NEW YORK — US congressmen from New York state voiced strong support for Israel during a meeting with Jewish leaders on Sunday, amid tension between the Biden administration and Israel’s new government over its plans to overhaul the judicial system.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted the democratic values shared by the two countries during a visit to Israel last week, a clear sign that the White House is concerned about the new government’s plans for judicial reforms. radical right. Speaking alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken also called for “urgent action” to ease tensions with Palestinians after violence flared up in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Those concerns were largely absent at Sunday’s event in Manhattan, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Representatives Hakeem Jeffries, Grace Meng, Jerrold Nadler, Yvette Clark, Mike Lawler, Gregory Meeks and Adriano Espaillat, addressed an audience of more than 250 people at the annual Congressional Breakfast hosted by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.
The elected officials have repeatedly stressed the importance of US-Israeli relations and US support for Israel’s security.
“In a difficult region, at the end of the day, the only language people respect is strength. You can achieve peace, but it will only be through force,” said Jeffries, the House Minority Leader. “So I think the congressional delegation – every member here – will remain engaged on the Democratic side to ensure that we maintain Israel’s qualitative military advantage. »
“It’s our commitment, rock solid, we’ll never waver,” Jeffries said.
“Recent events highlight the dangers Israel faces every day. Not only have we seen an aggressive resurgence of terrorist violence emanating from the West Bank, but the situation in Gaza remains extremely tense,” Meeks said. “I intend to work with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s new government to jointly address our common challenges, including the threat from Iran. »
U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks speaks during a press conference outside the USPS Jamaica station in the borough of Queens, New York, on August 18, 2020. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Meeks, a senior member and former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also said he “can now officially announce” that the Iranian nuclear negotiations are “no longer on the table.”
« It’s always a good time to do the right thing and it’s always the right thing to defend Israel,” he said, paraphrasing Martin Luther King Jr.
Lawmakers pointed to bipartisan support for Israel, days after the Republican-led House ousted Rep. Ilhan Omar from the committee over her past comments deemed anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.
“We have an obligation, and not just for the safety and security of Israel but obviously for our own security. Israel is our greatest ally and we must continue to nurture this relationship,” Lawler, the only Republican speaker, said.
Schumer also pointed to the benefits of this relationship for US security, saying that “our Department of Defense depends” on Israeli defensive cyber security.
Nadler was the only speaker to address the Netanyahu government’s justice plans. The question of settlements and Israel’s policy towards the Palestinians was also almost entirely avoided, apart from a few mentions of the importance of a two-state solution.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (NY) makes an opening statement during a hearing with Corey Lewandowski, former campaign manager for U.S. President Donald Trump, September 17, 2019, on Capitol Hill , in Washington. (Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
“Several of the policies and proposals coming out of the new coalition government in Israel are very disturbing,” Nadler said, echoing an op-ed he published in Haaretz last month. “I am particularly concerned about announced plans to undermine the judicial system and the system of checks and balances, which is fundamental to the functioning of a democracy. »
“The US-Israel alliance is rooted in democratic principles, but that alliance will be endangered if democratic principles are not upheld,” Nadler said, also pointing to a recent letter from 169 American Jewish leaders expressing concern about the plans to overhaul the judicial system.
Jeffries said the US-Israel relationship was “rooted in shared democratic values.”
“It is important to recognize Israel as a place that is, and always will be, a Jewish and democratic state,” he said.
Members of Congress have also repeatedly called for combating rising anti-Semitism – with Jeffries calling hatred of Jews a “stain on our society”.
Meng, who co-chairs the bipartisan House of Representatives Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, pointed to some of the group’s priorities, including better data collection on hate crimes.
Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) speaking at a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, May 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
“It’s a bipartisan issue,” Meng said. “It is very important that we speak out. We can’t just speak up when this hate attacks our community. We need to speak up when hate touches any community. We will therefore continue to intensify these efforts. »
In addition to the Congressional delegation, Israel’s Consul General in New York, Assaf Zamir, spoke at the meeting. Representatives from the embassies of Japan, Turkey, Bulgaria, Kosovo and Germany as well as New York City officials were also present.
