Below is your weekly edition of E-News recapping key developments affecting Israel’s security.
AIPAC Mourns Passing of Representative Elijah Cummings
AIPAC mourns the passing of Representative Elijah Cummings. Representative Cummings was a strong advocate of the U.S.-Israel relationship. His innovative Youth Program, ECYP, helped forge ties between young people in his beloved Baltimore and youth in Israel. The pro-Israel community extends our condolences to his family, his constituents and his many admirers throughout the country. The two-year ECYP initiative gives young people from Rep. Cummings’ district in Baltimore’s inner city “the tools and experiences they need to get ahead in life, including the chance to visit the place that helped to inspire me to do the work I do,” Rep. Cummings said when speaking at AIPAC’s Policy Conference in 2014.
Khamenei Urges IRGC Terrorist Force to Develop Advanced Weapons
On October 13, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to develop more advanced weaponry. "The Guards should have advanced and modern weapons,” Khamenei said. “Your weapons should be modern and updated.” Iran’s military arsenal now includes thousands of missiles with the capability to reach Israel and other U.S. allies across the region. It is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, reportedly providing more than $7 billion annually to terrorist organizations.
U.S. Sanctions Iranian-Linked Chinese Shipping Entities
On Sept. 25, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned six Chinese state-owned shipping entities, including several subsidiaries of COSCO Shipping Corp.—one of the world’s largest shipping corporations with a fleet of over 1,000 ships. After continuing to import Iranian oil despite U.S. sanctions, the companies were targeted pursuant to Executive Order 13846 for transporting and importing Iranian crude oil. Shortly after, China announced it would not proceed with a major natural gas project in Iran. These recent events illustrate the significant impact of the United States maximum pressure campaign against the Iranian regime.
Israel is a strategic ally working with the United States to keep Israelis and Americans safe. Israeli defense electronics company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. says that it has delivered a first consignment of Trophy anti-missile protection systems to the U.S. Army to help protect American soldiers on the battlefield. The Trophy anti-missile protection system is sought after for its ability to defend tanks against a wide range of battlefield threats including rocket propelled grenades. The system has been in operational use with the Israel Defense Forces since 2011. On many occasions it has intercepted missiles fired at Israeli armored vehicles during incidents in and around Gaza.
United Hatzalah Opens Second Chapter in New Jersey
United Rescue, United Hatzalah of Israel’s affiliate organization in the United States, is launching its sixth international chapter, and its second in New Jersey, to provide fast neighborhood-based emergency response as a complement to the regular ambulance service. In keeping with the model successfully implemented in 2006 throughout Israel, all the volunteers live or work in the neighborhoods where they will respond to calls. “The launch of United Rescue Englewood is helping to fulfill our vision for United Hatzalah’s lifesaving model of crowdsourced first response to be one of Israel’s great gifts to the world,” Mark Gerson, cofounder and chairman of United Hatzalah of Israel and United Rescue USA, said.
