In a statement, Stephen M. Greenberg, Conference of Presidents Chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, said:
“In a time of escalating threats to Israel from the arsenal of more 150,000 missiles and rockets supplied by Iran and stockpiled by Hezbollah, including sophisticated precision guided weapons capable of targeting hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians in major population areas in Israel, the belligerent threats to Israel posed by Iran’s ongoing development and testing of its long range missiles in blatant violation of internationally imposed restrictions and the ever present peril of renewed rocket and missile attacks on Israel from Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza, the decision by the Obama Administration to oppose the overwhelming bipartisan Congressional support for increasing Israel’s ability to defend its people is very troubling.
“President Obama and senior U.S. military leaders have repeatedly acknowledged that assuring Israel has the necessary military resources to counteract missile and rocket assaults at a time of increasing instability in the Middle East promotes U.S. national security interests in the region. Israel’s missile defense systems have also provided a valuable contribution to America’s own missile defense program and security.
“The public and formal objection to Congress increasing the budget for Israel’s missile defense is a disturbing departure from the prior practice of this and previous administrations. This could risk emboldening the forces of terror and instability and heighten concerns among friends and allies of the U.S. in the region.
“We urge the Administration to promptly reconsider its stand.”
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Preceding provided by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
The America Israel Public Affairs Committee issued the following statement:
AIPAC commends the U.S. House of Representatives for significantly bolstering its support of U.S.-Israel missile defense cooperation in the fiscal 2017 defense appropriations bill. The House appropriated $635.7 million for U.S.-Israel missile defense programs, which will help Israel defend its citizens against rocket and missile threats, and contribute to America’s missile defense programs.
The bill specifically includes:
$268.7 million in research and development funding for U.S.-Israel cooperative missile and rocket defense programs;
$25 million in research and development funding for U.S.-Israel directed energy activities, such as laser technologies, to combat missiles and rockets;
$72 million for procurement of the Iron Dome rocket defense system;
$150 million for procurement of the David’s Sling missile defense system; and
$120 million for procurement of the Arrow-3 missile defense system.
The measure provides for a significant portion of these procurement funds to be spent in the United States. In addition, the House included $42.7 million for U.S.-Israel anti-tunnel cooperation to continue developing technologies for dealing with the complex challenge of locating, mapping and destroying terrorist tunnel networks.
AIPAC applauds the leadership of House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY) and House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) and Ranking Member Peter Visclosky (D-IN) who ensured that these critical programs were included in the legislation. As Israel faces dramatically rising security challenges, AIPAC urges inclusion of these vital funds in the final versions of the Fiscal Year 2017 defense authorization and appropriations bills.