Boxer: Obama is a Firm, Loyal and True Friend of Israel

Danielle Lehrer — July 30, 2012 – 2:40 pm | Barack Obama | Democrats | Israel Comments (0) Add a comment

On Friday, President Barack Obama signed the U.S.-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act. This bill strengthens and reaffirms the U.S. Israel relationship and that Israel will always be able to defend itself. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), one of Israel’s most vocal supporters in the Senate, author the bill and was present in the Oval Office when the President signed it. 

According to Boxer:

As a United States Senator of Jewish descent, it was a joyful moment for me to witness the signing of this important law firsthand. And it was yet another clear signal that the President meant what he said when he told the world earlier this year, ‘the United States will always have Israel’s back.’

I was born as World War II was raging across Europe, and I will never forget hearing from my parents about the horrors of the Holocaust. For each of us, our personal history shapes us, and as a child I learned about Anne Frank and I understood that there but for the grace of God, go I. These early lessons have stayed with me and reinforced my view that Israel must always exist as a Jewish State…

Now more than ever, Israel needs our support.

That is why it was so critical that President Obama showed his leadership by signing this bill. This law extends loan guarantees to Israel through 2015, which will help boost Israel’s credit rating and ensure that Israel has the financial security it needs. It also authorizes an increase to $1.6 billion in the value of U.S. weapons available to Israel in the event of a crisis…

Under President Obama, Israel has received more in annual security assistance from the U.S. than at any time in its history, including the Iron Dome Missile Defense system that has already saved Israeli lives.

And under the President’s leadership, the United States has led the world in enacting a crushing regime of sanctions against Iran.

Because of these sanctions, Iran is now completely isolated from international financial markets. Iranian ships are unable to dock at international ports and Iranian planes cannot land at airports around the globe. The European Union is no longer buying any Iranian oil and other countries are reducing their purchases every day. In fact, according to the International Energy Agency, Iranian oil exports fell from 2.5 million barrels a day in late 2011 to an estimated 1.5 million barrels a day in April and May of this year. Even top Iranian leaders have admitted publicly that these sanctions have been strict and severe…

President Barack Obama has stood by Israel not just with words, but with deeds. As I stood next to our President in the Oval Office and watched his pride as he signed the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act into law, I felt blessed to be there and to be next to such a firm, loyal and true friend of Israel.

Republicans have tried to smear President Obama’s record on Israel, with the intention of distracting voters from what he has accomplished over the last four years.  However, what President Obama has done cannot be ignored.  He continues to build on his record of support for the state of Israel by signing bills such as this one that defend the Jewish state and maintain a secure U.S. - Israel relationship. 

Click here to read the full article.    

Comments

There are no comments for this entry