Close Working Relationship with Israel Needs to Continue

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of August, I was able to join the majority leader and a number of my fellow freshmen on an 8-day trip to Israel.

I would like to thank Leader McCarthy for organizing this informative
and memorable visit, which taught me so much about the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship and the numerous challenges and opportunities facing our two countries and our other allies in the region.

It is impossible to visit Israel without feeling the weight of history, from Biblical times to modern day. Staying in Jerusalem, seeing Bethlehem up close, viewing Israel from atop the Golan Heights, and traveling all along the Jordan River, all made a lasting impression.

My time in Israel also impressed me on Israel's undeniable security needs in the face of the persistent threat from Iran and its proxies in Syria and Lebanon, as well as the instability and violence stemming from the long-running conflict with the Palestinians.

Listening to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's presentation to our congressional delegation greatly enhanced my level of support for Israeli foreign aid, just as listening to the Palestinian Authority's presentation greatly enhanced my opposition to foreign aid for Palestine.

For these reasons, I believe U.S. security assistance to Israel should continue to be a high priority, and I am proud that defense collaboration between our two countries has yielded many important developments, including the Arrow anti-ballistic missile system, which is among the top missile shield technologies in the world.

Considering the growing threat of North Korea's nuclear missile program and Iran's ballistic missile development, it is clear that our efforts in this field are more important now than ever.

In addition to our successful cooperation on defense, the U.S. and Israel also work together on many other issues. One of these issues that is of particular interest to me is agriculture. I never dreamed that Israel's agriculture industry would be as advanced as it was.

Despite a very challenging ecosystem, Israel produces enough food to feed their entire country, as well as boasts a very impressive agriculture export market.

In conclusion, I believe the close working relationship between our two governments will remain critically important for many years to come, and I am grateful for the opportunity to advance these ties in one small way through my visit last month.

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