Lebanon Expert Briefs Hill Staff

A leading expert on Lebanon and Hizballah addressed some 50 congressional staffers and other members of the policy community about the Lebanese government's ties to Hizballah and their implications for U.S. policy in the region. Tony Badran, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the author of the respected blog Across the Bay, highlighted the recent unprovoked attack by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) against Israeli soldiers as an example of Lebanon's growing radicalism. He also expressed the need for a new U.S. approach to the Lebanese government and voiced support for recent moves by members of Congress to raise questions about continuing U.S. aid to the LAF in light of the attack, which killed an Israeli commander. The briefing was sponsored by the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), a charitable organization affiliated with AIPAC.

AIPAC Mourns the Loss of Senator Ted Stevens

AIPAC mourns the loss of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK). Sen. Stevens was a strong friend of Israel and a staunch supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship.  Working together with his colleague Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), the Stevens-Inouye team represented the hallmark of bipartisan support for the U.S.-Israel relationship.  Variously as Chairman or Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee and its Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Stevens demonstrated his steadfast commitment to America's alliance with the Jewish state year after year. He was a consistent supporter of U.S. aid to Israel and of America's partnership with Israel in the joint development and production of the Arrow Anti-Missile system-currently protecting every citizen of the Jewish State. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Pro-Israel Students Learn How to Strengthen U.S.-Israel Bond

More than 400 pro-Israel activists from college campuses and high schools across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., on July 25 for the Saban Leadership Seminar, the only Israel-advocacy program in the country that prepares pro-Israel students to act as strategic assets to the U.S.-Israel relationship. By participating in a series of leadership skills workshops, seminar participants learned how to connect with campus leaders, decision makers and candidates for public office in order to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance. Throughout the seminar, students met with political experts and heard from the most relevant players in politics, including Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Rep. Ron Klein (D-FL) and Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren. Semester after semester, the Saban Leadership Seminar trains the next generation of American pro-Israel political activists, helping them build lasting relationships with tomorrow's opinion leaders and policymakers.

Students Gather for AIPAC Seminar on Capitol Hill

More than 200 Washington-based interns and young professionals gathered last week on Capitol Hill for the first forum in AIPAC's 2010 Summer Seminar Series. For 30 years, AIPAC has hosted the Summer Seminar Series for politically active students interested in America's role in the Middle East. AIPAC Director of Policy and Government Affairs Brad Gordon addressed the interns and focused his remarks on the role of Congress in pressuring Iran to abandon its pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability. Gordon emphasized the importance of strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship by becoming involved in the legislative process, a charge that resonated for the nearly 60 Congressional interns in attendance. The next forum in the series-"The U.S-Israel Alliance: Two Views from Capitol Hill"-will be held on July 15 at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center and will feature Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders.

Avi Issacharoff Addresses Hill Staff on Gaza

Avi Issacharoff, Arab affairs correspondent for Ha'aretz and one of Israel's leading experts on the Palestinians, addressed some 50 congressional staffers about the recent flotilla incident, the blockade of Gaza, and the future of Hamas, Fatah, Gaza and the West Bank. The briefing discussed Israel's recent steps to ease the blockade of Gaza, noting that Israel's move weakens Hamas' massive underground smuggling business along the Gaza-Egypt border. In this context, Issacharoff noted the enormous improvements in the Palestinians' quality of life in the West Bank and the contrasting state of Islamist dictatorship and fundamentalism in Gaza. Issacharoff also criticized the international community's condemnatory response to Israel's actions in stopping the flotilla. The briefing was sponsored by the American Israel Education Foundation, a charitable organization affiliated with AIPAC.

Ivy League AIPAC Campus Activists Lobby in D.C.

AIPAC-trained students from each of the nation's eight elite Ivy League campuses traveled to Washington, D.C. throughout the spring semester to lobby their members of Congress. The AIPAC Campus Cadre at Princeton University organized the first of three large legislative impact missions to D.C. in April. The Princeton mission was comprised of 17 students and two Hillel processionals who held 36 meetings with House and Senate offices. Joining the Princeton students was a group of AIPAC-trained activists from Columbia University. The Princeton and Columbia students lobbied for tough Iran sanctions, reaffirmation of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and American security assistance to Israel. AIPAC-trained students at both Princeton and Columbia have organized legislative impact missions to Washington for each of the past four years.   In a separate trip to D.C. last February, 4 AIPAC-trained students from Harvard University lobbied the Capitol Hill offices of all 37 members of Congress who are Harvard alumni. In addition to pushing for tougher Iran sanctions from Congress, the Harvard activists secured the support of key members of Congress for their initiative to persuade their University to divest from companies that do business with Iran's energy sector.   Adding to the parade of Ivy League activists supporting our agenda, the AIPAC Campus Cadre at Cornell University brought 40 pro-Israel students from their campus to Washington, D.C. for another major legislative push. While they were in town, the Cornellians lobbied 21 Congressional offices from 9 states.   Last month, AIPAC-trained students from the University of Pennsylvania joined our Ivy League campus to capitol initiative with a 35-student lobbying mission that met with 18 separate Congressional offices.   Rounding out the Ivy League, AIPAC-trained activists from Yale University, Dartmouth College, and Brown University organized delegations of pro-Israel students to lobby their members of Congress after AIPAC Policy Conference in March.