First of all, we are very proud of our own Hussein Aboubakr Mansour, Director of EMET’s program of Emerging Democratic Voices from the Middle East, who was invited to consultations with Arab royal families last month to discuss the future of the region and normalization with Israel, as well as their concerns regarding the Iranian nuclear talks.
He also wrote an article about the experience which was published today in Tablet.
According to a recent count by Legislative Fellow Gabe Toole, EMET has held well over 600 meetings with staffers on Capitol Hill regarding Iran since April 2021, when negotiations with Iran and the P5 + 1 countries (France, the UK, China, Russia, Germany, and - indirectly - the United States), began in Vienna, and continued in Doha. During the bulk of these meetings, we have spoken about Iran inserting extraneous demands into the negotiations, such as removing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the Foreign Terrorist Organization List, as well as their demand for guarantees that the deal will not be abandoned by future administrations.
We have described the talks in minute detail as well as the acceleration of Iran’s nuclear program and have kept Congressional staffers up to date regarding Iran’s enrichment capabilities, its malign behavior throughout the region and around the globe, its global power projection and its lucrative trade and alliance with China and Russia.
Below are a few of bills that EMET has urged legislators to support this summer:
The COI Elimination Act, H.R. 7223and S. 4389 – This bill seeks to abolish the “U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel” by restricting US funding to the UN.
The COI is a kangaroo court with an unprecedented budget, scope and lack of oversight created in the aftermath of Hamas’s May 2021 war on Israel. This UN Human Rights Council - which includes countries like China and Venezuela, despite their human rights records - produced a highly biased and flawed report last month and will do so semi-annually forever.
If this bill doesn’t pass, America will be providing this kangaroo court with precious taxpayers’ dollars in which to single out Israel, and Israel alone, in perpetuity.
Taylor Force Martyr Payment Prevention Act of 2021/2022 S. 3318 and H.R. 7824 – This bill is meant to deter foreign financial institutions from providing banking services to foreign terrorist organizations. The original Taylor Force act passed in March 2018 conditions aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) on stopping “pay for slay,” or rewarding terrorists through their “martyrs’ fund” and “prisoners’ fund.”
The DEFEND Act of 2022 H.R. 7987 and S. 4366 – This bill requires the Secretary of Defense to cooperate with allies in the Middle East, including Israel, to develop the necessary missile defense mechanisms to prevent an attack by Iran. The bill asks for a feasibility study to be submitted to Congress within 6 months.
We are very supportive of this initiative as Israel is regarded as the military superpower, leading a large group of Sunni Arab nations from within the region against the Iranian nuclear threat. This is something many of us would have only dreamed of just a few short years ago.
We encourage you to call or write to your legislators and urge them to support these critically important bills.
EMET’s work is critical and we cannot continue without your support. Help us advocate for Israel and defend against Iran by donating today.
Donate to support our work here, or you can send a check to:
Endowment for Middle East Truth, P.O. Box 66366, Washington, DC 20035
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