1. Bills, Resolutions, & Letters
2. Hearings
3. On the Record
Shameless plug: On 4/29, FMEP will convene another fantastic webinar: Coronavirus & Israel’s Supreme Court: Disclosing Structural Failures & Inequities in Israeli Policies, featuring Hassan Jabareen (Adalah), Jessica Montell (Hamoked), and Michael Sfard (Israeli Human Rights Lawyer), in conversation with me. Details/registration here — please join us!
*Brought to you in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Round-Up was born!
1. Bills, Resolutions, & Letters
(CONGRATS TURKEY ON NATIONAL DAY) H. Res. 931: Introduced 4/21 by Cohen (D-TN) and Foxx (R-NC), “Congratulating the people of the Republic of Turkey and Turkish Americans nationwide on Turkish National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.” Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Letters
(IMPOSE TARIFFS ON RUSSIA & KSA) Inhofe letter to Ross: On 4/20, Sen. Inhofe (R-OK) sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilber Ross noting that his concern “about the continued flooding of oil by Russia and Saudi Arabia” and urging him “to take further action and utilize your existing authorities, including your national security related Section 232 authorities, to place tariffs on imported oil from Saudi Arabia and Russia, to punish them for their destructive behavior.” Press release is here.
(DEPLOY IRON DOME) Wilson-Meng letter to Esper: On 4/17, Reps. Wilson (R-SC) and Meng (D-NY) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Esper urging DoD to deploy the first two batteries of Iron Dome to protect Americans overseas (the letter does not specify where but focuses on attacks against US personnel in Iraq). The letter notes: “It is our understanding that the Army signed a contract for Iron Dome with the Government of Israel, and the Iron Dome system continues to prove itself against salvos and more advanced threats. It is also our understanding that Iron Dome has proven its ability to rapidly integrate with U.S. systems given the recent successful Marine Corps test. This establishes confidence in a viable path forward with Iron Dome. We cannot wait for additional batteries or new and unproven capabilities; we do not have the luxury of time.” Press release is here.
As of this writing there are no hearings on the schedule in either the House or Senate.
Murphy (D-CT) 4/23: Twitter thread on Trump’s Iran policy & news of new Iranian satellite
Luria (D-VA) 4/22: Congresswoman Elaine Luria’s Statement on President Trump’s Orders-Via-Tweet to U.S. Navy
Schakowsky (D-IL) 4/21: Schakowsky Statement on the Formation of a Unity Government in Israel
Lowenthal (D-CA) 4/20: Tweet – “The US Congress spoke clearly when we passed H. Res. 326. We oppose unilateral annexation of any West Bank territory as an unacceptable threat to peace and security. Only a two state solution can resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Cramer (R-ND) 4/20: Sen. Cramer Statement on Crude Oil Prices Trading at a Negative as Saudi Tankers Head Toward the US
Congress-related news with an Israel/Mideast Angle
Jewish Insider 4/23: Hosting Linda Sarsour, Engel challenger rails against congressman’s ‘uncritical’ support of Israel
Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) 4/23: Pro-Israel groups take on libertarian Republican Rep. Thomas Massie over voting record
Beitbart 4/19 (Joel Pollack): Trump Rips Democrats for ‘Strong Anti-Israel Bent in Congress’ [w/ Trump weaponizing slurs against Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Omar (D-MN); article is illustrated with a photo of Omar and Tlaib (D-MI)]
Algemeiner 4/17 (Steven Emerson): Congresswomen to Speak at Anti-Israel Group’s ‘Online Gala’ [trashing Reps. Dingell (D-MI) and Lee (D-CA) for appearing at an online event held by American Muslims for Palestine]