With a special message from Israeli Olympian Hailey Kops
Recapping the Week
As the fate of the nuclear negotiations with Iran remains uncertain, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez went to the Senate floor on Tuesday, urging others to recognize the extent of the Iranian nuclear threat.
Go deeper: The senator provided a frank reminder of how close Iran is to becoming a nuclear threshold state and the importance of ensuring that never happens.
Also this week, the Biden administration and a bipartisan chorus of House and Senate members this week roundly condemned Amnesty International's libelous report accusing Israel of apartheid.
Leadership responses:
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides called the report "absurd."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, "Delegitimizing the existence of the State of Israel – a fellow democracy and the world’s only Jewish state – as Amnesty does in its report, brings the parties no closer to peace, but simply hardens the extremes who do not wish to ever see a two-state solution…"
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the report is "a gross mischaracterization of Israel, its history, and its values."
Key Stories to Note
Israel provided intel used in U.S. operation to kill Islamic State leader — report Read more here
Israel signs security memorandum with Bahrain, its 2nd with an Arab nation Read more here
UAE intercepts three ‘hostile drones’ as U.S. says it will send warship to Gulf nation Read more here
Israel offers to help UAE bolster defenses after Houthi attacks Read more here
Israel’s small but proud Olympic delegation takes aim at the Beijing Winter Games Read more here
What to Watch On-Demand
Shabbat Shalom!
A message from Olympian Hailey Kops
VIDEO • february 4, 2022
Shabbat Shalom from Olympian for Team Israel Hailey Kops! Hailey is in Beijing competing in the figure skating competition.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) sat down with AIPAC to share his story and discuss his staunch support for the U.S.-Israel relationship in Congress.
Rep. Gottheimer represents New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District in the northernmost part of the state. He was first sworn in on January 3, 2017, and is now in his third term in office.
On the premiere episode of Headlines with the Haddads, Emily Schrader and Yoseph Haddad talk about the surge in antisemitism, the increasing aggression by Iran-backed militias in the Middle East, and the new Amnesty International report that labels Israel as an "apartheid" state.
Apartheid. The word at the far end of critique of Israel. And when similar accusations of antisemitism are lodged at Israel’s critics, it too can shut down dialogue. Can meaningful discussion exist when the most extreme positions on each side increasingly define the conversation about Israel?
Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain talk about polarization around Israel, the diminishing of the Jewish conversation, and their hope for creating a new space for dialogue.
Jerusalem to Ankara: Turkey's Teetering Relationship with Israel
PODCAST • Israel Policy Forum
Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel in 1949, shortly following Israel’s independence, and the countries shared close ties for decades. Yet recent years have seen a deterioration in the Israel-Turkey relationship, and President Isaac Herzog is set to visit Turkey soon in a bid to repair it.
Tel Aviv-based journalist and Policy Advisor Neri Zilber hosts Policy Director Michael Koplow and INSS Senior Research Fellow Gallia Lindenstrauss to explain how the friendship between Jerusalem and Ankara soured, the prospects for real reconciliation, and the role of the Palestinian issue in both strengthening and straining this important relationship.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) joins AIPAC to discuss his path from the FBI to the halls of Congress, the shared threats facing America and Israel, and the importance of bipartisanship.
For 14 years prior to representing his hometown of Pennsylvania's First Congressional District, Brian Fitzpatrick served our nation both as an FBI Special Agent and Federal Prosecutor, fighting both domestic and international political corruption, and supporting global counterterrorism and counterintelligence efforts – including being embedded with U.S. Special Forces as part Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) traces his path from local politics to national politics, looks back at his trips to Israel, and discusses why supporting the Jewish state and its vibrant democracy is so important.
A lifelong resident of Manchester, New Hampshire, Chris was born into a proud Greek-American family. In Congress, Chris focuses on the issues that matter most to Granite Staters, including improving access to health care, lowering the high cost of prescription drugs, combating the addiction epidemic, and protecting our environment and drinking water.
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.
