
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shared values ,
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partnership ,
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alliance ,
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promoting peace and
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progress between America and Israel, encouraging them to join us in celebrating this momentous occasion.
Next week, the House of Representatives will vote on a bipartisan resolution celebrating Israel’s 75th anniversary and calling for increased U.S.-Israel cooperation.
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Please urge your representative to vote YES on this important resolution.
Thank you for all you do to help keep Israel safe, now and for generations to come.
Israeli Defense Minister Warns: Multi-front Escalation is Likely
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
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warned Thursday that Israel is likely facing a multi-front war as Iran steps up its proxy attacks on Israel.
Go deeper: "This is the end of the era of limited conflicts," Gallant said, "We are facing a new security era in which there may be a real threat to all arenas at the same time."
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His comments come after Israel saw near-simultaneous terrorist attacks from Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and within Israel itself.
The big picture: Gallant made clear that the Iranian regime is responsible for the escalating violence.
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"Iran is the driving force in the convergence of the arenas. It transfers resources, ideology, knowledge, and training to its proxies," he said.
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Iran funds — spending more than $1 billion annually — and directs terrorist groups across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
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The leader of the IRGC's elite Quds Force held a series of meeting with terrorist leaders across the region in recent weeks, including those in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.
Iran Escalates Attacks Against America and Israel
Iran is stepping up its attacks against Americans and Israelis, through cyber warfare and its terror proxies.
The latest: An Iranian hacking group has started to attack American infrastructure, as Iran continues to target American troops overseas.
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Hackers connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have targeted "U.S. critical infrastructure,"
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according to a senior intelligence and research engineer at Microsoft .
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On Wednesday,
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the FBI warned that Iran is "breaching U.S. laws" to intimidate and harass Americans on U.S. soil, using "new tactics."
Meanwhile: There have been 83 Iranian drone and rocket attacks on American troops in Syria and Iraq just since January 2021.
Anti-Israel Forces Attempt to Undermine the U.S.-Israel Relationship in Congress
While the overwhelming majority of Congress works to strengthen ties with Israel — including by supporting the full funding of security assistance to Israel with no added conditions — some anti-Israel lawmakers are trying to undermine the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Last week, 14 members of Congress, led by Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Sen. Bernie Sanders, sent a one-sided, anti-Israel letter demanding the Biden administration condition aid to Israel.
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This anti-Israel letter — which was signed by 9 members endorsed by J Street — falsely insinuated that Israel is engaged in gross violations of human rights while ignoring Palestinian terrorist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and the Palestinian Authority’s heinous pay-for slay program.
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In response to Rep. Bowman's continued anti-Israel actions in Congress, a group of multidenominational Rabbis from Bowman’s district
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published an open letter calling on him to stop his “anti-Israel charades.”
But this letter isn’t the only recent challenge to the U.S.-Israel relationship.
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Also last week, Justice Democrats — the political organization that proudly supports Reps. AOC, Omar and Tlaib —
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issued a call to its supporters to help take on AIPAC and expand the anti-Israel Squad in Congress.
Together, we must redouble our support for pro-Israel friends in Congress and prevent new anti-Israel candidates from being elected.
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The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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