U.S. - Israel Relations - American Jewish Congress

October 13, 2020 - Joel Rubin appointed as Executive Director of the American Jewish Congress

American Jewish Congress President Jack Rosen is excited to announce that the organization has hired Joel Rubin to be its next Executive Director. Rubin brings a wealth of both Jewish community and Washington, DC experience to the position, having worked for more than two decades as a Jewish activist, Congressional aide, political advisor, and national security official in both Republican and Democratic administrations. The hiring of Rubin builds upon the storied 102-year-old legacy of the American Jewish Congress as a leader of the American Jewish community. The organization has played a central role in the most significant events impacting both…

September 18, 2020 - American Jewish Congress salutes House resolution supporting Abraham Accords

The American Jewish Congress salutes the introduction of the House bipartisan resolution supporting the status-quo breaking, U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords that Israel signed with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain. We thank Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY-16) and Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX-10), respectively the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, for their leadership. The U.S. Congress has a critical role in foreign policy and in advancing peace efforts. We continue to support the bipartisan consensus in support of Israel and believe that support on both sides of the aisle is essential to building a more…

September 16, 2020 - HAARETZ: U.S. Jewish Groups Divided on Israel’s Trump-brokered Pacts With UAE, Bahrain

Originally published in Haaretz. American Jewish groups are split on what the signing of the “Abraham Accords” between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Tuesday will mean for prospects of peace with the Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed a peace treaty with the UAE and a declaration of peace with Bahrain in an official ceremony on White House south lawn. The ceremony was overseen by U.S. President Donald Trump, who brokered the agreements. “Today’s ceremony sends a clear message that it’s a new era for Israeli-Arab relations,” the American Israel Public Affairs Committee wrote in a statement. The lobbying group added that…

September 15, 2020 - American Jewish Congress celebrates the signing of the Abraham Accords

Today, in a historic event on the White House South Lawn, Israel will sign peace agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. We applaud President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their leadership, vision and commitment to bringing this epochal change. We thank Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed of the UAE and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain for their leadership and determination to lead the way towards these tectonic shifts towards peace in the Middle East. We salute the American, Israeli, and Arab diplomats who were involved and skillfully contributed to finalizing the accords. The ceremony…

September 13, 2020 - JNS: Jewish and pro-Israel groups welcome Israel-Bahrain normalization agreement

Originally published in JNS. Jewish and pro-Israel groups instantly applauded Israel and Bahrain for agreeing on Friday to normalize relations between the two countries—the second of its kind between Israel and a Persian Gulf nation in the wake of the United Arab Emirates. It’s also the fourth peace accord between Israel and a Middle Eastern country, following Egypt in 1979, Jordan in 1994 and the UAE, which agreed to such a deal on Aug. 13 and is scheduled to formalize it in a White House ceremony on Tuesday. Bahrain will also be part of the ceremony, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…

August 13, 2020 - American Jewish Congress hails the Abraham Accord

The American Jewish Congress celebrates the announcement of the Abraham Accord, a historic agreement brokered by the United States between Israel and the United Arab Emirates for full normalization of relations between the two countries. We congratulate President Donald J. Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed for this monumental step towards peace. We salute the American, Israeli, and Emirati diplomats involved, and particularly Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer and UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, that succeeded in materializing this agreement. The American Jewish Congress has engaged with Arab leaders for decades, trying to promote a culture…

August 7, 2020 - JNS: American Jewish groups react to Elliott Abrams as new special representative to Iran

Originally published in JNS. American Jewish and pro-Israel groups reacted to the news on Thursday that Elliott Abrams has replaced Brian Hook as U.S. Special Representative for Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the announcement that Hook was resigning after being the main point person for the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against the Iranian regime. Abrams has been serving as the U.S. State Department’s special representative for Venezuela, a post he will continue to retain. President of the American Jewish Congress Jack Rosen told JNS that Abrams “will have little time to settle in,” citing the upcoming…

July 14, 2020 - American Jewish Congress praises adoption of anti-BDS bill in Missouri

The American Jewish Congress praises the leadership of Missouri Governor Mike Parson for signing the vital “Anti-Discrimination Against Israel Act” into law yesterday. This important legislation, which passed on May 14, 2020, with the overwhelming support of both chambers of Missouri’s legislature, aims to prevent misguided efforts from the anti-Israel and antisemitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement which encourages engagement in boycotts that harm Israel. The law requires companies with 10 or more employees who are looking to enter into business contracts worth more than $100,000 with the State of Missouri to certify that they do not or shall…

July 8, 2020 - JNS: Senate amendment would prohibit US funding for West Bank sovereignty application

Originally published in JNS. A Senate amendment has been introduced that would prohibit U.S. funding for Israel to apply sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, also known as Judea and Samaria. A group of 13 Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), filed an amendment to the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would not allow U.S. assistance to “deploy or support the deployment of United States defense articles, services or training to territories in the West Bank unilaterally annexed by Israel after July 1, 2020, or to facilitate the unilateral annexation of such territories.” Other…

July 7, 2020 - American Jewish Congress opposes the Van Hollen amendment that jeopardizes Israel’s security

The American Jewish Congress expresses its disappointment with the decision of a group of 13 Senate Democrats - led by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and two others - to file an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This amendment attempts to prohibit Israel from using U.S. security assistance funds for the annexation of territory, an act already prohibited by an agreement made between Israel and the U.S. in 2016.Recognizing that Israel's ability to defend itself against multiple threats in a hostile Middle East is of paramount importance and is deserving of financial assistance, the Obama Administration enshrined…

U.S. - Israel Relations - American Jewish Congress - Page 6

Donate to Strengthen

Our recent work strengthening U.S. - Israel Relations includes...