By Hussein Aboubakr Mansour | July 22, 2022

President Biden’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, hyped up for weeks by the media, ended up frustrating and disappointing those who expected a breakthrough in Saudi-Israeli normalization. But even if Saudi Arabia and Israel sign a formal Abraham Accord tomorrow, we must remember that as Israel-Egypt and Israel-PA relations show, no amount of diplomacy can substitute for countering prevalent antisemitism in Arab societies. Even though favorable diplomatic conditions are not moving as fast as many wish them to be, they still must be used to reach out to more Arab societies.

Diplomatic normalization between Arab states has its own logic: national interests and savvy statesmanship. Saudi Arabia has given enough signals that normalization is indeed on its horizon. However, they have also signaled such a horizon is not very near, and the path to it isn’t straightforward. This is frustrating enough for all those who anticipated a major breakthrough in the recent visit of President Biden to the kingdom, especially since official Saudi statements seemed to distance themselves from the issue. But such a disappointment should not be taken at face value. The Saudis and the Arab Gulf seem to be more immediately concerned with the recalibration of their relationship with the United States than anything else including their relationship with Israel.

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The Legislative Fellow is the primary contact for congressional offices and is responsible for all communications between EMET and congressional offices. (S)he must maintain professionalism in a variety of settings and effectively communicate with individuals from different backgrounds and political affiliations.

This role handles all scheduling and is expected to maintain the organization’s Google Calendar and Zoom accounts. The Legislative Fellow is responsible for obtaining and scheduling weekly meetings with congressional offices and handling all questions offices may have.

The current work environment is a combination of virtual and in-person and the Legislative Fellow must be able to occasionally attend in-person meetings on Capitol Hill on short notice. The Legislative Fellow is also expected to attend conferences and other in-person events when requested.

Responsibilities:

• Attend all congressional meetings to brief members of congress and their staff on various issues
• Stay informed on all current events related to Israel and the Middle East
• Write and publish articles on the Middle East and US policy thereof
• Produce a variety of written content on short notice such as one-page briefs, backgrounders and any other content congressional offices may request
• Lead the Q&A session during weekly webinars and assist in filtering audience questions

A competitive candidate will have the following qualities:

• Strong passion for the State of Israel and the belief that supporting a strong Israel makes for good US foreign policy
• Good public speaking, particularly the ability to answer questions and explain complicated topics cogently
• Excellent writing ability
• Ability to stay organized and multitask

If interested, send a resume to Sarah Stern at [email protected].

On July 18, 1994,  the Jewish community of Buenos Aires literally had the ground shaking underneath their feet - an explosion shattered the AMIA, the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association building, killing 85 people and wounding hundreds more. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was indicted in the attack. Alberto Nisman, the prosecutor representing the Argentinian Jewish community had spent decades uncovering evidence implicating not only the IRGC, but also complicity with Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

On January 19, 2015, the night before he was about to present his meticulously prepared case before the Criminal Law Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, his body was found in his apartment in a pool of blood with a bullet wound to his head. In the investigation of his apartment, police found a legal note paving the way for Kirchner’s arrest. According to Nisman, they had guaranteed impunity of Iran with the memorandum to unblock relations with this country and impute some called "local fascists."

 
This is not simply one incident that occurred one day in 1994, whose somber anniversary we commemorated this week. According to Toby Dershowitz, Iran has penetrated  many embassies throughout Latin America and even Western Europe. As recently as June 8, 2022, a Boeing 747 cargo plane was grounded in Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza Airport harboring 14 Venezuelans and five Iranians who might be implicated in the 1994 AMIA bombing.
 
Ms. Dershowitz has been meticulously covering this case for years and has recently written about it in Newsweek. She recently wrote: “Iran is testing us. So far we are failing.”
 
She also writes that Iran is seeking to build up its military muscle in the Western Hemisphere. In August, Venezuela is hosting war games in the form of a sniper competition, and Iran, China and Russia participating. The exercise is reportedly meant to telegraph that these militaries can reach the United States.
 
Don't miss this fascinating webinar about what is occurring right on our doorstep in Latin America.
 
About our Speaker: Toby Dershowitz is senior vice president for government relations and strategy at FDD. She has more than 30 years of experience in Washington, focusing on policy issues related to terrorism, cyber security, sanctions, the Middle East, and illicit networks in Latin America. She leads FDD’s policy roadmapping initiatives by identifying the conceptual issues and the strategy necessary to move the dial in various policy arenas. Possessing a strong commitment to bi-partisanship, she briefs and works closely with members of Congress and their staff, as well as with officials throughout the executive branch.

Toby also serves on the Board of Advisors of FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP). Her research focus includes tracking Iran’s global threat network and identifying points of leverage to counter Iran’s malign activities. She has written extensively on Iran’s role in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a case whose investigation and subsequent developments continue to be important for policymakers and law enforcement.

Toby works closely with domestic and international reporters, columnists, and editors. She has been widely published, including in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, RealClearWorld, RealClearDefense, Arab News, Moneylaundering.com, JTA, Business Insider, Forbes, The National Interest, Huffington Post, and quoted in numerous other publications.

Toby previously served as spokesperson and director of media relations for a leading foreign policy organization for 14 years and director of a press association for 12 subsequent years. Before joining FDD full time, she was founder and president of The Dershowitz Group, a public affairs and strategic communications firm.