O’s Iron Dome

David Streeter — April 22, 2011 – 12:01 pm | Barack Obama | Foreign Policy | Israel | Terrorism Comments (1) Add a comment

Two weeks ago, Israel deployed the Iron Dome missile defense system which is equipped with cutting-edge technology capable of intercepting short-range rockets. Positioned in southern Israel near the Gaza border, the Iron Dome system first successfully struck down an incoming rocket on April 7, 2011, and has since prevented multiple other rockets from causing damage or killing Israeli civilians.

The United States’ strong support for this new and effective defense mechanism can be attributed to the efforts of President Barack Obama and his administration. On July 23, 2008, then-Senator Obama visited Sderot and witnessed firsthand the damage caused by Hamas rockets. He said, “If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do everything in power to stop that, and would expect Israelis to do the same thing.” 

As we’ve seen over the last two weeks, the Iron Dome is saving the lives of Israelis-and making a critical difference, surely to the dismay of Hamas. Tremendous credit goes to Obama for marshalling American support for this vital system-stemming from before he was even President. Thanks to Obama’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and the powerful support of Democratic leaders in Congress, Israel now has the technology and capability to defend its borders from rocket attacks.

Click here to get the full story about how Obama and Democratic leaders pushed the $205 million in funding for this vital system past Republican budget obstruction in Congress.

Click here or above to view a video of the Iron Dome in action. 

Following the Iron Dome’s successful deployment, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Obama on multiple occasions, including when Obama called to extend his Passover greetings. Click here to read Netanyahu’s thanks to Obama.

 

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