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Friend of Israel,

AIPAC works day-in and day-out to strengthen and expand the U.S.-Israel relationship and ensure our ally Israel has the resources and support needed to defend itself.

This week, we saw important progress on Capitol Hill when the House Appropriations Committee passed important pro-Israel provisions that we've been lobbying for—critical measures that will help keep Israel safe.

These provisions include:

- $500 million for U.S.-Israel missile defense cooperation including lifesaving programs like Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow.


- $47.5 million for U.S.-Israel anti-tunneling cooperation to help develop new capabilities to detect and destroy underground terror tunnels.


- $25 million for cooperation to address evolving threats including combating the threat of drones.And this comes just a few weeks after the Committee fully funded $3.3 billion in security assistance to Israel—critical funding that ensures Israel has the resources needed to defend itself, by itself—without added political conditions.

But our work is far from over. Before these bills become law, they must be passed by the full House and Senate.

In the weeks and months ahead, we will work tirelessly to ensure that these measures are adopted by Congress with bipartisan support.


I will be in touch as this and other key funding bills continue to move forward in the legislative process.

TAKE ACTION:
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Urge your member of Congress to support full security assistance to Israel.


Below my signature are more key news items we are following this week.


Brian Shankman

Chief Strategy Director for National Affairs


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Iran Plots Against an American Journalist
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Iranian intelligence officers conspired to kidnap and render to Iran a Brooklyn-based American journalist, according to a newly unsealed federal indictment.

The target was Masih Alinejad, a prominent Iranian dissident and regime critic. She has ardently supported women’s rights and objected to Iran’s policy of forcing women to wear the hijab.

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Fortunately, the FBI and Justice Department were able to thwart the audacious plot.Why it matters: This outrageous plot constitutes just one more in a long line of Iranian efforts to attack Americans, our troops and regime dissidents around the world.

The big picture: Iran is a comprehensive threat that requires a comprehensive solution.

The way forward: The United States must insist Iran end its illegal, reckless actions—including its violation of nuclear commitments—before we consider sanctions relief.

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IDF: Hezbollah is Storing Weapons Meters Away from a School
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This week, the IDF revealed a Hezbollah weapons warehouse just meters away from a Lebanese school with 300 children.

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In a statement, the IDF said, "like this target, there are thousands of similar ones belonging to Hezbollah, which endanger the lives of Lebanon's citizens."Context: This week marks the 15-year anniversary of the 2006 Lebanon War.
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15 years later, Hezbollah's actions—including its abhorrent use of human shields—guarantees that a future conflict with the Iranian-backed terrorist group will be far worse.The big picture: Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed terrorist organization that cares more about killing Israelis than protecting Lebanese civilians.
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By using Lebanese children as human shields, Hezbollah is setting the stage for innocent people being killed.The way forward: Defeating terrorism is necessary for peace.

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HOW YOU CAN HELP

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It is through the generosity of our members that AIPAC works to help make Israel more secure by ensuring a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.

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SUPPORT AIPAC TODAY



Members of Congress Press the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Payments to Terrorists
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Last week, House Foreign Affairs Committee members on a delegation to Israel, the West Bank and Qatar expressed disapproval of the PA's payments to terrorists during a meeting with PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

- The PA's "pay for slay" policy rewards imprisoned terrorists and the families of dead terrorists for killing Israelis.Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) said the delegation "emphasized such payments are completely and totally unacceptable."

This week, Israel's security cabinet voted to withhold nearly $184 million from the Palestinian Authority (PA) to offset funds paid to terrorists and their families.
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According to a recent report, the PA transferred more than $180 million to "indirect support for terror in 2020."The big picture: Palestinian leaders are robbing Palestinians of a better future by spending millions rewarding terrorists and incentivizing more attacks.



The UAE Opens its Embassy in Tel Aviv
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) formally opened its embassy in Tel Aviv today.

The Emirati embassy inauguration comes two weeks after Israel opened its embassy in Abu Dhabi during Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's visit to the UAE.

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Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the opening of the UAE embassy is "an important milestone in our shared journey toward a future of peace, prosperity and security for the Middle East."
Context: This move comes less than a year after the two countries announced they would establish open relations.

The big picture: It's a new era for Israeli-Arab peace, prosperity and progress.
In Congress: The Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021 seeks to expand the recent peace and normalization agreements between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
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The bipartisan bill recognizes that these agreements have the potential to transform the region and enhance the prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.TAKE ACTION:
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Urge members of Congress to cosponsor this important bipartisan legislation.

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Who's Who in the New Israeli GovernmentDemocracy. Diversity. This is Israel.


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Orna Barbivai | Economy Minister
Orna Barbivai will serve as Israel's Economy Minister. She was the first woman to achieve the rank of Major-General, the IDF's second highest rank.


She is one of nine female ministers in Israel's government – the most in Israel's history.

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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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