WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)- Hundreds of activists from 23 states across the country, from California to Ohio, to New York, Pennsylvania and Florida, participated in the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)’s Annual Advocacy Mission to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 21. Meeting with almost 100 Members of Congress or their legislative staffers, ZOA activists urged them to:
1) To support S. 2265 (Stand with Israel Act of 2014) and H.R. 1337 (Palestinian Accountability Act) which would oppose further U.S. aid to Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) (currently over $600 million per annum) until it fulfills its signed agreements under Oslo to arrest and imprison terrorists, dismantle terrorist groups and end the incitement to hatred and murder within the PA-controlled media, mosques, schools and youth camps, end the PA alliance with Hamas, and to recognize Israel as a Jewish state;
2). Support S. 1881 (Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013) and H.R. 850 (Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013) which would lead to imposing new, tough sanctions on Iran in the event that it violates the Geneva Interim Agreement with the U.S. and Europe (P5+1) fails to agree to ending its nuclear weapons program. The ZOA also requested Members of Congress to support U.S. or Israeli military action against Iran should it prove necessary to stop Iran going nuclear; and
3) Support and understand the legal, historical, religious and political right of Jews to live in Judea/Samaria and to oppose the canard, based on a willful and politicized distortion and intentional misinterpretation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, that Israel’s presence there is unlawful and a war crime.
At the ZOA’s Congressional Luncheon, held prior to the congressional meetings in a magnificent room in the Russell Senate Office Building on Constitution Ave, ZOA activists were joined by both Democratic and Republican U.S. Senators and House Members. They included
- Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
- Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)
- Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
- Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)
- Senator James E. “Jim” Risch (R-ID)
- Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL)
- Representative Ed Royce (R-CA)
- Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
- Representative Bill Johnson (R-OH)
- Representative Billy Long (R-MO)
- Representative Ted Poe (R-TX)
- Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA)
- Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ)
- Representative Steve King (R-IA)
- Representative Scott Perry (R-PA)
- Representative Tom Price (R-GA)
- Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY)
- Representative Ron DeSantis (R-FL)
- Representative Mark Meadows (R-NC)
- Representative Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL)
- Representative Alan Grayson (D-FL).
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “It is so inspiring to the ZOA and our delegates to hear these fabulous, pro-Israel speeches by the most important Members of Congress, which included the Chairs of both the Senate and House Foreign Relations Committees and several potential presidential candidates. One delegate after another made it clear to me that they were thrilled to spend a day in their lives to fight for Israel, for strong U.S./Israel relations, and to educate Members of Congress about the truth about the on-going Arab war against Israel, which seeks Israel’s destruction, not any sort of negotiated settlement.”
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Preceding provided by the Zionist Organization of America