Jewish Dems Affirm Support for U.S. Military Assistance to Israel

WASHINGTON–The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) affirmed its support for full funding of military aid to Israel in the aftermath of President Trump’s unprecedented pressure on Israel to ban two members of Congress from visiting. In response to calls from Rep. Ilhan Omar to cut or condition aid to Israel, JDCA Chairman Ron Klein said the following:

“We remain outraged that President Trump urged the Israeli government to ban two members of Congress from visiting and believe the government of Israel should not have acceded to Trump’s ill-advised interference in its democracy. The U.S.-Israel relationship is grounded in shared values that transcend personalities and politics, and we strongly reject President Trump’s efforts to politicize this relationship.

“We also support full funding of military aid to Israel, per the provisions of the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Israel. As stated in JDCA’s platform, ‘America should continue its security aid to Israel to ensure the Jewish state maintains its qualitative military edge and ability to defend itself.’ Recent events have not changed that assessment. This is why we support and continue to support, legislation codifying the 10-year MOU. President Trump might not understand the value of honoring America’s commitments to our allies, but we do.

“When Rep. Rashida Tlaib ran for Congress, we publicly opposed her suggestion to cut or condition aid to Israel, and we spoke out against Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) when he unilaterally blocked legislation codifying the MOU last year. And now, with Rep. Ilhan Omar calling for cutting or conditioning aid to Israel, our position has not changed. We will continue to oppose actions that weaken or politicize the U.S.-Israel relationship, including the unacceptable barring of members of Congress from visiting Israel. For the same reason, we will also continue to oppose cutting aid to Israel.”