CAPITOL HILL MISSION
HUNDREDS OF ZOA ACTIVISTS ON CAPITOL HILL
SEEK NEW SANCTIONS ON IRAN; SUPPORT THE
RIGHT OF JEWS TO LIVE IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA
Hundreds of activists from 18 states across
the country participated in the ZOA’s
Annual Pro-Israel Capitol Hill Mission
on May 9, 2018. Meeting with almost 100 members
of Congress or their staffers, ZOA activists urged
lawmakers to impose new sanctions on Iran while
strengthening existing ones; make credible the use
of military options against Iran; and support Israeli
military action against Iran, should Israel deem
such action necessary as an act of self-defense. In
addition, ZOA activists educated lawmakers about
the right of Jews to live in Judea and Samaria.
At the ZOA’s congressional luncheon, held in
Building, ZOA activists were joined by numerous
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein
welcomed the crowd: “It’s a privilege to be with all
of you today. If activists like you had existed in the
1930s, history could have been different. . . . Last
week, the Jerusalem Post had an article about how the
ZOA is the only organization to take positions in
Israel’s defense that other organizations do not. .
. . And this has been an extraordinary week ––
President Trump ended the catastrophic Iran deal
and, in a few days, President Trump will be ful-
-
sponsible for the legislation that led to this.
“Back in the mid-1990s, I spoke with Senator Jon
Kyl, the most pro-Israel senator at that time, who
put together the Jerusalem embassy legislation with
Newt Gingrich. AIPAC would not touch the legislation.
Senator Dianne Feinstein placed the waiver
its provisions on national security grounds. But
the waiver clause is only for a genuinely serious
emergency security issue, and should not be used
for any other purpose.
“At the congressional hearing in November
2017, I spoke about this waiver, and explained that
it was only supposed to be for emergency use. We
were the only one raising this issue. Members of
Congress did not know the history and limited
moving the embassy helps rather than hinders
peace. After all, the 22 years of delay in moving the
embassy did not bring us closer to peace. Besides,
Jerusalem is not holy to Muslims. Mecca and
Medina are their holy cities. For those of you who
have read the Quran, it says that Muhammed had
dream – it was not a real event – and there were no
have been from Jerusalem.”
Turning to the nuclear deal with Iran, Klein
noted that former President Obama had given
$150 billion to the Iranians up-front. “He knew
he was helping a radical terrorist group committed
allows Iran to get nukes legally within about 10
to 15 years, now 7 to 10 years. Iran has also been
developing inter-continental ballistic missiles.”
Several lawmakers addressed the ZOA activists.
A sampling of their speeches follows:
Senator Ted Cruz (R–TX) was introduced
by Klein as “one of the staunchest supporters
of Israel. He understands the Arab war against
Israel. He supports the right of Jews to live in
Judea and Samaria,” which earned the senator a
standing ovation. Senator Cruz said, “I am so
grateful for the strength and clarity of vision of
the men and women here. Mort is standing up and
speaking the truth no matter what the blowback,
no matter what the repercussions . . . I am
grateful for ZOA’s clarion voice. I seek Mort’s
advice on all issues relating to Israel.”
Turning to recent developments, Senator Cruz
said, “What a difference two years makes. To
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