AIPAC assists the media with frequently updated briefs on important issues affecting the Middle East and U.S.-Israel relations. Press releases, statements, issues analysis and other useful resources are also available.
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) was elected the nation’s 44th president on Tuesday, defeating Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). President-elect Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), see Israel as an American asset and a vital ally in the Middle East. President-elect Obama has a strong record on issues of concern to the U.S. pro-Israel community. He spoke at the AIPAC Policy Conference in June. (You can watch Obama's speech here and read a transcript here.) In addition, Americans have elected a new Congress; AIPAC has met with all of the new members, helping to ensure that support for the U.S.-Israel alliance in the legislative branch will be as strong as ever.
Congress during the past week has taken important actions aimed at boosting security assistance to Israel and ensuring the Jewish state’s qualitative military edge.
President Bush on Tuesday signed into law an omnibus spending package passed by Congress that includes $2.38 billion in security assistance for Israel. In combination with the additional $170 million in aid to Israel approved earlier this year, the Jewish state will receive $2.55 billion in security assistance for fiscal year 2009—in line with the first year of the new 10-year, $30 billion security assistance agreement reached between the United States and Israel last year. Increased U.S. security assistance is vital to ensuring that Israel is able to combat the myriad threats it faces from Iran, Hamas and Hizballah.
Meanwhile, on Oct. 1 the Senate passed, by unanimous consent, legislation that requires the president to evaluate on an ongoing basis the extent to which Israel has a qualitative military edge over all possible military threats, and to assess all future U.S. military sales in that context. The bill also authorizes the first year of the 10-year plan for fiscal year 2009, which equals $2.55 billion as mentioned above. The House passed a similar bill including these key provisions earlier this year.
In a hearing on July 17th, the Senate Banking Committee passed key legislation to strengthen and expand sanctions on Iran aimed at pressuring the regime to abandon its pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability. Under the leadership of Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL), senators sent a strong, unified message, voting 19-2 in favor of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2008. The bill incorporates two important pieces of legislation -- S.970, the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act, which currently has 72 cosponsors, and S.1430, The Iran Sanctions Enabling Act. The bill also adds additional provisions designed to prevent the illegal diversion of sensitive technologies being passed to Iran through third countries. A similar bill has already passed the House. Click here for more information about the markup.
AIPAC Press Office
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