Over the past two weeks, Israel took decisive action against an enemy 10 times its size and 2,000 miles away, to safeguard the future of the Jewish state.
Over the past two weeks, Israel took decisive action against an enemy 10 times its size and 2,000 miles away, to safeguard the future of the Jewish state.
The success of Israel’s Operation Rising Lion and America’s Operation Midnight Hammer is a testament to the power of the U.S.-Israel alliance, and we've played a critical role in forging that bond.
Decades of lobbying Congress for vital security assistance enabled Israel to buy the most advanced fighter jets in the world and take control of Iran's skies. Years of lobbying for missile defense programs enabled Israel to shield its families from Iran's ballistic missile and drone attacks. Promoting Israel’s entry into CENTCOM opened the doors for the intelligence sharing and training exercises that proved essential in this war.
The Jewish state’s ability to change its strategic landscape has been made possible by Israeli will, ingenuity, and heroism – and by our work to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance.
And yet, our experience has taught us that threats to Israel don’t go away, they just change.
In fact, I believe one of the things that binds most AIPAC members is a recognition that we can never be complacent in the quest to keep America and Israel secure, and that we know everything can change very quickly. We must immediately turn our attention to the work ahead.
U.S. efforts to re-engage with Iran are already underway. We must lead the fight to ensure Iran is permanently and verifiably blocked from enriching uranium, its ballistic missile program is destroyed, and that sanctions relief doesn't pave the way for Iran to repair and rebuild its proxies across the region.
After an extensive war, we must ensure the Jewish state has the resources and support it needs to protect its families, confront emerging threats, and continue to fight a multi-front war, including its fight to free all 50 hostages. We must work with Congress to replenish Israel's capabilities after it expended significant quantities of vital munitions and missile interceptors.
This moment must be an accelerant for growing and strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship. We must position Israel as the ideal modern ally – strong, capable, and taking actions that advance America’s interests. We must secure Israel’s role as a strategic partner in every way the U.S. seeks to lead in and define the 21st century.
This victory needs to be parlayed into securing more normalization agreements with Israel. America should use its diplomatic might to bring Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, and other Arab and Muslim states into the Abraham Accords and forever transform the Middle East.
This war only further exposed the clear lines between those who support Israel and those who work to undermine our ally.
To grow and strengthen bipartisan support for the U.S.-Israel relationship, we must urgently raise massive pro-Israel political resources.
It is our responsibility to demonstrate the political benefit of standing with Israel and the political cost of standing against it.
We are in an urgent race to raise the pro-Israel resources we need to compete in House and Senate races and continue to send the vital message that being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics.
The foundation of all our work is you, and our whole community of 5 million AIPAC members. I'm deeply honored to be in this fight with you and know that together we will continue to ensure that America is strong, Israel is secure, and the U.S.-Israel relationship grows from strength to strength.
Sincerely,
Bernie Kaminetsky
AIPAC President
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.
