83 senators sign AIPAC-backed letter urging ‘robust’ defense package for Israel
Published April 25, 2016
Workers prepare the stage before for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee 2015 Policy Conference. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — An AIPAC-backed letter to President Barack Obama urging a more “robust” defense package for Israel reportedly garnered the signatures of 83 senators.
The letter, initiated by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and Chris Coons, D-Del., was one of the lobbying day requests during the American Israel Public Affairs Committee annual conference last month.
Reuters reported on Monday that it had garnered the signatures of 51 Republicans and 32 Democrats, more than four-fifths of the Senate.
Among the Republicans signing was Ted Cruz of Texas, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Bernie Sanders, an Independent of Vermont, a candidate for the Democratic nod and the first Jewish candidate to win major party nominating contests, did not sign, Reuters said.
Israel and the United States are currently negotiating a ten-year defense assistance package, or Memorandum of Understanding, to follow the current package set to expire next year, which guaranteed an average of $3 billion annually. It is widely expected that the next package will be significantly larger.
AIPAC praised the letter. “We applaud this statement from the Senate of overwhelming bipartisan support for a robust, new Memorandum of Understanding with Israel that increases aid while retaining the current terms of the existing program,” its spokesman, Marshall Wittmann, said in a statement.
The letter does not specify an amount to increase the overall defense assistance package, but notes that Congress is already considering increasing the close to $500 million annually it budgets for missile defense cooperation, which has until now been considered separately from the defense package.
The letter cites a series of what it depicts as enhanced threats in the region, including a missile buildup by Hezbollah in Lebanon; Syria becoming a battleground for an array of forces hostile to Israel, including Iran and militant Sunni Islamist groups; and an increase in terrorism in the Sinai.
It also notes what it says is the influx of weapons into the region and the possibility that Iran will abrogate the recent nuclear deal and seek nuclear weapons.
“The nature and breadth of the current threats mean that the United States must enhance its investment in the long-term security requirements of our closest Middle East ally,” the letter said. “We urge you to conclude an agreement for a robust MOU that increases aid while retaining the current terms of our existing aid program.”
