“If you can’t acknowledge the capital of a nation, then you
are not in a state of mind that shows a commitment to peace.
If you’re committed to terrorism, you’re not ready for peace.”
- Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL)
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AZ) provided fascinating
insights from prior U.S. failures with
Iran. He explained that ignoring the problem
and then gradually ratcheting up responses to
Iranian aggression was insufficient to deter
Iran in the past. “Our choice should be to
defend our people and nation,” said Senator
Cotton. He then posed the question, “…if
we don’t respond, what kind of message will
it send?”
Senator James (Jim) E. Risch (R-ID),
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, noted that under the Trump
administration, the U.S.-Israel relationship
is at new heights. He cited the relocation of
the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,
pulling out of the JCPOA (the Iran nuclear
deal), and cutting sources of anti-Israel
funding as reasons for this positive change.
Senator Risch spoke of his sponsorship of
Senate Bill 1, which helps assure Israel’s
strength and combats anti-Semitism. He
added, “The scourge of anti-Semitism has
no place in the world, let alone in the United
States itself.”
Senator John Boozman (R-AR) reaffirmed
the need for bipartisan support for Israel. He
assured ZOA, saying, “You have a lot of friends
here,” and that he has “always been supportive
in the past and will continue to do so.”
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) told the
audience that he had the privilege to be in
Israel for the relocation of the embassy to
the “historic, undivided capital of Israel.” He
reflected upon “Israel’s solidarity with the
cause of a free Cuban people,” and praised
Israel’s belief in basic freedoms and human
dignity. Rep. Diaz-Balart concluded, “Israel is
the only true democracy in the Middle East
and our best friend.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) was the only
member of Congress to call out the importance
of Holocaust education for today’s
youth while at the Mission luncheon. He also
boldly criticized the Palestinian Authority’s
“pay-to-slay” policies saying, “We should
not give a penny to the Palestinian Authority
while they’re paying terrorists.”
Another politician who thankfully exposes
these atrocious policies is Rep. Brian Mast
(R-FL), who unfortunately knows the cost
of terrorism too well. While stationed in
Afghanistan with the U.S. Army, Rep. Mast
worked as a bomb disposal expert under the
elite Joint Special Operations Command. The
last IED that he found caused serious injuries,
resulting in the catastrophic loss of both of his
legs.
In a very moving moment, Mast invited
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) and Rep. Jim
14 Capitol Hill Advocacy Mission