2013 Briefing Book - Print Version - Aipac

1 1 3 T H C O N G R E S S • 1 S T S E S S I O N 

A M E R I C A ’ S P R O - I S R A E L L O B B Y 

www.aipac.org

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION 

3 About AIPAC 

4 What AIPAC Supports 

4 How AIPAC Can Help Your Office 

WHY ISRAEL MATTERS 

6 Why Israel Matters—Key Principles 

7 A Jewish Homeland and Safe Haven 

19 A Vibrant Democracy 

27 A Force for Good in the World 

RELATIONSHIP 

36 Relationship—Key Principles 

37 The United States and Israel: A Vital Alliance 

43 Israel: America’s Strategic Partner 

53 U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation 

60 The U.S.-Israel Economic Partnership 

ISRAEL AT RISK 

68 Why Israel Is at Risk—Key Principles 

69 The Terrorist Threat 

76 The Missile Threat 

83 The Nuclear Threat 

87 Turmoil in the Arab World 

93 The Unjust Efforts to Delegitimize Israel 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

FOREIGN AID 

102 Foreign Aid—Key Principles 

103 The Importance of U.S. Security Aid to Israel 

110 Keeping America Safe, Strong and Prosperous 

IRAN 

118 Iran—Key Principles 

119 The Iranian Nuclear Threat 

128 A Terrorist Regime 

133 A Repressive Regime 

PEACE PROCESS 

138 The Peace Process—Key Principles 

139 Direct Talks: The Key to Israeli‐Palestinian Peace 

149 The Palestinian Divide: Impediment to Peace 

SYRIA-LEBANON 

156 Syria and Lebanon—Key Principles 

157 Syria: Undermining Peace and Stability 

165 Hizballah: Amassing Arms and Power 

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INTRODUCTION 

The AIPAC Briefing Book 

At a time when our country faces historic challenges, including increasing 

global threats and turmoil in the Middle East, the unique bond between the 

United States and Israel is more essential than ever. 

Close strategic, economic, political and diplomatic ties between the United 

States and Israel further U.S. interests, promote regional peace and enhance the 

security of both nations. 

The United States and Israel share the same values and a common commitment to 

democracy and freedom. Israel is America’s most reliable friend and democratic 

ally in the Middle East, one of the world’s most volatile and important regions. 

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) Briefing Book 

is designed specifically as a resource for members of Congress and their 

staffs. It examines key aspects of the U.S.-Israel relationship and highlights 

challenges for U.S. Middle East policy facing the 113th Congress. 

We hope that you find this material useful, and we look forward to working 

closely with you in the days and weeks ahead. 

About AIPAC 

AIPAC is the only American organization whose principal mission is to lobby the U.S. government 

on behalf of legislation that strengthens the relationship between the United States and Israel. 

Every day, the professional staff and members of AIPAC are hard at work helping to educate 

members of Congress, candidates for public office, policymakers, media professionals and student 

leaders on college campuses about the importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance. Headquartered in 

Washington, D.C., the organization has more than 100,000 members and 10 regional offices. 

AIPAC is registered as a domestic lobby and supported by private donations. The organization receives 

no financial assistance from the U.S. government, Israel, or any national organization or foreign group. 

AIPAC is not a political action committee. It does not rate, endorse or contribute to candidates. 

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INTRODUCTION 

What AIPAC Supports 

The primary goal of AIPAC is to work with Congress to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship 

by supporting the following: 

• A robust foreign aid budget, including $3.1 billion in vital security assistance 

to Israel in fiscal years 2013 and 2014; 

• Economic, political and diplomatic measures to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran; 

• Efforts to promote peace through direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian officials; 

• Defense cooperation to strengthen the abilities of America and Israel to combat growing threats; 

• Homeland security, energy and trade cooperation aimed at improving the lives 

of Americans and Israelis; and 

• Actions to enhance Israel’s standing in international organizations and thwart 

efforts to delegitimize Israel and challenge its right to self-defense. 

How AIPAC Can Help Your Office 

AIPAC has a variety of resources available to help you and your office keep up-to-date regarding 

the latest news and analysis of the Middle East and the U.S.-Israel relationship. AIPAC’s staff is 

always available to answer questions and provide additional information. 

• Contact AIPAC staff at any time at information@aipac.org or at 202-639-5184. 

• Visit the “Hill Staff” section of our website at www.aipac.org/hillstaff for the latest news and 

analysis of the key issues as well as details on the legislative initiatives that AIPAC is supporting. 

You can also follow AIPAC on Twitter (twitter.com/aipac) and Facebook (facebook.com/aipac). 

• Subscribe to AIPAC policy publications. AIPAC produces a wide range of policy publications 

offering the latest news, unique insights and concise analysis of the critical issues affecting 

the U.S.-Israel relationship. These include the Daily News Digest (Middle East news summary), 

Near East Report (AIPAC’s flagship publication on U.S. Middle East policy), Defense Digest, 

Homeland Security Monitor, Energy Matters and regular policy memos. You can learn more 

about these and other publications by visiting www.aipac.org/policypublications. 

• Attend Issue Briefings on the Hill. AIPAC and the American Israel Education Foundation, 

the charitable organization affiliated with AIPAC, regularly hold briefings on Capitol Hill for 

congressional staff. These events offer unique opportunities to hear from top AIPAC staff and 

leading policy experts on the key issues facing the U.S.-Israel relationship. 

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Israel is a vibrant democracy that, like the United 

States, stands out as a leading force for good in the 

world. Israel also serves a unique role as a sanctuary 

for Jews from around the world and the central focus 

of the Jewish faith.


Why Israel Matters—Key Principles 

A FORCE FOR GOOD IN THE WORLD: In spite of unprecedented threats from its 

neighbors, Israel in just 65 years has become a model of innovation, creating new 

technologies that have improved the quality of life and cured diseases of millions of 

people. Israel has provided disaster and humanitarian assistance to countless nations. 

FELLOW DEMOCRACY: Israel serves as an exemplar of democracy, pluralism and 

rule of law in a region dominated by authoritarian regimes. 

ANCIENT JEWISH HOMELAND: The Jewish people established its first independent 

political entity in the land of Israel some 3,000 years ago, and has maintained a 

continuous presence there ever since. 

VITAL SAFE HAVEN: After the Jewish people endured millennia of exile and 

persecution, the new Jewish state has served as a safe haven for Jewish refugees 

from around the world. 

FULFILLMENT OF THE ZIONIST DREAM: Israel’s national revival enabled the Jewish 

people to exercise their right to self-determination, with the commitment to ensure 

the rights of all Israeli citizens. 

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A Jewish Homeland and Safe Haven 

The Jewish people reestablished the State of Israel in 1948, nearly 2,000 

years after the destruction of an independent Jewish commonwealth in the 

Holy Land. Israel was intended as a safe haven for world Jewry—an urgent 

necessity following the Holocaust’s eradication of 6 million Jews. 

KEY POINTS 

• The Jewish people established its first independent political entity in the land of Israel 

some 3,000 years ago. 

• In 1948, the Jewish people reestablished the Jewish state, in part to serve as a safe haven 

for Jewish refugees from around the world after millennia of exile and persecution. 

• Israel has made it a priority to absorb Jewish refugees from around the world. 

• Since its establishment, Israel has been forced to struggle for survival and recognition. 

• Long before the State of Israel was formally established, Congress vigorously advocated 

for a Jewish home in the Holy Land. 

• Congress has recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in resolutions and law. 

The Important Role That Congress Can Play 

Since 1948, when President Harry Truman first recognized the State of Israel, every administration 

and Congress has understood the unique role of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. 

During the past six decades, as Israel has repeatedly faced efforts to physically eliminate it or 

question its legitimacy, Congress has provided unprecedented political, financial, military and 

moral support. 

Today, once again, those who have failed to achieve their goals on the battlefield are engaged in 

an effort to deny the historic Jewish connection to the land. Members of Congress can continue 

America’s traditional support for Israel and speak out against the false argument that the Jewish 

people are a foreign, illegitimate presence in the historic land of Israel. 

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The Jewish Connection to Israel Dates Back More Than 3,000 Years 

The Jewish connection to the land of Israel began in the earliest days of Jewish history. Jews have had 

a continuous presence there for more than 3,000 years and established their first independent political 

entity there around 1000 BCE. While foreign armies conquered the land of Israel in subsequent 

centuries, they were never able to break the link between the Jewish people and the Holy Land. Despite 

millennia of exile and persecution, Jews always believed that Israel was their homeland. 

In 1948, the Jewish people reestablished the Jewish state. Based on the fundamental tenet of 

Zionism—that Jews must enjoy the right to self-determination in their own land—Israel has 

served as a refuge for Jews from around the world and as a focal point for Jewish aspirations. 

Israel’s citizens have built a country based on the principles of freedom and democracy for all its 

citizens, fulfilling both a political and historic imperative. 

The Zionist movement of the 19th century highlighted the need for Jews to return to their ancient homeland. 

Building a New Nation in an Ancient Land 

The memory of Israel and the desire to return to the ancient Jewish homeland remained central 

parts of the faith after most Jews were forced to flee Israel following the destruction of the Second 

Temple by the Romans in 70 CE. 

The religious yearning of Jews to return to their land ultimately spawned the political movement 

of Zionism in the 19th century, when European anti-Semitism, in the form of persecution and 

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PRESENT-DAY ISRAEL 

LEBANON 

Mediterranean Sea 

Netanya 

Tel Aviv 

Haifa 

Jenin 

Tiberias 

S a m a r i a 

Nazareth 

Nablus 

WEST BANK 

Ramallah 

GOLAN 

HEIGHTS 

Sea of Galilee 

SYRIA 

Ashkelon 

Jerusalem 

Bethlehem 

Gaza City 

GAZA 

Sderot 

J u d e a 

Dead Sea 

Beersheba 

ISRAEL 

JORDAN 

EGYPT 

Areas which came under Israeli control after the 1967 war. 

Final status pending negotiation. The Golan Heights have 

been under Israeli law, jurisdiction and administration 

since 1981. Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005. 

This map is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any view 

regarding future agreements between Israel and its neighbors. 

Eilat 

SCALE 

0 25 mi. 

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THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL’S BORDERS 

LEBANON 

LEBANON 

Mediterranean Sea Mediterranean Sea 

Acco 

Megiddo 

Jerusalem 

Beersheba 

Damascus 

Sea of 

Galilee 

Beit She’an 

Dead Sea 

Tel Aviv 

Beersheba 

Sea of 

Galilee 

INTERNATIONAL 

ZONE 

Dead Sea 

Tel Aviv 

Haifa 

Beersheba 

Sea of 

Galilee 

S a m a r i a 

S a m a r i a 

Jerusalem 

GAZA 

Jerusalem 

WEST BANK 

J u d e a 

J u d e a 

EGYPT 

PHOENICIA 

EGYPT 

SYRIA 

ANSJORDAN 

TRA 


EGYPT 

Dead Sea 

SYRIA 

ISRAEL’S ARMISTICE LINES–1949 

The Kingdom of 

Israel, during the 

reigns of Kings 

David and 

Solomon, was 

composed of a 

vast territory with 

Jerusalem as 

its capital. 

Proposed Arab State 

Proposed Jewish State 

The U.N. proposed 

dividing the 

British Mandate 

of Palestine into 

Jewish and Arab 

states. Israel 

accepted the plan. 

The Arabs 

rejected it and 

attacked Israel. 

NSJORDAN 

TRAN 

The modern state 

of Israel established 

its initial armistice 

lines after surviving 

invasions by five 

Arab armies during 

its War of Independence 

in 1948. 

THE U.N. PARTITION PLAN–1947 


GAZA 

Haifa 

Jerusalem 

Eilat 

Sea of 

Galilee 

Dead Sea 

Haifa 

Tel Aviv 

GAZA 

Jerusalem 

Beersheba 

Eilat 

Sea of 

Galilee 

WEST 

BANK 

Dead Sea 

Gaza City 

GAZA 

Tel Aviv 

Haifa 

Sderot 

Jenin 

WEST BANK 

Ramallah 

Jerusalem 

Bethlehem 

Beersheba 

Eilat 

GOLAN 

HEIGHTS 

Sea of 

Galilee 

Nazareth 

Samaria 

Samaria 

Tel Aviv 

S a m a r i a 

Judea 

Judea 

Beersheba 

WEST 

BANK 

LEBAN ANON 

J u d e a 

S INAI 

PENINSUL A 

LEBAN ANON 

SYRIA 

GOLAN 

HEIGHTS 

DAN JORD 


EGYPT 

(SINAI PENINSULA) 

SYRIA 

GOLAN 

HEIGHTS 

DAN JORD 


EGYPT 

LEBANON 

Dead Sea 

SYRIA 

JORDAN 

THE SIX-DAY WAR–1967 

PEACE TREATY WITH EGYPT –1979 

ISRAEL TODAY 

BIBLICAL ISRAEL–circa 1020–930 B.C.E. 

After successfully 

defending itself 

in the Six-Day War, 

Israel controlled 

territory that 

tripled its size. It 

traded most of that 

land in a peace 

treaty with Egypt. 

As part of the 1979 

treaty with Egypt, 

Israel yielded 

the entire Sinai 

Peninsula in return 

for a historic 

peace treaty 

sponsored by 

the United States. 

Israel’s current 

frontiers reflect 

its historic 2005 

disengagement 

from Gaza, the 

first time that 

Israel ceded 

territory outside 

the context of a 

peace agreement. 

This map is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any view regarding future agreements between Israel and its neighbors. 

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ISRAEL SIZE COMPARISON 

ISRAEL: 8,367 sq. mi. TX: 266,807 sq. mi. 

ISRAEL: 8,367 sq. mi. U.S.: 3,717,813 sq. mi. ISRAEL: 8,367 sq. mi. NJ: 7,787 sq. mi. 

ISRAEL: 8,367 sq. mi. INDIA: 1,269,346 sq. mi. ISRAEL: 8,367 sq. mi. ITALY: 116,305 sq. mi. ISRAEL: 8,367 sq. mi. IRAN: 636,296 sq. mi. 


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massacres, presented Jews with an existential choice. Many Jews came to believe that they 

would only escape discrimination and murder in a state of their own. One of the first and most 

outspoken proponents of Zionism was Theodor Herzl, a prominent Austrian journalist. In the 

late 1890s, Herzl helped rally both religious and secular Jews around the idea that a viable Jewish 

state could be reestablished in the historic land of Israel. 

The Zionists sought international backing for their quest to form a new political entity in the land 

of their ancestors—a sparsely populated desert wasteland described in the 1860s by Mark Twain as 

“a desolate country…given over wholly to weeds—a silent mournful expanse.” In a major political 

victory for the Zionists, the British, with the support of Congress, issued the Balfour Declaration 

in 1917. In that Declaration, Great Britain pledged to facilitate the establishment of a national 

home for the Jewish people in Palestine. On that basis, the League of Nations awarded Britain the 

Mandate for Palestine in 1920. 

Holocaust Increases the Urgency to Establish a Jewish State 

Less than three decades later, the genocide of Europe’s Jews clearly demonstrated the vital need 

for a safe Jewish refuge. Trapped and with nowhere to flee, 6 million Jews—a stunning third of 

the world’s Jewish population—were systematically murdered during the Holocaust. The Nazis 

killed Jews in massacres, at such sites as Babi Yar and in death camps like Auschwitz. After the 

war, hundreds of thousands of homeless survivors remained in Displaced Persons camps. President 

Harry Truman was among the most prominent international leaders urging increased immigration 

of Jews to Mandatory Palestine. 

In 1947, the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into two states—one Arab and one 

Jewish. Even though more than half of the area allocated for the Jewish nation was desert, the 

Jewish community in Palestine immediately accepted the compromise. The Arabs rejected the 

plan, and five Arab armies invaded Israel, openly seeking to abort the creation of Israel. 

A New Nation Struggles for Survival 

Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has been waging a struggle for survival. Israel has faced 

hostile neighbors with numerically superior armed forces and has been forced to contend with 

the constant threat of terrorism. 

In its early years, Israel fought three defensive wars against its Arab adversaries: in 1948, 

1956 and 1967. After the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel controlled territory that included the 

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Sinai Peninsula (later returned to Egypt), 

the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip 

(evacuated in 2005) and the West Bank, 

as well as the Old City of Jerusalem. The 

united city is Israel’s capital, and Israel 

has opened the city to all—protecting 

and guaranteeing access to Christian, 

Muslim and Jewish holy sites. 

More than six decades after its 

establishment, Israel must still fight to 

justify its own existence. Calls for Israel’s 

destruction still resonate in Iran and 

parts of the Arab world, and the United 

Nations, which helped found the modern 

State of Israel, has often become the forum 

for efforts to delegitimize Israel. 

Just three years after the atrocities of the Holocaust, Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of 

the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. 

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An Ancient Capital is Reestablished 

The new modern State of Israel established its capital in Jerusalem, the holiest city of the Jewish 

people that has served as its spiritual and religious capital for 3,000 years. Today, Jerusalem is 

Israel’s largest city—not a “settlement,” as the 

Palestinians and others charge—and a dynamic 

and multicultural metropolis. Congress has 

regularly recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital 

in various resolutions and law. 

King David established the city as the capital 

of ancient Israel, and his son Solomon built the 

First Jewish Temple on what became known 

as the Temple Mount. This Temple became the 

focal point of ancient Judaism, drawing religious 

pilgrims from throughout the region. There are 

more than 850 references to Jerusalem in the 

Israel protects and guarantees access to Christian, Muslim and Jewish holy sites located inside the ancient walls of 

Jerusalem’s Old City. 

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Hebrew Bible and innumerable references to the city throughout more than 2,000 years of postbiblical 

literature. 

Even after the destruction of the Second Temple by the Roman Empire, Jews maintained a 

continuous presence in Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem has been central to Jews in 

their dreams and prayers. For 2,000 

years, Jews prayed for the rebuilding 

of the Holy City, and to this day, Jews 

throughout the world face Jerusalem 

and pray for peace to return to this 

holy place. The centuries-old Jewish 

dream of reestablishing Jerusalem as the 

Jewish capital was partially realized in 

1948, when the western half of the city 

became the capital of the new State of 

Between 1948 and 1967, Jordan denied Israeli Jews access to the Old City and Western Wall, one of the holiest 

sites in Judaism. 

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Israel. However, the 1949 armistice following Israel’s War of Independence left Jerusalem divided 

between Israel and Jordan. 

Between 1948 and 1967, Jordan severely limited access for non-Israeli Jews to Judaism’s holiest sites 

and completely denied any access for Israeli Jews to the Old City or the Western Wall, a key remnant 

of the Second Temple. Furthermore, Christians living in Israel were allowed to visit churches and 

holy sites in eastern Jerusalem only once a year. Thousands of Jews, some of whose families had been 

living there for centuries, were expelled from eastern Jerusalem. After the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel 

immediately abolished Jordanian restrictions on access to the city, allowing all Jews, Christians and 

Muslims to worship at their holy 

places. Israel later incorporated the 

eastern half of the city and declared 

the unified Jerusalem to be the 

capital of Israel. 

A Home for Immigrants 

From Around the World 

While combating these challenges, 

Israel has forged a unified nation 

from an incredibly diverse 

population of immigrants. Israel 

nearly doubled its populace as it 

welcomed more than half a million 

immigrants in its first years. The 

overwhelming majority were 

either survivors of the Holocaust 

or from Jewish communities 

forced to flee the Arab world. 

Since its founding, the tiny Jewish 

state has absorbed millions of 

immigrants from more than 100 

countries. Today, Israel serves as 

a safe haven for Jews from the 

former Soviet Union, Ethiopia and 

During its infancy, the new Jewish state absorbed more than 500,000 

refugees from European and Arab countries. 

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those still fleeing persecution, such as the remnants 

of the Jewish community in Yemen. 

Israel’s achievement in absorbing these immigrants 

is particularly remarkable, considering that the 

country possesses few natural resources—twothirds 

of its land mass is arid desert. Israel has 

developed agricultural techniques that enabled it 

to “make the desert bloom.” Moreover, Israel has 

created world-class universities and has become 

a global giant in fields such as technology and 

medical innovation. 

Israel: “A Light Unto the Nations” 

For Israel, it is not enough to serve as a safe haven 

for world Jewry. Equipped with firsthand knowledge 

of the challenges that resource-poor countries 

face, Israel has always strived to share its blessings 

with other less-fortunate countries. Even before 

establishing embassies in many world capitals, 

Israel dispatched skilled experts to teach developing 

nations how to upgrade medical facilities, improve 

schools and coax crops from arid land. 

Less than a century ago, Israel was only a dream 

in the hearts and minds of millions of Jews. Today, 

Israel has emerged as a thriving democracy and 

global leader, committed to fulfilling its biblical 

mandate of being “a light unto the nations.” 

Like the United States, Israel’s government and 

people constantly strive to fulfill the principles 

embodied in its Declaration of Independence: 

freedom, justice and peace. 

Israel has absorbed immigrants from more than 

100 countries during the past six decades, 

including thousands of Ethiopian Jews. 

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What Congress Did to Support the Establishment 

of the State of Israel 

Supported the Balfour Declaration Endorsing a Jewish Homeland. In 1922, Congress 

officially endorsed the creation of Israel when it unanimously passed a joint 

resolution expressing approval of the British Balfour Declaration. “It is entirely… 

commendable that the Jewish people in all portions of the world should desire to 

have a national home…[in] the country which was the cradle of their race,” said 

Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts, who introduced the resolution with Rep. 

Hamilton Fish of New York. 

Called for Jews to Be “Restored” to Their Homeland. In 1941, 69 senators signed a 

statement that called for “every possible encouragement to the movement for the 

restoration of the Jews in Palestine.” 

Pressed for an End to Restrictions on Jewish Immigration to Pre-State Palestine. In 

1945, President Harry Truman received a petition signed by 54 senators and 250 

representatives that called for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. 

In the same year, Congress passed a concurrent resolution calling for an end to 

restrictions on Jewish immigration to Palestine and the establishment of a Jewish 

commonwealth there. 

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A Vibrant Democracy 

Israel is a unique sanctuary of democracy, freedom and pluralism in the Middle 

East, protecting its citizens’ rights while upholding the progressive values 

it shares with America. The Jewish state accomplishes this despite constant 

military threats and the fact that it is surrounded by authoritarian regimes. 

KEY POINTS 

• Israel’s Declaration of Independence guarantees “complete equality of social and 

political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex.” 

• Israel guarantees freedom of religion to Jews, Muslims, Christians and members 

of any other faith, including access to holy sites. 

• Israel guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press. 

• Israel is a country grounded in the rule of law, sustained by a robust judicial system, 

free and fair elections and full voting rights for all its citizens. 

• Unlike any other country in the region, Israel provides full rights to women, who participate 

in all aspects of social and political life. 


Congress can continue its vital support for Israel as a democratic ally under attack. Congress 

should speak out when Israel is demonized and when Israel’s right to self-defense is challenged. 

Similarly, Congress should speak out against any attempt to boycott, divest from or sanction 

Israel. Congress should point out the double standard of authoritarian governments and 

religious-based regimes that falsely attack Israel for allegedly violating rights they deny to their 

own citizens. Congress should also note that Israel, like the United States, follows the rule of law, 

protects the rights of minorities and is committed to the values of democracy and freedom. 

As part of this effort, Congress should support Israeli efforts to enhance its position in the 

international arena by demanding equal opportunities and treatment in key international and 

multilateral organizations. 

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Israel Shares America’s Commitment to Democracy 

Since President Truman made the historic decision to recognize the State of Israel on May 14, 

1948, the U.S.-Israel relationship has been grounded in common values and interests. The 

people of the United States have seen in Israel a kindred spirit that shares America’s fundamental 

commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and freedoms of speech, press, and religion. 

Israel’s Knesset (parliament) in Jerusalem is a powerful symbol of Israel’s democracy. 

This similarity and commitment to democracy have been regularly reflected in polls showing 

overwhelming support among Americans for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. To the American 

people, Israel’s devotion to liberty is all the more remarkable in light of the dictatorial regimes of 

Israel’s neighbors, who deny the most basic rights of their own people and, in some cases, support 

extremist groups trying to violently impose Islamic law on the region. 

Israel’s Declaration of Independence 

proclaims many of the same 

democratic principles that the United 

States adheres to, including “complete 

equality of social and political rights 

to all its inhabitants irrespective of 

religion, race or sex...(and) freedom 

Israel guarantees the right to vote to all its 

diverse citizens, unlike most other countries 

in the region. 

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of religion, conscience, language, education and 

culture.” Similarly, like the United States and in stark 

contrast to other Middle East nations, Israel has an 

independent judicial system, which protects the rights 

of individuals and operates under the principle of 

“innocent until proven guilty.” Israel also features 

regularly scheduled elections that are free and fair 

and open to all its citizens, regardless of religion, race 

or sex. The independent group Freedom House has 

consistently classified Israel as “Free” in its rankings 

of world nations. 

Israel Has a Vibrant Press 

and Legal System 

Israel has a robust free press with myriad publications 

representing all views within its society; hundreds 

of foreign journalists are free to report on every 

political and diplomatic development. Civil rights 

are guaranteed by law, and guarded by numerous 

private organizations and citizen action groups that 

often openly challenge the government. Israel is considered to be the most advanced and tolerant 

country in the Middle East on such matters as the guarantee of a fair trial and the protection of 

minority rights. It is also the leading nation in the region in the protection of gay rights, with 

strong anti-discrimination laws. Furthermore, it maintains an independent judicial and court 

system. In Israel, nobody is above the law. 

Despite facing enemies that hide bombs in ambulances and dispatch women and children to carry 

out terrorist attacks, Israel remains committed to following the rule of law. The Israeli Supreme 

Court has a strong tradition of questioning and often overturning actions of both the Israeli 

government and its defense forces. For example, the Israeli Supreme Court has outlawed torture 

and has frequently acted to preserve the rights of Palestinians within the West Bank. Following 

controversial military operations, Israel conducts independent and thorough inquiries to ensure 

that appropriate human rights laws were followed. 

Israel’s Supreme Court serves as a powerful, 

independent check on the government. 

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Israel Respects Freedom of Worship for All Religions 

When Israel was established as a safe haven for the Jewish people in the aftermath of the 

Holocaust, the new state made it a priority to guarantee freedom of religion for all faiths. Indeed, 

Israel’s Declaration of Independence explicitly guarantees the rights of religious minorities, and 

Israel’s Knesset has reaffirmed these rights by statute. In most Middle East countries, minority 

religious groups suffer from persecution and discrimination. In Israel, each faith has its own 

religious council and courts, recognized by law, with jurisdiction over all religious affairs and 

matters of personal status. 

Since Israel’s unification of Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has guaranteed movement among all sections of 

the city and freedom of access to holy sites for all religions. In fact, Israel has granted each religious 

community authority over its holy sites in the city, sometimes favoring the status of other faiths over 

Judaism’s claims. In contrast, before 1967, when Jordan controlled Jerusalem, Jews were almost 

completely barred from visiting holy places such as the Western Wall, and Christians living in Israel 

were allowed to visit churches and holy sites in eastern Jerusalem only once a year. Today, Jews and 

Christians are free to visit their holy sites at times of their choosing. 

Israel has ensured that the Temple Mount remains accessible to members of all faiths. 

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Israel has also allowed Islamic religious 

authorities administrative control over the 

Temple Mount and freedom of worship 

at their holy sites within the area. The 

Protection of Holy Places Law, enacted by 

the Knesset in 1967, prescribes penalties 

for those caught desecrating or impeding 

access to holy sites associated with any 

faith. Israel consistently maintains a policy 

of allowing Christian leaders in Israel, with 

connections to small Christian communities 

in Arab countries, to regularly travel to 

these communities. 

Not only do these religious minorities have 

freedom of worship and access, but their 

population has grown significantly during 

the past several decades. Israel is one of the 

only countries in the Middle East whose 

Christian population has grown during the 

past 60 years. Between 1949 and 2011, the 

Christian population of Israel increased by 

340 percent—from 35,000 to 154,500. 

Israel has also witnessed a flourishing of 

its Muslim population. Since 1967, Jerusalem’s Muslim population has increased more than four 

times, from 69,000 to 293,000. As a percentage of Jerusalem’s total population, it has increased 

from one-quarter to more than one-third. Jerusalem’s most recent population estimates predict a 

further increase in the proportion of Arab residents, to 40 percent by 2020. These figures belie any 

claim that Israel seeks to “Judaize” Jerusalem or drive Arabs from the holy city. 

Women Play a Vital Role in Israeli Society 

Israel is one of the only countries in the Middle East where 

the Christian population has risen—300 percent—during 

the past 60 years. 

Unlike any other Middle Eastern nation, women are at the forefront of many aspects of Israeli 

society. Since 1977, Israel has always had at least one woman on its Supreme Court, and Israel 

is one of the only countries in the Middle East to elect a woman, Golda Meir, to the position of 

23


prime minister. Shelly Yachimovich currently heads the Labor Party and Tzipi Livni 

headed Kadima and served as foreign minister. Livni is now leading a newly created party, 

Hatnua (“The Movement”). 

Women have played an integral part in the founding and flourishing of the state. Regardless 

of religion or ethnicity, all women in Israel enjoy equal rights, protections under the law and 

opportunities to succeed and contribute to society. From the founding of the state, women have 

long held important academic posts and leadership positions in government and served alongside 

their male counterparts in Israel’s armed forces. 

Golda Meir—one of the first women to serve as prime minister of a country—is an example of the key role women 

have played in Israeli society. 

24


Israel’s Declaration of Independence guarantees legal and political equality without discrimination 

based on sex. In 1951, the Knesset passed the Women’s Equal Rights Law, and in the 1970s and 

1980s, the Knesset enacted additional legislation to bolster anti-discrimination laws. 

Whereas many of Israel’s neighbors suffer from a high illiteracy rate among women and struggle 

to balance gender equality and cultural norms, Israel has achieved educational parity for men 

and women. Israel ranks seventh in the Western world in the percentage of women studying in 

institutions of higher learning. Women receive 57 percent of all academic degrees, and 46 percent 

of today’s doctoral students are women. 

Israel Is a Safe Haven for Immigrants From Around the World 

Like the United States, Israel is a country established by immigrants. Since its founding, the tiny 

state has absorbed millions of immigrants from more than 100 countries, including Jews from the 

former Soviet Union, Ethiopia and those forced to flee from Arab countries. A haven for Jewish 

refugees from around the world, Israel has also reached out to assist Jews wherever they suffer from 

persecution and has made the successful absorption of new immigrants in society a top priority. 

Following the War of Independence, Israel struggled economically, with food and other basic 

commodities rationed, and new immigrants lived in temporary structures. Despite these 

shortages, Israel took measures to ensure the safety of Jews at risk abroad. Later, to handle the 

influx of immigrants to Israel, the government created absorption centers to provide housing 

and Hebrew classes. 

Jews from Arab countries were among the first immigrants to be flown into Israel, out of harm’s 

way. One year after independence, the Israeli government arranged to airlift approximately 

45,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet. In 1951, Israel coordinated with the 

Iraqi government to allow 130,000 Jews to be transported to Israel. Israel’s dedication to helping 

Jewish communities at risk was also clearly shown when Israel carried out secret missions to 

rescue Jews in Ethiopia. In 1991, with the help of the United States, Israel flew more than 14,000 

Ethiopian Jews to the Jewish state. And with the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Israel 

absorbed a massive wave of new immigrants. More than 1 million Jews from the former Soviet 

Union immigrated to Israel, changing the face of Israeli society. 

25


What Congress Has Done to Recognize Israel’s 

Vibrant Democracy 

Celebrated Israel’s Creation During Key Anniversaries. Congress has long celebrated Israel’s 

creation and its commitment to the ideals of Western democracy. With overwhelming 

bipartisan support, the House and the Senate have routinely passed resolutions in honor 

of Israel’s anniversary—including its milestone 50th in 1998 and 60th in 2008—that 

highlight the two countries’ shared values. In 1998, then-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R- 

GA) and then-House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt (D-MO) led a bipartisan 

congressional delegation to Israel to mark Israel’s golden anniversary. 

Backed Israel’s Inclusion in International Organizations. Congress has regularly pushed for 

the fair treatment and inclusion of Israel in a variety of international institutions. During 

the past decade, members of Congress helped advance Israel’s membership in such 

groups as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and 

backed the inclusion of Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical service, in the 

International Committee of the Red Cross. 

Similarly, Congress has encouraged the United States to help Israel gain 

membership in the United Nations’ Western European and Others (WEOG) 

regional group, which greatly enhances Israel’s right to participate in various 

U.N. bodies, potentially including the Security Council. 

Visited Israel to Learn About the Issues. Members of Congress have also routinely 

traveled to Israel to educate themselves about the key issues facing the region and to 

express solidarity with their Israeli counterparts. More than half of the House and 

one-third of the Senate have visited the Jewish state. Senior lawmakers on both sides 

of the aisle, including Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and House Minority Leader 

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), have participated in these important trips. 

26


A Force for Good in the World 

By sharing its experience, technologies and know-how with others, Israel has 

improved the lives of millions of people worldwide. 

KEY POINTS 

• Israeli-developed technologies are used every day around the globe—from cell phone 

and computer technology to the latest medical procedures. 

• Israel has one of the most sophisticated humanitarian assistance programs in the world, 

reaching the needy in countries near and far to provide critical aid. 

• Israel has used its vast disaster response experience to quickly help countries impacted 

by natural disasters, terrorism or war. 

• Israel is known throughout the world for literally “making the desert bloom.” 

Israel has extensively shared agricultural development techniques that it pioneered. 

• Israel contributes to a cleaner world, advancing cutting-edge renewable energy and 

water technologies. 


Congress can continue to support Israel’s efforts to provide humanitarian aid and share scientific 

research. Programs such as the Middle East Regional Cooperation Program (MERC) and the 

Cooperative Development Program (CDP), which facilitate many of these efforts, should continue to 

receive funding as part of the annual foreign aid bill. 

Congress can also build upon the remarkable achievements of U.S.-Israel binational foundations 

by providing additional funding for their activities. The Binational Agricultural Research and 

Development (BARD) Foundation, the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) 

Foundation and the Binational Science Foundation (BSF) connect U.S. and Israeli scientists in the 

development of agricultural breakthroughs and industrial technology. 

27


Israel Provides Humanitarian Assistance Throughout the World 

Equipped with firsthand knowledge of the challenges that resource-poor countries face, Israel 

has strived to provide other countries with the assistance they need to develop and grow. 

Before it had even established embassies in many 

world capitals, Israel sent experts abroad to teach 

developing nations such skills as how to upgrade 

medical facilities, improve schools and coax crops 

from arid land. Today, Israel has one of the most 

extensive foreign assistance programs in the world 

for a nation of its size. 

Israelis are all too familiar with the reality of genocide. 

In both the Rwandan and Sudanese genocides, Israel 

provided humanitarian assistance to the refugees. 

In Rwanda, Israel established a field hospital and sent 

several doctors and nurses as wells as medical supplies 

and vaccinations. In Sudan, Israeli humanitarian 

groups provided water desalination equipment, 

Israeli doctors and other experts have quickly responded to major disasters around the globe, including the 

earthquake in Haiti. 

28


counseling, education, food, 

and medical supplies. In 2007, 

Israel dispersed $5 million to 

aid Sudanese refugees. 

In more than two dozen recent 

cases, Israel has contributed to 

relief efforts after earthquakes, 

floods, hurricanes and other 

natural disasters. For example, 

Israel sent medicine, water, 

food and other supplies to 

Sri Lanka after the tsunami 

in 2004. Israel also sent 

humanitarian aid and 

equipment to New Orleans 

and the Eastern Seaboard for 

victims of Hurricanes Katrina 

and Sandy, respectively. After 

the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Israel sent a comprehensive hospital team that set the standard 

for treating victims of a natural disaster in a speedy and humane manner. Israel also sent a 

medical team and 18 tons of essential supplies in the aftermath of the 2011 Japan earthquake, 

and a total of 50 mobile structures and 80 housing structures to aid victims of the 2011 

Turkey earthquake. 

Since 1959, Israel has maintained numerous medical outreach programs, including eye clinics in 

developing countries. Israel’s eye clinics have operated for decades in Nepal, Mauritania, Tonga, 

Liberia and Micronesia. Local doctors and nurses undergo special training, both at home and in Israel, 

and the Jewish state has undertaken brief eye-care mission trips to Kazakhstan, Kenya, Maldives, 

Marshall Islands, and Micronesia. 

Israel has provided critical aid to the victims of Hurricane Sandy and other 

natural disasters. 

Israeli Technology Advances Key Agricultural Techniques 

Because Israel is 60 percent desert, its farmers and agricultural scientists have long focused on 

expanding both the yield and quality of crops, as well as making agriculture more efficient overall. 

29


Israeli agriculture techniques and technology, such as drip irrigation, have helped farmers around the globe, 

especially in Africa. 

Drip irrigation has become popular with fruit and vegetable growers in dry weather areas, 

from Southern California to the Middle East. The world’s first surface drip irrigation system 

was developed in the 1960s at Kibbutz Hatzerim near Beersheba. Similarly, Israeli scientists 

have developed genetically modified, disease-resistant bananas, peppers and other crops that 

are expanding the world’s food supply and helping to keep prices down at grocery stores 

around the globe. 

When Israel was founded, it experienced severe difficulties in agriculture production and even 

instituted a food rationing policy. Now that Israel has “made the desert bloom,” the Jewish state 

is helping others through a series of agriculture programs that include human capacity building, 

research cooperation, demonstration farms and agribusiness consulting centers. Israel has also 

established an African Growth Market, which seeks to provide higher yields of crops in arid areas 

through crop variation and a drip irrigation system. Israeli scientist Dr. Daniel Hillel won the 

2012 World Food Prize for his development of an irrigation system called micro-irrigation that 

allowed for conservation of water and food to be grown in some of the world’s most arid climates. 

The Binational Agricultural Research & Development Foundation (BARD) connects U.S. and 

Israeli researchers in the development of agricultural technologies with global significance. 

Created in 1977, BARD has funded more than 1,100 projects, investing roughly $400 million 

in basic and applied science. Breakthroughs in arid land resource management, food safety and 

environmental protection are but a few of the many developments facilitated through BARD. 

The Foundation also hosts international workshops to ensure that others are able to benefit 

from these discoveries. 

30


In recent years, BARD has expanded its operations to include cooperative research programs with 

Jordanian and Palestinian scientists in a form of “scientific diplomacy.” Not only does this create 

connections at the professional level, but local communities also benefit from U.S. and Israeli 

expertise in water purification, animal health maintenance and food safety—critical areas with realworld 

implications. 

Israeli Doctors Have Developed Life-Saving Treatments, Drugs 

Israeli companies have also taken advantage of their nation’s educated and innovative workforce 

to develop revolutionary medical treatments that are now in use throughout the world. 

Israel is a world leader in the manufacture of generic drugs. Israel’s flagship drug maker, Teva 

Pharmaceuticals, also develops 

and markets original medicines. 

These include Copaxone, for the 

treatment of multiple sclerosis, and 

Azilect, for Parkinson’s disease. 

And while endoscopy is never a 

pleasant experience, Given Imaging, 

of Yokneam, Israel, has developed 

a minimally invasive diagnostic 

procedure—known as capsule 

endoscopy—that uses an ingestible 

video capsule to help evaluate 

gastrointestinal ailments. This “camera 

in a pill” (pictured right) is marketed 

under the appropriate name of PillCam. 

Some of Israel’s medical advances 

border on the fantastic. One such 

product is Gelrin, an injectable, 

biosynthetic gel used to stimulate 

bone repair, which was developed by 

Regentis Biomaterials of Haifa. 

Israeli medical and computer technology has transformed 

how hundreds of millions of people work, communicate 

and are treated for diseases. 

31


Israeli High-Tech 

Contributions Felt 

Throughout the Globe 

Israel’s high-tech civil innovations 

have left an important mark on homes, 

offices and businesses around the world. 

Many offices now have computerized 

phones that plug into the Internet, taking 

advantage of Voice over Internet Protocol, 

or VoIP. VocalTec Communications 

of Herzliya, Israel, developed the first 

practical Internet phone software. 

Similarly, those who enjoy chatting with 

friends over the Internet might be interested to know that this online phenomenon originated in 

Israel. Although the technology now belongs to AOL, the Israeli firm Mirabilis developed the first 

popular Internet chat program, ICQ. 

Every day, millions of Americans watch online streaming video for entertainment or educational 

purposes. Metacafe, one of the world’s most popular video sharing websites, was founded 

in Israel. Likewise, tech-savvy Americans over age 30 remember the original IBM Personal 

Computer of the early 1980s. What they may not know is that its brain, the Intel 8088 

processor, was developed by Intel’s Israel division. More recently, the Pentium M series of 

processors for laptop computers using the Intel Centrino platform, as well as some of Intel’s 

latest processors (Yonah, Merom, Woodcrest), were also designed by Intel Israel. In addition, 

Amazon.com’s Kindle e-reader owes much of its success to technology developed in Israel. 

Israel Contributes to a Cleaner World 

Important technology used everyday by people around word 

has been developed in Israel. 

In an era of booming populations, shrinking resources and environmental degradation, Israel 

leads the world in such critical fields as solar power generation and seawater desalination. As 

nations struggle to make the best use of their resources, Israel’s cutting-edge technologies promise 

to improve the health and living standards of hundreds of millions across the globe, while making 

industry more efficient and minimizing the environmental impact of human activities. 

32


Also in the “world’s largest” category is the seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant, which first came 

online in 2005, in Israel’s southern city of Ashkelon. This plant can produce up to 330,000 cubic meters 

of fresh water daily, or around 5 percent of Israel’s total water needs. With Israel 60 percent desert and 

one of the world’s most densely populated countries, desalination will become a necessity of life. 

Israel’s success has attracted the attention of many developing countries. For example, China 

has selected IDE Technologies, an Israeli contractor that participated in the Ashkelon project, to 

build China’s largest desalination plant. IDE Technologies has built or delivered more than 400 

desalination plants around the world, with a total production capacity of more than 1 million 

cubic meters per day. 

Engineered by Israel, the Mojave Desert’s Solar Energy Generating Systems is the world’s largest 

and most productive solar array. 

33


What Congress Has Done to Support Israeli 

Humanitarian Efforts 

Supported Regional Cooperation on Health and Environmental Issues. Created in 1979 in 

the wake of the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, the Middle East Regional 

Cooperation Program (MERC) has sought to promote scientific cooperation between 

Arab and Israeli researchers, students and communities. Previous projects involving 

Israel, the Palestinians, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia have focused on issues 

such as water, health, agriculture and the environment. Funded by the United States 

Agency for International Development (USAID) since its inception at an annual level of 

$5 million to $7 million, the MERC Program unites Israel’s technological prowess with 

its quest for peace with its Arab neighbors. 

Backed U.S.-Israeli Programs in Developing Countries. Founded in 1988, the 

Cooperative Development Program (CDP) funds the collaborative research of 

American and Israeli scientists working with their counterparts in developing 

countries throughout the world in order to improve their conditions. Projects take 

place in Latin America, Asia, Africa, Eastern and Central Europe, as well as in some 

of Israel’s neighboring countries. Activities include training in arid lands agriculture, 

livestock, exotic crops and irrigation. Both America and Israel contribute funding to 

the CDP. 

Supported Joint Technological Development. Congress supported the creation of the 

U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Foundation (BARD) 

in 1977 by appropriating $40 million for an initial endowment, fully matched by 

Israel. The endowment was augmented in 1984 with a contribution of $15 million, 

again matched by Israel, but has not been replenished since. This severely restricts 

BARD’s ability to continue funding cutting-edge research and development into 

agricultural technologies that assist programs in arid land development, water 

treatment, food safety and other vital areas. 

34

RELATIONSHIP 

Since the founding of the modern Jewish state in 

1948, the United States and Israel have developed 

a resilient friendship and strategic alliance based 

on shared values and interests.

RELATIONSHIP 

Relationship—Key Principles 

COMMITMENT TO DEMOCRACY: The U.S.-Israel relationship is a deep and natural 

alliance between two democracies that share a commitment to the rule of law, 

freedom of religion and speech and human rights. 

SHARED VALUES: Both nations were established by immigrants who sought 

freedom and a safe haven from oppression. The United States and Israel stand as 

living symbols of liberty and pluralism in a world still marked by authoritarianism 

and intolerance. 

STRONG STRATEGIC ALLIANCE: Long-standing U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation 

allows the two allies to face common threats, including terrorism and weapons 

proliferation. Israeli innovation in the defense and homeland security areas has 

helped protect American soldiers abroad and civilians at home. 

DEPENDABLE ALLIES: Since Israel’s establishment, the United States has played an 

indispensable role in ensuring the Jewish state’s survival. At the same time, Israel is 

America’s most consistent ally. 

SHARED PURSUIT OF PEACE: For decades, the United States and Israel have worked 

hand in hand for a stable and peaceful Middle East. Strong U.S. support for Israel 

has allowed the Jewish state to take substantial risks for peace. 

ROBUST ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP: Joint U.S.-Israel research and trade has helped 

strengthen the economies of both nations. Joint research programs and a Free 

Trade Agreement—the first between the United States and any country—have 

spurred collaboration, innovation and commerce between the allies. 

BIPARTISAN SUPPORT: For more than 60 years, bipartisan support for Israel 

has been a hallmark of Congress. Even during periods of partisan divisions in 

Washington and frequent fluctuations between peace and violence in the Middle 

East, Congress has been a bastion of bipartisan support for Israel. 

36

RELATIONSHIP 

The United States and Israel: 

A Vital Alliance 

The United States and Israel share common values and interests that provide 

a strong foundation for the U.S.-Israel partnership. 

KEY POINTS 

• Refugees seeking political and religious freedom founded each nation. 

• America and Israel are committed to vibrant democracy, the rule of law, freedom of religion 

and speech, and the support of human rights. 

• President Harry Truman understood these shared values when he made the United States the 

first nation to recognize the Jewish state. 

• According to decades of poll data, a strong majority of Americans supports Israel and considers 

it to be an ally of the United States. 

• The U.S.-Israel relationship has enjoyed strong bipartisan support since Israel’s creation. 

• The United States and Israel share a common commitment to working for peace. 

• America and Israel cooperate in fighting many of the same threats, including the proliferation 

of weapons of mass destruction, the growth of state-sponsored terrorism and the spread of 

Islamic radicalism. 


Congress has been a bedrock of support for the U.S.-Israel relationship. By supporting aid to 

Israel, Congress can help ensure that Israel maintains its qualitative military edge while providing 

Israel with the backing it needs to pursue peace. Congress can continue to provide an element of 

solidity and consistency in the U.S.-Israel relationship by helping guarantee that the relationship 

transcends occasional disagreements that might arise. Similarly, Congress can help thwart efforts 

around the globe to undermine Israel’s legitimacy. 

37

RELATIONSHIP 

The United States Has Helped Guarantee Israel’s Right to Exist 

In May 1948, the United States was the first country to recognize the new State of Israel. President 

Harry Truman announced U.S. support for the fledgling Jewish state only 11 minutes after David 

Ben-Gurion announced its establishment. 

During the course of the next six decades, American presidents and lawmakers from both parties 

built and strengthened the U.S.-Israel bond. Americans have understood that solid relations 

between the United States and Israel are rooted in the shared value of democracy and the other 

moral principles of Western civilization. Polls have repeatedly indicated that more than two-thirds 

of Americans hold a favorable view of Israel, and Americans across a wide range of demographic 

groups strongly identify with the Jewish state. 

President Harry Truman announced U.S. recognition 

of Israel just 11 minutes after its establishment. 

Polls have also shown that, more than any other 

nation, Israelis have a positive image of the United 

States. Eighty to ninety percent of Israelis regularly 

describe themselves as being pro-American in public 

opinion surveys. In a symbolic measure of solidarity 

with the United States following the attacks of 9/11, 

Israel renamed a major Jerusalem thoroughfare 

“New York Street,” and teeming crowds of Israelis 

bestowed a hero’s welcome upon New York’s mayor 

and delegations of first responders who visited. In the 

years since, from sharing security and counterterrorism 

expertise to dispatching humanitarian relief teams 

following Hurricane Katrina, Israel has always been 

there for the United States, offering everything that the 

small nation can muster in support of its friend. 

The United States and Israel Have Shared Values 

The United States and Israel share all the characteristics of an unbreakable partnership, 

rooted in the allies’ shared values and common histories. 

38

RELATIONSHIP 

Refugees seeking political and religious freedom founded both nations. Both were forced to 

fight for independence against foreign powers. Both have absorbed waves of immigrants seeking 

political freedom and economic well-being. And both have evolved into democracies that respect 

the rule of law, the will of voters and the rights of minorities. 

Israel’s commitment to democracy, the rule of law, freedom of religion and speech and human rights 

means that it shares a common worldview with the United States. The two allies share interests as well 

as values. They face many of the same threats in a volatile but strategic region. Above all, they share 

a deeply held commitment to stand by one another to face the challenges ahead. In a world of great 

uncertainty and shifting allegiances, Israel has been a key partner, ally and friend of the United States. 

The United States and Israel Stand Committed to Peace 

Both the United States and Israel are dedicated to achieving peace in the Middle East. U.S. support 

for Israel has undergirded the success realized in Israel’s peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. 

These states, and many others in the Arab world, have come to understand that an Israel allied 

with America cannot be destroyed and that peace with Israel is their only option in the long run. 

American leaders understand that one essential step to promote Mideast peace involves 

maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge. Americans accept that only Israel can make the 

life-and-death decisions necessary to maintain Israeli security. However, Americans also believe 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama have repeatedly affirmed the strength of the 

U.S.-Israel alliance. 

39

RELATIONSHIP 

that providing military and political support to Israel serves the cause of peace. If peace is to 

be realized, then both potential adversaries and would-be partners must understand clearly the 

immutability of the U.S.-Israel relationship. 

The United States and Israel Work Together to Combat Threats 

The United States and Israel face many of the same threats, including the proliferation of weapons of 

mass destruction, the growth of state-sponsored terrorism and the spread of Islamist radicalism. The 

two countries have set up a complex and cost-effective network of strategic cooperation programs, 

which include sharing cutting-edge technology and valuable intelligence, conducting combined military 

exercises, and researching and developing new defense systems. The United States has also prepositioned 

matériel in Israel for use in the event that the United States ever needs to respond quickly to 

a future Middle East conflict. 

American military aid has helped Israel attain a qualitative edge over Arab countries and terrorist 

entities that have waged several wars in the hope of destroying the Jewish state. U.S. support has 

also helped prevent war, because Arab states and radical regimes contemplating attacks on Israel 

know that they will face a U.S. ally defending itself with the world’s best weapons systems. 

In addition to providing this vital assistance, U.S. leaders have explicitly stated their commitment 

to Israel’s security against existential threats, vowing to help defend the Jewish state should it come 

under attack. “America’s commitment to Israel’s security also flows from a deeper place—and that’s 

the values we share,” President Obama said. “As two people who struggled to win our freedom 

against overwhelming odds, we understand that preserving the security for which our forefathers 

U.S. security assistance to Israel has helped the Jewish state protect itself from those who seek its destruction. 

40

RELATIONSHIP 

fought must be the work of 

every generation. As two vibrant 

democracies, we recognize that the 

liberties and freedom we cherish 

must be constantly nurtured. And 

as the nation that recognized the 

State of Israel moments after its 

independence, we have a profound 

commitment to its survival as a 

strong, secure homeland of the 

Jewish people.” 

United States and Israel Maintain a Robust Economic Partnership 

As Israel’s economy and technological prowess continue to grow, America will continue to benefit 

from the wide-ranging economic partnership that the two countries enjoy. Clearly, the United 

States and Israel are among the most technologically advanced nations in the world. 

Several binational programs allow American companies and universities to benefit from Israel’s 

expertise in agriculture and high technology, while others aim to break down barriers to trade and 

cooperation between the two countries. In 1985, Israel became the first country to sign a Free Trade 

Agreement with the United States. 

Support for Israel Is Bipartisan 

Despite heated divisions in Congress, bipartisan support for Israel has 

been a hallmark of its approach to the Middle East. 

During the past 65 years, bipartisan support for Israel has been a hallmark of the U.S. approach to 

the Middle East. Even during periods of partisan divisions in Washington and during the frequent 

fluctuations between peace and violence in the Middle East, Congress has been a bastion of support 

for Israel. And for the past half-century, both major parties’ platforms have featured strong planks 

affirming the value of the U.S.–Israel relationship. Furthermore, both Republican and Democratic 

presidents and lawmakers have worked to strengthen the bond between the two allies. 

The United Nations, other international organizations and the governments of many countries 

around the world often adopt the positions of Israel’s adversaries; Congress has represented an 

essential counterweight to Israel’s detractors. Congress has understood that every Israeli government 

has sought peace, even as Israel has often been forced to defend itself against aggression. 

41

RELATIONSHIP 

What Congress Has Done to Strengthen 

the U.S.-Israel Relationship 

Approved Annual Foreign Aid to Israel. For four decades, Congress has provided Israel 

with vital aid. U.S. security assistance has strengthened America’s leading ally in an 

unstable region that is critical to U.S. national security interests. 

Backed Loan Guarantees to Help Refugees. Since 1992, the United States has made 

available some $10 billion in loan guarantees to help Israel absorb a million refugees 

from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. This backing has enabled Israel to 

integrate the many highly trained refugees into its society, paving the way for key 

advancements in science, technology and medicine that benefit the United States and 

other countries around the world. 

Supported Strong Strategic Cooperation. Congress has approved key U.S.-Israel 

cooperative defense programs that have boosted the ability of both the U.S. and 

Israel to defend their citizens. From missile defense to sophisticated tank protection to 

aviation security, Americans and Israelis have worked together to produce advanced 

technologies and systems that help keep both nations’ soldiers and citizens safe. 

Ensured Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge. In evaluating U.S. arms sales and military aid 

to other countries in the Middle East, Congress has consistently sought to ensure that 

such arms transfers do not erode Israel’s qualitative edge over its potential adversaries. 

This policy supports the U.S. goals of peace and stability in the Middle East by 

providing Israel with the ability to deter major conflicts and defeat aggressors. 

Reaffirmed the U.S.-Israel Alliance. Congress has regularly restated the important 

principles that form the foundation of the U.S.-Israel relationship. In 2010, 

resounding majorities of the House and the Senate signed letters to President Obama 

urging him to reaffirm the strength of this relationship and calling for any differences 

to be resolved amicably—as befits long-standing strategic allies. “The United States 

and Israel are close allies whose people share a deep and abiding friendship based on 

a shared commitment to core values including democracy, human rights and freedom 

of the press and religion,” the letters state. 

42

RELATIONSHIP 

Israel: America’s Strategic Partner 

“Many of the same forces that threaten Israel also threaten the United 

States and our efforts to secure peace and stability in the Middle East. 

Our alliance with Israel serves our national security interests.” 

– President Obama 

The United States and Israel have developed a deep strategic relationship to 

confront common threats. A key pillar of America’s Mideast security framework, 

U.S.-Israeli strategic ties are constantly growing and expanding into new arenas. 

KEY POINTS 

• The challenges the two allies face include weapons proliferation, terrorism and the 

spread of radical Islamist ideology. 

• Israel is one of America’s most significant security partners and its most 

valuable ally in the Middle East. 

• Israel’s military strength and central geo-strategic location provide a strong deterrent 

against Iran, Syria and other radical forces opposed to the United States. 

• As the Middle East is swept by the most dramatic upheavals in decades, Israel’s 

mature democracy and reliable pro-U.S. orientation remain unquestioned and assured. 

• Israel, a world leader in designing advanced homeland security, counterterrorism and cyberprotection 

techniques and technologies, regularly shares these innovations with the United States. 

• The American and Israeli militaries frequently train together and learn new techniques 

from each other to combat common threats. 


Recognizing Israel’s unique role as a strategic partner and the common threats that both nations 

face, members of Congress can continue to support U.S.-Israel cooperative programs, such 

as Arrow, David’s Sling and Iron Dome, missile defense systems found in the annual defense 

authorization and appropriations bills. These bills also fund important Israeli-developed defense 

technologies that enhance the war-fighting capability and safety of the U.S. armed forces. Congress 

should also continue to boost expansion of U.S.-Israel homeland security cooperation. 

43

RELATIONSHIP 

Israel Is America’s Most Reliable 

Middle Eastern Ally 

During the Cold War, the United States and 

Israel collaborated in limiting Soviet influence 

in the region. Today, in the post-9/11 world, 

Israel remains America’s most reliable strategic 

partner in the Middle East. Israel and the 

United States work together to defeat common 

threats and secure America’s regional and 

global policy objectives. 

U.S. security assistance to Israel symbolizes the strength 

of the U.S.-Israel alliance. 

Common threats range from terrorism, proliferation and the spread of radical Islamist ideology to 

narcotics, counterfeiting, weapons smuggling and cyberwarfare. Israel is a reliable democracy that shares 

America’s values and worldview in a region often dominated by radical forces, dictatorial regimes and 

extremist non-state actors. 

With no other country in the region—and few in the entire world—does the United States share 

the same level of strategic cooperation. American-Israeli cooperation begins with frequent highlevel 

strategic dialogues among senior political and military leaders and extends to combined 

military planning and exercises, intelligence-sharing and technological development. The historic 

American-Israeli alliance is perhaps the most stabilizing feature in an otherwise unstable region. 

Israel’s presence in the region provides a de facto cost-effective guarantor of security well beyond 

its borders. Furthermore, Israel’s military strength, central geo-strategic location and expanding 

coordination with the United States provide a strong deterrent against Iran and other radical 

forces that threaten America, its allies and regional and global U.S. objectives. 

Close Strategic Partnership Spans Decades 

The close strategic relationship between the United States and Israel originated with the allies 

sharing key intelligence around the time of the 1967 Six-Day War. This partnership was later 

broadened and formalized in the early 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan and Israeli 

Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir announced the establishment of the Joint Political Military 

Group to coordinate planning, exercises, and prepositioning against threats faced by both 

nations in the Middle East. Later in the decade, Israel formally became a major non-NATO 

ally of the United States. 

44

RELATIONSHIP 

Since the 1980s, the United States has prepositioned military equipment, such as ammunition 

and armor, in Israel. The two allies also engage in joint military exercises involving American and 

Israeli land, sea and air forces. Twice each year, U.S. Marines conduct desert warfare training 

with their Israel Defense Forces (IDF) counterparts, and American soldiers and security officials 

have received Israeli instruction on urban combat 

techniques. U.S. pilots hold mock dogfights with the 

Israeli Air Force and have tested aerial combat tactics 

and practiced refueling. Research-and-development 

collaboration between the United States and Israel 

has produced innovative technologies and security 

techniques that are now protecting American and 

Israeli lives. 

In addition, Israel and the United States have 

cooperated on a wide range of intelligence-sharing 

programs, including monitoring Iran, al-Qaeda and 

other terrorist groups. Such collaboration has played a 

critical role in stemming extremism in the region and 

The American and Israeli armies routinely train together and learn from each other’s experiences 

in combating shared enemies. 

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RELATIONSHIP 

boosting Israel’s role as an indispensable 

player in the war against radical Islam. 

The United States and Israel 

Cooperate on Missile Defense 

The close partnership between the United 

States and Israel has yielded leading military 

technologies such as the Arrow anti-ballistic 

missile defense system, which is currently 

deployed in Israel. 

Jointly developed by the two allies, the Arrow 

is among the world’s most sophisticated 

missile shields. It is the only operational 

system that has consistently proven that one missile can shoot down another at high altitudes and 

supersonic speeds. Israel and the United States are also collaborating on the development of a quickreaction 

defense system, known as David’s Sling, to address the threats posed by short- and mediumrange 

missiles and rockets rapidly spreading throughout the eastern Mediterranean Levant. 

Israel has developed the Iron Dome rocket defense system. Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 

2005, terrorists in Gaza have fired more than 9,500 indiscriminate rockets into Israel. The Iron 

Dome, produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, uses small radar-guided missiles to intercept 

incoming Katyusha-style rockets. Recognizing the value of this system, the United States has already 

provided $275 million to help Israel fund Iron Dome. The investment has paid off: Since the 

system shot down its first missile in April 2011, it has proven to be close to 90 percent effective in 

intercepting rockets fired from Gaza at Israel. Most recently, the system intercepted more than 400 

rockets, missiles and mortars fired at Israel during a surge in Hamas attacks in November 2012. 

A centerpiece of the interaction between the two militaries has been combined missile defense 

training, including the biannual Juniper Cobra exercise. In this maneuver, U.S. and Israeli forces 

practice cooperative tactics to counter the growing threat from ballistic missiles and long-range 

rockets. During 2012, this drill was combined with “Austere Challenge,” the largest joint bilateral 

military exercise ever conducted between the two allies’ forces. 

The Arrow missile, developed jointly by America and Israel, 

is one of the world’s most sophisticated missile shields. 

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RELATIONSHIP 

Israeli Technologies Help U.S. Soldiers on the Battlefield 

Strategic cooperation has also made a number of important Israeli military innovations available 

to the United States. Many of these are currently in use by U.S. forces deployed throughout the 

world, including in Afghanistan and previously in Iraq. 

Recent examples include the Israeli developed Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), 

which is used by the U.S. Air Force and Navy in several aircraft, including the new F-35. The 

JHMCS gives the pilot a targeting device that can be used to aim sensors and weapons wherever 

the pilot is looking, among many other improved capabilities. 

Plasan Sasa, an Israeli manufacturer that specializes in add-on modular armor kits for military 

vehicles, is a leading provider of armor protection for U.S. Mine Resistant Ambush Protected 

vehicles (MRAP). This armor provides unparalleled protection against rocket propelled grenades 

and has been credited with saving countless American lives. 

Subcomponents that have been developed and tested in Israel are used in several major U.S. 

weapons systems, such as the Patriot missile, which is a long-range defense system to counter 

tactical ballistic missiles, and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile, which 

has the unique capability to intercept both exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric threats. Israelideveloped 

components also provide essential technology for the F-16 fighter’s wings, and provide 

electronic components for U.S. tanks and will be providing wings for the F-35. 

Technology from the Iron Dome, which has the capability to intercept short-range rockets, is 

believed to have strategic benefits to the U.S. in areas such as Afghanistan, where short-range rockets 

pose a threat to U.S. troops and interests. After a successful track record of intercepting short-range 

rockets that were fired from Gaza into Israel, the United States is now looking into the feasibility of 

deploying such technology where it can have an immediate impact to protect U.S. soldiers. 

United States, Israel Strengthen Homeland Security Cooperation 

Since 9/11, the United States and Israel have intensified their homeland security cooperation. U.S. 

policymakers, law-enforcement officers and first responders have sought to harness Israel’s hardearned 

technical expertise in the counterterrorism and homeland security arenas. 

In 2005, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its Israeli counterpart, the 

National Emergency Authority, signed an agreement to conduct joint training drills in Israel and 

the United States. On February 8, 2007, the United States and Israel formalized homeland security 

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RELATIONSHIP 

cooperation between the two nations. Then-Israeli Minister of Public Security Avi Dichter and 

then-Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff signed a Memorandum of Understanding, 

opening a host of possibilities to expand cooperation. Congress also passed legislation that same 

year aimed at strengthening homeland security ties between the United States and key allies, 

including Israel. 

In 2008, Israel and the United States signed an agreement to bolster science and technology cooperation, 

to share best practices to detect and prevent threats, and to strengthen research and development. 

AVIATION SECURITY 

In signing the homeland security cooperation deal with the United States, Dichter said that the 

United States “should use Israel as a laboratory” for the development of its own homeland security 

needs. American aviation officials have done just that. The Transportation Security Administration 

(TSA) and airport officials from Massachusetts, California and Florida, among other states, have 

sought to improve U.S. airport security by working with Israeli experts at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion 

International Airport. In May 2010, Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the TSA to 

share information and techniques, including the use of behavioral screening. 

The United States and Israel have worked together to combat common threats to their civilian populations. 

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RELATIONSHIP 

In May 2012, the United States and Israel signed an agreement enabling Israel’s admission into the 

U.S. Global Entry Program. Once implemented, Israeli and American frequent travelers will be 

able to utilize a more streamlined customs procedure that is computerized. 

BORDER AND PORT SECURITY 

America has put to use Israel’s vast experience and advanced technologies to help protect U.S. 

borders. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been operating Israeli-designed unmanned 

aerial reconnaissance vehicles (UAVs), including Elbit’s Hermes 450, along the Mexican border as 

part of the Arizona Border Coordination Initiative. These UAVs have proven to be effective force 

multipliers in the CBP’s effort to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, dangerous narcotics and 

potential terrorists. U.S.-Israel cooperative research is also focusing attention on anti-tunneling 

technology. As Israel builds a state-of-the-art high-tech border control infrastructure along its 

newly unstable frontier with the Sinai Peninsula, Israeli companies are offering unique and 

affordable off-the-shelf technical solutions for similar challenges confronting the CBP to secure 

America’s southwest border. 

The U.S. National Security Administration’s Second Line of Defense Program is working with 

Israel to install its Megaports system in the Port of Haifa to equip the port with radiation 

detection equipment. 

MALL AND CYBER SECURITY 

Israel’s expertise extends beyond airport security and border protection. American security 

officials have recognized Israel’s know-how in mall security, explosives technology and 

behavioral screening, and sought to learn from its experience. Recently, Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS) officials, including Secretary Janet Napolitano, have sought out 

Israeli advice and input on cyber security. As Israel’s industry and proficiency grow, the United 

States will continue to benefit as well. 

DHS, Motorola and Israel’s National Information Security Authority created the ACE-3600 

state-of-the-art industrial control system for secure encryption and use-access control. In addition, 

Israel’s NICE Systems has worked with the LAPD and the NYPD to record all incoming telephone 

calls. The Denver Police Department also is now using NICE technology to view live-feed videos. 

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State, Local Officials Build Ties With Israel 

Several states also have recognized Israel’s valuable input in protecting the American public. 

The Maryland-Israel partnership was announced in 2003; the Illinois-Israel partnership was 

adopted in June 2006. In November 2008, Michigan signed a Joint Declaration of Strategic 

Cooperation with Israel, and in summer 2010, Colorado signed a number of agreements with 

Israel, including energy security and enhanced identification verification technology. 

American law-enforcement officers and first responders are increasingly studying Israel’s battle 

against terrorism so that they can learn how to better protect U.S. citizens. Israel frequently hosts 

delegations of American police chiefs, sheriffs and emergency responders. These U.S. officials 

have infused their own departments’ training with valuable lessons on how Israeli security forces 

prevent such terrorist attacks as suicide bombings. 

American and Israeli first-responders and emergency officials have stepped up cooperation since 9/11. 

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ISRAELI INNOVATIONS: SAVING AMERICAN LIVES ON THE BATTLEFIELD 

Risk to U.S. Troops: 

U.S. ARMORED VEHICLES ATTACKED 

During the past decade, terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq 

have killed hundreds of U.S. soldiers by targeting armored 

personnel carriers with explosive devices. 

Israeli INNOVATION: 

BRADLEY REACTIVE ARMOR TILES 

Created by the Israel Defense Forces, the tiles overlay the 

vehicle’s armor with embedded explosives that blast 

outward to suppress incoming fire. The tiles have protected 

thousands of U.S. troops in armored personnel carriers. 


BLEEDING ON THE BATTLEFIELD 

Ninety percent of American battlefield deaths occur before 

the wounded reach field hospitals. Half of those fatalities are 

due to hemorrhaging. 


EMERGENCY BANDAGE 

Carried in every Army soldier’s first aid kit, the Israeli bandage 

stems blood loss, prevents infection and allows non-medically 

trained soldiers to stabilize the wounded following an attack. 


REMOTE-CONTROLLED EXPLOSIVES 

Remote-controlled explosive devices caused more than 

60 percent of U.S. casualties during the wars in Iraq 

and Afghanistan. 


ADVANCED DETECTION OF EXPLOSIVES 

U.S. Army vehicles use an Israeli-developed device that 

uses radio frequencies to detect partially buried improvised 

explosive devices (IEDs), while the military uses unmanned 

aerial vehicles that have sophisticated IED sensors. 


DANGEROUS FLYING CONDITIONS 

Targeting enemies in densely populated civilian areas is 

challenging for even the most seasoned fighter pilots. 

Sandstorms, bad weather and darkness can make a pilot’s 

mission more difficult—and more risky. 


LITENING TARGETING POD 

The Israeli-developed Litening Pod identifies targets with laser 

precision from high altitudes, placing the pilot in less danger, 

while reducing collateral damage on the ground. 

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What Congress Has Done to Strengthen U.S.-Israel 

Strategic Cooperation 

Funded Key U.S.-Israel Defense Programs. For the past two decades, Congress has 

funded key missile defense programs, including the Arrow anti-ballistic missile 

program, which is the centerpiece of the U.S.-Israel cooperative defense relationship, 

and Iron Dome, which defends against shorter-range missiles, rockets and mortars. 

Congress also has allocated key funds for David’s Sling, a short-range ballistic missile 

defense system, jointly developed by the United States and Israel. 

Allowed Israel to Spend a Portion of U.S. Assistance Locally. By permitting a portion 

of U.S. security assistance funds to be spent locally in Israel (known as offshore 

procurement), the United States is enabling Israel’s industries to develop and procure 

the types of innovative advanced technologies that are uniquely appropriate to the 

wide range of strategic challenges and military threats it faces—thus boosting its 

qualitative edge and defense deterrence. This flexibility in permitting a sophisticated 

security partner such as Israel to designate a portion of U.S. security assistance to 

areas where the funds will produce the most “bang for the buck” also indirectly 

benefits American defense needs when the Pentagon in turn procures those same 

systems from Israel to fill gaps in American military capabilities. 

Designated Israel a Major Non-NATO Ally. In 1987, Congress designated Israel as a 

major non-NATO ally. This designation paved the way for significant joint U.S.- 

Israeli research and development programs and other close cooperation during the 

past 26 years. 

Backed Expansion of U.S.-Israel Homeland Security Cooperation. In 2007, Congress 

passed legislation to strengthen homeland security ties between the United States and 

key allies, including Israel. The Promoting Anti-Terrorism Cooperation Through 

Technology and Science (PACTS) Act created an Office of International Cooperation 

within the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland 

Security. Israel was one of five countries mentioned in the bill as an international 

partner in homeland security. 

In 2012, Congress passed the U.S.-Israel Security Enhancement Act, which calls on 

both countries to enhance defense cooperation and to cooperate on maritime and 

border security as well as cyber security. 

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RELATIONSHIP 

U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation 

The United States and Israel are working together to develop new energy 

technologies, as both nations grapple with the security and economic 

challenges posed by their dependence on oil. 

KEY POINTS 

• The United States and Israel have much to gain by reducing their dependence on oil, 

which funds countries and groups hostile to U.S. interests. 

• Israel is pioneering alternative energy solutions such as electric cars and biofuels and 

has launched a national oil alternative program to reduce its reliance on gasoline. 

• The United States and Israel have an official energy cooperation program that promotes 

research and development in such areas as alternative fuels and infrastructure modernization. 

• Development of Israel’s offshore resources presents new opportunities 

for U.S.-Israel collaboration. 


Congress should explore opportunities to strengthen the U.S.-Israel strategic energy relationship 

and monitor the ongoing development of Israel’s natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean, 

promoting policies that will allow Israel to develop its resources peacefully and without 

interference. The natural gas finds off the coast of Israel are the world’s largest in the past decade 

and provide a tremendous opportunity for U.S. engagement, both public and private. New risks 

have emerged, however, that threaten Israel’s resources and U.S. interests, including threats of 

terrorism against energy infrastructure, challenges to Israel’s maritime border and other security 

issues. These threats have already spurred increased Israeli defense spending at a time of acute 

instability along Israel’s borders. 

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RELATIONSHIP 

America’s Oil Dependence Threatens National Security 

America’s dependence on oil jeopardizes both U.S. national and economic security. 

The transportation sector—underpinning the entirety of the U.S. economy—is 94 percent 

reliant on oil, demanding 14 million barrels of petroleum each day and consuming upwards of 

$350 billion in the U.S. economy each year. This dependence exposes the country to drastic price 

shocks and compromises U.S. national security, enriching regimes that do not share U.S. objectives 

and often directly threaten Israel. 

Oil-producing regimes like Iran and Venezuela spend their wealth on weapons that may threaten 

the United States—fueling nuclear ambitions, funding terrorism and undermining regional stability. 

As a member of OPEC, the oil cartel that controls more than 75 percent of the world’s conventional 

oil reserves, Iran has a powerful lever to pursue its nuclear ambitions and continue funding, arming 

and training Hamas, Hizballah and the militias that target U.S. troops in the region. 

Economically, oil imports contribute enormously to the U.S. trade and balance of payments 

deficits. The United States imports 46 percent of its oil needs, and while this represents a significant 

reduction from 2005, the height of U.S. dependence, the price of oil has risen substantially, 

Israel is developing new technologies that can help the United States and other countries reduce their reliance 

on foreign oil. 

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RELATIONSHIP 

Israel is working to become the first country to begin the mass deployment of electric cars. 

exacerbating national and economic security risks. Oil imports in 2011 accounted for more than 

half of the U.S. trade deficit, costing the United States $367 billion against the backdrop of a 

struggling economy. This tremendous transfer of wealth, moreover, benefits the very petro-regimes 

that threaten America’s national security. 

Israel Is Committed to Eliminating Its Use of Oil 

The government of Israel understands the strategic perils of oil dependence and, in September 

2010, launched an ambitious plan to significantly reduce oil’s role in its transportation sector. 

Israel is dedicating significant resources to long-term research and development into alternative 

fuels and infrastructure modernization projects. The government is working hand-in-hand with the 

private sector, academia and advanced research institutes to launch pilot and demonstration projects 

and to establish a one-stop regulatory center to expedite promising technologies from lab to road. 

International cooperation, including with the United States, is a primary goal of the initiative. 

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on September 9, 2010, “I view this as a national 

goal of the highest importance because the addiction to oil has led to the Western world being 

dependent on the oil-producing countries and harms the standing and security of the State of Israel.” 

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RELATIONSHIP 

The United States and Israel Have Boosted Energy Cooperation 

The United States and Israel share the goal of improved energy security through reduced 

dependence on petroleum and, in 2008, signed a cooperative agreement to harness their countries’ 

ingenuity to develop alternative energy technologies. 

The U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation Program, authorized by Congress under the Energy 

Independence and Security Act of 2007, brings together the U.S. Department of Energy and 

Israel’s Ministry of Energy and Water Resources in a collaborative program to produce nextgeneration 

technologies in an area of critical need. 

Leading companies and academic institutions from the United States and Israel are joined in 

development of renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy security projects. During its short 

history, the program has already generated more than $20 million in private-sector investment 

in such areas as smart-grid management, solar technology and alternative fuels. The program’s 

efficiency and cost-effectiveness are clear; private-sector investment far exceeds the nominal 

congressional appropriations of $6.3 million over four fiscal years. 

An Israeli firm is working to capitalize on the pressure generated by the weight of cars on the road 

to produce electricity. 

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RELATIONSHIP 

Israel’s Energy Technologies Help 

the United States 

In recent years, Israel has developed remarkable new 

technologies that have transformed the way Israelis 

and the international community think about energy 

development. From electric cars to solar energy parks 

and biofuels, Israeli innovations harbor the potential 

to revolutionize how the United States and the rest of 

the world use energy. 

DRIVING TOWARD A ‘BETTER PLACE’ 

Israel plans to become the first country to begin 

mass deployment of electric cars. Better Place, a 

company that aims to reduce global dependency on 

U.S. and Israeli companies are working together to develop the 

world’s largest solar energy park in California. 

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RELATIONSHIP 

oil through the deployment of a nationwide network of battery-switch stations servicing electric 

vehicles, chose Israel to be the first market in which to deploy its model, and today counts 40 

battery replacement stations along Israeli roads. By partnering with car manufacturers and battery 

suppliers, Better Place offers subscribers access to lower car and battery prices, reducing oil’s 

stranglehold on the nation’s economy and environment. Recognizing the possibilities of such an 

innovation, U.S. policymakers from California and Hawaii are developing plans to implement the 

project in their regions, while others have expressed a similar interest. 

DRIVING TO CREATE ENERGY 

An Israeli company has recently announced that it found a way to capitalize on the pressure that is 

created by the weight of cars on the road in order to produce electricity. The company’s aim is to 

generate commercial quantities of electricity that would help power streetlights, reducing costs and 

increasing efficiency. The project was developed by scientists at Innowattech, a start-up partially 

owned by Israel’s Technion Institute and private investors. The pilot project will begin on a short 

section of road in northern Israel, in conjunction with Israel’s Department of Public Works. 

BUILDING SOLAR ENERGY PARKS 

In the Ivanpah section of California’s Mojave Desert, BrightSource Energy is constructing the 

world’s largest solar thermal energy project using technology developed at its Israel plant. Expected 

to come online as early as 2013, Ivanpah will be capable of producing enough electricity to power 

140,000 homes. 

BrightSource’s Solar Energy Development Center is based in Israel’s Negev Desert, where it 

successfully tested its “heliostat” technology. 

DEVELOPING NATURAL RESOURCES 

The discovery of large natural gas fields in Israel’s territorial waters presents an exciting 

opportunity for the United States and Israel to add new dimensions to their long-standing strategic 

partnership. U.S. companies such as Houston-based Noble Energy have partnered with Israeli 

companies in the development of offshore fields, and high-level trade delegations are helping to 

connect new companies with new opportunities that will strengthen both the United States and 

Israel—economically and geopolitically. 

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What Congress Has Done to Support U.S.-Israel 

Energy Cooperation 

Backed Joint U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation Program. In 2007, Congress authorized 

the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation Program as part of the Energy Independence 

and Security Act. This cost-sharing program between the U.S. Department of 

Energy and Israel’s Ministry of National Infrastructures fosters private-sector 

and academic joint ventures in clean technology, renewable energy and energy 

efficiency. It is not an aid program, but rather a collaborative undertaking funded 

jointly by the two governments. To date, the United States has contributed a total 

of $6.3 million during fiscal years 2009, 2010 and 2011. This minimal investment, 

which Israel has matched dollar for dollar for a total public sector contribution of 

$12.6 million, has spurred more than $20 million in private-sector investment since 

the program’s creation. 

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The U.S.-Israel Economic Partnership 

Bilateral ties in trade and technology launched in the 1970s and cemented in 

the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement of 1985 have yielded groundbreaking 

advances and joint economic growth for the two allies. 

KEY POINTS 

• In 1985, the United States and Israel signed America’s first Free Trade Agreement. 

• American-Israeli trade has grown by 500 percent during the past 25 years. Daily trade 

exceeds $78 million worth of goods and services, creating jobs in both countries. 

• U.S. and Israeli businesses, researchers and academics are increasingly finding new 

opportunities for investment and collaboration. 

• Binational foundations in research and development, agriculture, academia and science 

and technology have led to pathbreaking discoveries and life-changing inventions. 

• Top U.S. tech firms such as Intel, Microsoft, Google and Apple routinely choose Israel for their 

international research and development headquarters. 


Congress has played a key role in promoting U.S.-Israel technology collaboration since the 1970s. 

The American-Israeli partnership has broken new ground in trade, science and renewable energy 

development. Together, Congress, the administration and the Israeli government should explore 

ways to strengthen the 1985 U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement to enhance growth, employment, 

investment and technology development in both nations. Congress can also build upon the 

remarkable achievements of U.S.-Israel binational foundations by providing additional funding for 

their activities. 

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U.S.-Israel Economic Ties Help Cement Relationship 

Connecting the American and Israeli economies, U.S.-Israel binational foundations have 

galvanized breakthroughs in agriculture, health care, energy technology and homeland security 

during the past three decades. These partnerships, begun in the 1970s, have enabled the U.S. 

and Israeli governments to encourage cooperation between the private sector and academic 

institutions in both nations. Congress strongly supported the creation of these foundations, 

the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD, www.birdf.com), the 

Binational Agricultural Research and Development Foundation (BARD, www.bard-isus.com) and 

the Binational Science Foundation (BSF, www.bsf.org.il). Congress further supported U.S.-Israel 

high-technology cooperation by funding the creation of the U.S.-Israel Science and Technology 

Foundation (USISTF, www.usistf.org) in 1995. 

These foundations have 

invested nearly $1 billion 

during the past three 

decades in nearly 6,000 

joint projects, providing 

seed funding for research 

to help move products to 

development. BIRD alone 

has funded more than 

800 projects in that time. 

The resulting products 

have generated more than 

$8 billion in sales for 

participating companies 

and significant investments 

in both the United States 

and Israel. 

Among these foundations’ 

life-changing breakthroughs 

are a medical device that 

allows the paralyzed 

to walk and Nobel 

GOOD GROWTH: THE RISE IN U.S.-ISRAEL TRADE 

U.S.-Israel trade in goods 

has grown more than 

500 percent since 1985, 

when Israel became the 

first country to sign 

a Free Trade Agreement 

with the United States. 

$4.7 

$6.5 

1985 

$11.3 

1990 

$20.7 

1995 

$26.6 

2000 

$28.3 

2005 

$32 

2009 

$37 

2010 

2011 

$ in Billions 

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Apple, Google, Intel and other major U.S. firms have established key research and development centers in Israel. 

Prize-winning cancer treatments. Other key developments include technology that allows first 

responders to see through walls, innovations in mobile Internet technology and enhanced aircraft 

vision systems that allow pilots to see in the dark. Intensified commitments in the future are likely 

to lead to further breakthroughs. 

BIRD Energy was launched in 2008 to leverage U.S. and Israeli ingenuity in reducing American 

and Israeli dependence on oil. In its brief history, the Foundation has leveraged minimal 

government investment for more than $20 million in private-sector funding, initiating projects in 

alternative fuels, smart-grid management and solar technology. 

Free Trade Agreement Boosts Ties 

In the 25 years since the United States and Israel signed their Free Trade Agreement, Israel has 

become a prime destination for U.S. goods and services. Despite having a population of under 

8 million, Israel ranks as one of America’s leading trade partners, outpacing larger states such 

as Russia, Spain and Indonesia. More than $78 million worth of goods and services are traded 

daily between the United States and Israel, representing an increase of 500 percent since the 1985 

agreement. This exponential growth has created jobs in both countries. 

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The agreement has also served as a tool of economic diplomacy, creating the conditions for 

peace and helping to integrate Israel more fully into the region. Using the agreement as legal 

underpinning, the U.S. and Israel signed individual agreements with Jordan (1996) and Egypt 

(2004), creating Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ) where jointly produced goods are afforded 

duty-free access to the United States. Goods produced in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, when 

administered by the Palestinian Authority, also benefit. 

Bilateral trade has spiked in each case. QIZ factories in Jordan count almost 15,000 employees, 

representing $500 million per year in exports to the United States. More than 100,000 Egyptians 

are employed in more than 700 participating QIZ companies. 

U.S. Companies Flock to Israel 

The United States and Israel share a culture of innovation. American heavyweights such as Intel, 

Motorola, Apple and Google have capitalized on Israel’s entrepreneurial spirit and world-class 

talent pool, establishing major R&D centers throughout the country. With the most Ph.D.s and 

published scientific papers per capita in the world, Israel has become the preeminent foreign 

outpost for computer technology, telecommunications and software industries, with roughly 100 

U.S. companies active in Israel. More Israeli companies are traded on the NASDAQ than any 

country outside the United States and China. For example, Facebook recently acquired Face.com, 

an Israeli facial recognition software company that created the popular photo-tagging application; 

Apple recently acquired Anobit, an Israeli flash memory storage company. 

In 2006, esteemed investor Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway made its first-ever foreign 

acquisition, buying 80 percent of Iscar, an Israeli maker of precision blades and drills. When asked 

the reason for his interest in Israel—which, only weeks earlier, had fought a war with Hizballah in 

Lebanon—Buffet’s response pointed to the spirit that marks the economic drive of both the United 

States and Israel: “[Israel] had no advantages 50 years ago…. What they brought was brains and 

energy and look how it paid off…. They are the best that I’ve seen.” 

Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google Corporation, echoed that sentiment. “We should expect much 

more investment in high technology in Israel,” he said, adding: “For a small country, Israel will 

have an oversized impact on the evolution of the next stage of the technology we all use.” 

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Israeli companies have invested more than $50 billion in the United States during the past decade. 

Israeli Businesses Invest Heavily in U.S. Economy 

Israeli companies have increasingly looked to opportunities in the United States, investing more 

than $50 billion between 2000 and 2009. Israel is among the top 20 suppliers of direct investment 

into the United States. In fact, Israelis invested more than $7 billion in 2010 alone. This sum 

marked an increase in U.S.-directed investment immediately following the global financial crisis, 

when many throughout the world were looking inward. 

Trade delegations from Colorado, Ohio and Connecticut, among others, have visited Israel to 

strengthen ties. States such as Virginia and Maryland have established offices at home to help 

bring Israeli companies to their communities. 

Twenty U.S. states maintain offices in Israel, and Ohio’s Department of Development Tel Aviv 

office provides a strong example of the benefits that such trade can yield. In 2007, the office 

helped bring 20 Israeli companies to the Cleveland suburbs, creating stable, high-paying jobs in 

the local economy. 

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The United States strongly backed Israel’s entry into the OECD, the world’s most exclusive economic body. 

U.S. Backing Key to Israel’s Acceptance into OECD 

U.S. support was instrumental to Israel’s 2010 entry into the Organisation for Economic Cooperation 

and Development (OECD), the world’s most exclusive economic body. Israel’s 

acceptance was the culmination of a 10-year effort by American administrations, with the strong 

support of Congress. 

In the years preceding membership, Israel brought its economy in line with OECD standards, 

making significant structural reforms to curb debt and reduce the government’s role in the economy. 

Dedicating a larger percentage of gross domestic product to research and development than any 

nation in the world, Israel makes extraordinary contributions to the arts and sciences. Israeli citizens 

have won ten Nobel prizes in subjects ranging from chemistry and economics to literature and peace. 

Israel also boasts a strong, representative democracy—a key criteria for OECD membership— 

with freedom of religion, freedom of the press, an independent judiciary and full rights for 

women and minorities. 

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What Congress Has Done to Strengthen the 

U.S.-Israel Economic Partnership 

Facilitated Travel Visas to Strengthen Trade. Congress approved measures providing 

Israelis access to ‘E-2’ investor visas that will strengthen the U.S. economy and the 

bilateral economic relationship by allowing Israelis with large investments in the 

United States the ability to travel to and temporarily reside in the United States. 

Approved the First U.S. Free Trade Agreement. In 1985, Congress overwhelmingly 

voted to implement the landmark U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first 

American agreement of its kind. By a vote of 422-0 in the House and a voice vote in 

the Senate, the FTA became the firm foundation upon which 25 years of economic 

relations have flourished. 

Promoted Israel’s Membership Into the OECD. Congress strongly endorsed Israel’s bid 

to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the world’s 

most exclusive economic forum, overwhelmingly passing resolutions of support in 

2005 and 2006. Israel backs the United States in international fora more consistently 

than any other nation. 

Supported Joint Projects Through Binational Foundations. Congress supported the 

creation of U.S.-Israel binational foundations in the 1970s by appropriating funds 

for the American share of endowments through which their respective joint projects 

are funded. Initial funding levels differed among the foundations, established in 

partnership with the government of Israel, which matched U.S. contributions. 

Congress has appropriated $55 million each for the Binational Industrial Research 

and Development Foundation (BIRD) and the Binational Agricultural Research 

and Development Foundation (BARD). The Binational Science Foundation (BSF) 

received an endowment from Congress of $50 million. The endowments have not 

been replenished since 1984, severely restricting their ability to continue funding 

cutting-edge research and development that could yield high-tech, homeland security, 

agriculture and healthcare technologies. 

BIRD Energy, created in 2008 as a dedicated energy offshoot program, has received 

appropriations totaling $6.3 million since fiscal year 2009, matched dollar for dollar 

by Israel and generating private sector investments of over $20 million. 

66


Enemies sworn to Israel’s destruction are pursuing 

nuclear weapons and procuring advanced missiles 

and conventional arms. Israel also faces non-military 

threats, as its foes seek to undermine the Jewish state 

through delegitimization efforts.


Why Israel Is at Risk—Key Principles 

THE PURSUIT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS: Iran is openly pursuing a nuclear weapons 

capability, while Israel has exposed Syria’s clandestine efforts. Many other Middle 

Eastern states are planning to acquire nuclear capabilities. Achievement of a 

nuclear weapons capability by hostile regimes will pose an existential threat to 

Israel. The international community, led by the United States, should take all 

appropriate measures to prevent Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons. 

THE SCOURGE OF TERRORISM: Israel faces a serious, growing challenge from radical 

Islamist terrorist groups and their state sponsors, whose stated goal is to destroy 

Israel. The United States should continue working with Israel to confront these 

threats through defensive operations, increased homeland security cooperation and 

efforts to disrupt terrorist financing and weapons smuggling. 

THE GROWING MISSILE AND ROCKET ARSENAL: On a daily basis, Israelis face the 

expanding reach, accuracy and number of rockets and advanced missiles that 

can carry chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. The United States and Israel 

should continue working on joint defense systems to defeat this threat. 

TURMOIL IN THE ARAB WORLD: With a new regime in Egypt, chaos in Syria, 

Hizballah dominating in Lebanon, and uncertainty in Jordan, Israel must now 

tackle new threats while thwarting ongoing Palestinian terrorism and a looming 

nuclear Iran. 

THE DELEGITIMIZATION EFFORT: Israel routinely faces obstacles to its acceptance as 

a legitimate nation and its very existence, unlike any other country on Earth. The 

United States should continue playing a vital role in opposing efforts to impose 

double standards on Israel and to deny Israel the basic right to defend its citizens. 

68


The Terrorist Threat 

Israel faces a serious and growing challenge from terrorist groups and their 

state sponsors. With the cooperation of such allies as the United States, Israel’s 

security forces are working day and night to prevent suicide bombings, rocket 

attacks and other violence against Israeli civilians and property. 

KEY POINTS 

• Radical Islamist terrorist groups, including Hamas, Hizballah and al-Qaeda affiliates, espouse 

the destruction of Israel and carry out terrorist attacks on the Jewish state. 

• Though the number of attacks on Israelis has fallen since Israel built a security barrier 

and undertook military operations in Lebanon and Gaza, terrorist groups are dramatically 

enhancing their capabilities. 

• Iran, the leading state sponsor of terrorism, provides military and financial support to groups 

attacking Israel and Israeli citizens abroad. 

• U.S.-Israel cooperation helps impede terrorist financing and smuggling of illicit weapons. 

• U.S. support for Israel’s right to self-defense bolsters Israel and helps thwart international 

efforts to undermine the legitimacy of Israel’s response to attacks. 


As the voice of the American people, Congress has a vital role to play in condemning terrorism 

and strongly supporting Israel’s right to self-defense. Congressional support for U.S.-Israel 

cooperation to combat weapons smuggling and target terrorist financing is fundamental to 

preserving U.S. interests in the region. It is also vital that Congress continues to support funding 

for joint U.S.-Israel research and development and for Israel’s acquisition of security technology 

that the Jewish state can use to protect its population from a wide range of terrorist threats. 

69


Iran: The Leading State Sponsor of Terrorism 

Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism. Tehran has repeatedly called for the destruction 

of Israel. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has declared that the “illegitimate Zionist 

regime” will be made to “disappear” through the “power of resistance and through the faith of 

the resistance”—a code word for the terrorist activities of Hizballah, Hamas and others. The 

Iranian regime has backed up these threats by providing hundreds of millions of dollars in military 

and financial support to terrorist organizations along Israel’s borders—Hamas in Gaza and 

Hizballah in Lebanon. 

Iran has provided Hizballah with some of its most advanced weaponry, heightening international 

concern that Iran might one day transfer nuclear weapons technology to the terrorist group. 

Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani said in December 2001 that “one atomic bomb 

inside Israel will wipe it off the face of the Earth.” 

Hamas Calls for the Destruction of Israel 

Designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union, Hamas rejects 

Israel’s right to exist and actively seeks its destruction. As its 1988 charter establishes, Hamas 

HAMAS’ CHARTER OF HATE 

The Hamas charter, published in 1988, details the guiding principles of the 

Islamist terrorist group. Laced with anti-Semitism, the document calls 

for the destruction of the state of Israel through jihad, or holy war. 

Israel will exist and continue to exist until Islam 

eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors. 

(Opening Statement) 

For our struggle against the Jews is extremely wideranging 

and grave, so much so that it will need all the 

loyal efforts we can wield, to be followed by further 

steps and reinforced by successive battalions from the 

multifarious Arab and Islamic world, until the enemies 

are defeated and Allah’s victory prevails. 

(Introduction) 

There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except 

by Jihad. The initiatives, proposals and International 

Conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in 

futility. The Palestinian people are too noble to have 

their future, their right and their destiny submitted 

to a vain game. (Article 13) 

Allah is its [Hamas’] goal, the Prophet its model, the 

Quran its Constitution, Jihad its path and death for 

the case of Allah its most sublime belief. (Article 8) 

70


believes the complete annihilation of Israel can be the only resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian 

conflict, and its leaders repeatedly proclaim that Hamas will never recognize Israel. Hamas has 

carried out more than 100 suicide bombings and shooting attacks, killing more than 500 civilians. 

The victims of these attacks include more than two dozen U.S. citizens, including five students. 

In response to the worst wave of terrorism in its history—Hamas and other terrorist groups killed 

more than 1,000 Israelis between 2000 and 2005—Israel built a security fence along the West Bank 

to prevent terrorists from infiltrating Israel. In combination with recent efforts by the U.S.-trained 

Palestinian Authority security forces, these steps have led to a dramatic decrease in terrorism. 

With Israel’s success in the West Bank, Hamas stepped up its rocket attacks against Israeli cities 

and towns near the Gaza Strip. Since violently taking control of Gaza from Palestinian Authority 

President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah forces in June 2007, Hamas has turned the Strip into a staging 

ground for thousands of rocket attacks. 

Since Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas has utilized an expansive tunnel network under the 

border between Gaza and Egypt to transport an increasing quantity and quality of weaponry. Hamas 

has stockpiled thousands of Qassam and Katyusha rockets, mortar shells, rocket-propelled grenades, 

anti-tank missiles, explosives and explosive materials, as well as assault rifles to use against Israel. Iran 

plays a vital role in funding, supplying and transporting these weapons through Sudan and the Sinai 

Peninsula and, eventually, into tunnels leading to Gaza. With the fall of the Qaddafi regime in Libya and 

the Mubarak regime in Egypt, Hamas also is smuggling arms from Libya through Egypt into Gaza, and 

attacking Israel across its southern border with Egypt. 

Hamas has killed more than 500 civilians, including two dozen Americans, in suicide bombings and other attacks 

inside Israel. 

71

TERRORIST BUILDUP IN GAZA 

Ashkelon 

8 mi. 


Gaza City 

Beit Lahia 

EREZ 

CROSSING 

3 mi. 

Beit Hanoun 

Sderot 

T U N N E L S 

RAFAH 

CROSSING 

EGYPT 

T U N N E L S 

Rafah 

KISSUFIM 

CROSSING 

Khan Younis 

GAZA 

SUFA 

CROSSING 

KEREM SHALOM 

CROSSING 

T U N N E L S 

T U N N E L S 

TUNNELS 

KARNI 

CROSSING 

LEGEND 

I S RAEL 

S CALE 

0 5 mi. 

Rocket Attacks 

Northern Gaza is being used to fire 

rockets at Israeli towns and cities. 

Attacks On Crossings 

The Karni and Kerem Shalom Crossings 

have been the scenes of numerous 

attacks on Israelis. 

Terrorist Training Camps 

Former Israeli settlements are now 

being used as terrorist training camps. 

Tunneling Into Israel 

Tunnels are being built in order to 

infiltrate Israel and carry out attacks. 

Cash Smuggling 

Hamas has smuggled tens of millions 

of dollars through the Rafah Crossing. 

Weapons Smuggling 

Terrorists have used tunnels and sea 

routes to smuggle in massive amounts 

of weapons. 


72


Beyond the arms smuggling, the chaos in Egypt has allowed the security situation in the Sinai to 

become increasingly unstable. Terrorists have used the territory to plan and carry out attacks on the 

Jewish state. In August 2011, terrorists carried out a highly coordinated attack in southern Israel, 

which left eight Israelis dead. Israeli security officials said teams of terrorist went through the Gaza 

border crossing into the Egyptian Sinai and then infiltrated Israel through the 165-mile Israeli- 

Egyptian border. Israel is currently constructing a security barrier along the Israeli-Egyptian border. 

As of January 2013, most of the barrier has been completed and has cost more than $400 million. 

Following Israel’s Operation Cast Lead—a three-week military operation that Israel launched in 

December 2008 after enduring constant attacks from Gaza—Israel and the United States signed a 

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate on efforts to prevent weapons smuggling to 

Hamas. This cooperation has been critical to international efforts to combat weapons proliferation. 

Still, the Hamas campaign of terror against Israel has continued. In November 2012, Israel launched 

Operation Pillar of Defense, a week-long military campaign that followed yet another barrage of 

rocket attacks from Gaza. In that month alone, Hamas hit Israel with more than 800 rockets—a 

number that would have been much higher were it not for Iron Dome, a landmark missile defense 

system. Developed with the help of U.S. funding, Iron Dome succeeded in shooting down hundreds 

of the rockets fired at Israel and saved countless lives. 

Hizballah: A Terrorist Group With Global Reach 

Beyond the threat from Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups, Israel faces a dramatic and 

growing danger on its northern border. Iranian proxy and Lebanese organization Hizballah is 

recognized as the most technically advanced terrorist group in the world and openly calls for the 

destruction of Israel and the United States. In its 2009 party platform, the terrorist group stated, 

“We categorically reject any compromise with Israel or recognizing its legitimacy. This position is 

definitive, even if everyone recognizes Israel.” 

Israel has accused Hizballah, with the support of Iran, of planning and carrying out a string of 

attacks during the past year against Israelis overseas, including the bombing of a bus of Israeli 

tourists in Bulgaria in July 2012. 

With the support of Iran and Syria, Hizballah has amassed some 60,000 rockets aimed at Israel. 

This stockpile includes hundreds of advanced guided rockets capable of targeting all of Israel. 

This weapons buildup is occurring despite the deployment in southern Lebanon of a U.N. 

peacekeeping contingent, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Moreover, 

73


U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701 require Hizballah to disarm and ban the 

provision of weaponry to the group. 

Hizballah’s 2009 party platform also reemphasized the long-held Hizballah policy of targeting 

U.S. interests and U.S. forces in the region and elsewhere. Hizballah has killed more Americans 

than any other terrorist group aside from al-Qaeda. In its first dramatic act of terrorism, Hizballah 

in October 1983 launched two truck bombs against the French and U.S. Marine barracks in 

Beirut, killing 241 U.S. servicemen and an additional 58 French peacekeepers. With support from 

Iran, Hizballah also carried out the 1996 terrorist attack against the Khobar Towers in Saudi 

Arabia, killing another 19 U.S. servicemen. 

Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Hizballah and its primary sponsor, Iran, provided 

training and technology to Iraqi insurgent groups, which carried out regular attacks against 

U.S. and Coalition forces. Hizballah is also expanding its capabilities by fighting for the Assad 

dictatorship in Syria. Access to the Syrian chemical arsenal could dramatically widen the conflict 

by bringing in neighboring states. 

Al-Qaeda Vows to Expand Jihad to Israel 

While focused on attacks against the United States, al-Qaeda leaders and affiliates have promised 

to destroy Israel in efforts to rid the region of all infidels. Before being killed by U.S. forces, 

Osama Bin Laden regulalry promised to “liberate Palestine, the whole of Palestine from the 

[Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea.” 

Official al-Qaeda presence in Gaza and the West Bank is small, but support for the ideas that al- 

Qaeda espouses are present and growing. Many Palestinians are exposed to al-Qaeda’s ideology 

and connect to its leaders through the Internet and small, religiously stringent Salafi groups in the 

Palestinian territories. Despite Hamas’ claims that al-Qaeda does not operate in the Gaza Strip, 

Salafi groups regularly clash with Hamas over what these groups claim are Hamas’ lax religious 

laws. Salafi groups have also carried out attacks against Israeli interests, including targeting 

Israelis traveling in the Sinai. 

Al-Qaeda is a growing presence in Syria, and has played an increased role in attacks on regime 

targets. Should Assad fall, al-Qaeda may be in a strong position to threaten Israel and Western 

interests in the region. 

74


What Congress Has Done to Counter Terrorism 

Condemned Terrorism and Backed Israel’s Right to Self-Defense. In resolutions, letters 

and floor statements, members of Congress have been steadfast against terrorism. 

Congress recognizes that the United States and Israel have been prime targets for 

terrorist attacks. Congress is the only body in the world to repeatedly support Israel’s 

right to self-defense. Congress understands that just as America would respond to 

attacks on its soil, Israel has the right to act in defense of its territory and its citizens 

when necessary. 

Targeted Terrorist Financing. Congress has taken steps to prevent and combat the 

flow of financial contributions to terrorist entities such as Hizballah and Hamas. 

Legislation, including the USA PATRIOT Act in 2001 and the Antiterrorism and 

Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, has successfully prevented the United States 

from becoming a center for terrorist fundraising. These laws have been used to 

prosecute Americans for providing funds to terrorist organizations while offering 

legal and financial recourse to victims of terrorism. 

Sanctioned State Sponsors of Terrorism. In 1979, Congress passed the Export 

Administration Act, which requires the secretary of state to determine whether a 

country supports acts of international terrorism. Today, countries designated as state 

sponsors of terrorism—such as Iran and Syria—are subject to numerous restrictions 

on trade and financial transactions with the United States, bans on military and dualuse 

exports, and prohibitions on U.S. foreign assistance. 

Under these designations, Congress has issued and expanded sanctions against 

Iran and Syria for their continuous support of terrorism. Congress passed the 

Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act (2003) and the 

Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act (2010) as 

efforts to dissuade Iran and Syria’s harmful activities. 

Urged the Designation of Terrorist Entities. Congress has pressed the executive branch 

to properly designate established terrorist organizations, their subsidiaries and partner 

entities. Congressional persistence led to the designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary 

Guard Corps and Hizballah’s television station Al-Manar as terrorist entities. 

75


The Missile Threat 

Israel faces an extraordinary challenge in defending its citizens against 

expanding missile threats. Iran, Arab states and the terrorist groups Hamas 

and Hizballah are stockpiling tens of thousands of missiles and rockets to 

attack the Jewish state. 

KEY POINTS 

• Israeli officials estimate that Hamas and Hizballah together have more than 65,000 missiles 

and rockets. 

• Iran has supplied both Hizballah and Hamas with rockets capable of striking Israel’s 

major population centers. 

• Iran has advanced ballistic missiles capable of striking Israel, parts of Europe and U.S. troops 

in the region, and is developing weapons to hit the mainland of the United States. 

• Syria possesses the region’s largest stockpile of missiles and biological and chemical weapons. 

Control of these weapons is uncertain as violence persists throughout the country. 

• American investment in Israeli rocket and missile defense systems helps protect both 

Israel and American troops nearby. 

• Israel shares its technology with America, enabling the United States to help protect 

Americans at home and abroad. 


By helping Israel defend itself, Congress can help deter terrorist attacks and limit the prospects for 

war. Congress should continue vital funding for U.S.-Israel missile and rocket defense programs, 

including Arrow II, Arrow III, David’s Sling and Iron Dome. Congress should also work to isolate 

countries and groups that support missile proliferators and terrorist organizations. 

76


Israel Faces Evolving Threats 

Israel’s foes have shifted their focus beyond conventional military arms to the realm of rockets, 

missiles and unconventional weapons. Dangers loom in every direction—Hizballah and Syria from 

the north, Hamas and perhaps Egypt in the south and Iran to the east. Israel’s foes have combined 

new military capabilities with the expressed intention of eradicating the Jewish state and pushing 

the United States out of the Middle East. 

Iran Continues to Develop Advanced Missile Capabilities 

Tehran is rapidly amassing a stockpile of advanced ballistic weapons, with which it can intimidate 

the entire region. Under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, this arsenal— 

largely based on Russian, Chinese and North Korean technology—is regularly displayed with 

slogans calling for the destruction of America and Israel. Iran’s long-range missile buildup is 

increasingly using innovative and sophisticated indigenous technology and engineering. Not only 

do such weapons directly threaten Israel and the Arabian Gulf region, but their proliferation spurs 

America’s ongoing effort to deploy a missile defense shield to protect Europe. 

Despite recent “mishaps” involving failed test launches and explosions at production facilities, 

experts agree that Iran is advancing toward deployment of a robust, sophisticated arsenal of 

ballistic and cruise missiles, guided rockets and armed attack drones. 

Iran is stockpiling advanced ballistic missiles that can strike Israel and U.S. troops in the region. 

77

THE IRANIAN MISSILE THREAT 

BEL 

LARUS 

L 

RUSSIA 

MOL LDO OVA 

UKRAINE 

KAZAKHSTAN 

ROMANIA 

SE ER RB R 

BIA 

MA 

ACEDO 

CEDON 

NIA 

GREE 

EC 

CE 

BU 

ULGA 

ARIA A 

TURKEY 

UZBEKISTAN 

GEOR ORGI 

GIA 

KY 

YRGY GYZS YZSTAN 

ARMEN NIA 

AZ A ERB RBA 

IJ 

JAN 

N 

TURK 

RKME 

NIST STAN 

TA AJI 

KIS TAN 

CHINA 

LEBA 

BANO 

NON 

ISRA RAEL 

SY 

YRIA 

IRAQ 

IRAN 

AFGHA ANISTAN 

EGYPT 

J 

JO OR RDAN 

KUWAIT 

BAHRAI 

AI 

N 

QATAR 

AR 

U.A 

A.E. 

E 

OM 

MAN 

AKISTAN 

PA 

INDIA 

SUDAN 

ERITREA 

R EA 

SA 

UDI ARAB A IA 

YEME 

MEN 

Iran has ballistic missiles that could carry nuclear, chemical 

or biological warheads 1,500 miles—threatening U.S. 

troops, Israel, other U.S. allies and vital energy resources. 

ETHIOPIA 

A 

SOMALIA 

LEGEND 

Iranian Ballistic 

Missile Range 


78


Ballistic missiles are one of the most effective means of delivering a nuclear payload. They do not 

encounter the difficulties of long-range aircraft flight or the uncertainties of smuggling via terrorist 

proxies. Thus, for Tehran, missiles that carry unconventional weapons provide the best means to 

strike or intimidate its enemies. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has revealed conclusive evidence that Iran has 

been developing the technology to place a bomb onto a ballistic missile. According to the IAEA, 

Iran has tried to adapt its main long-range missile to carry a nuclear payload. Documents reveal 

that Iran has worked on the “redesign of the inner cone of the Shihab‐3 missile reentry vehicle to 

accommodate a nuclear warhead.” 

Hamas, Hizballah Acquire Sophisticated Weapons 

Both of the principal terrorist organizations based along Israel’s borders—Hamas and Hizballah— 

continue to build up their stockpiles of weapons and strengthen their military capabilities. These 

groups receive assistance from Iran to expand their arsenals and to carry out attacks against Israel. 

Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Hamas has launched more than 9,500 rockets at 

Israel, including 1,600 during a major barrage in November 2012. Hamas continues to expand 

the range and lethality of its arsenal, which includes 122mm Grad rockets and 120mm mortar 

bombs imported from Iran. New 240mm Fajr heavy rockets have now also entered the arena 

and have already been used to bombard heavily populated central Israel. One of the unintended 

consequences of Libya’s liberation and Hosni Mubarak’s downfall in 2011 has been a flood of 

shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles and other terror weapons passing from Qaddafi’s arsenal 

through the Sinai Peninsula into Gaza. 

Hizballah—also a U.S.-designated terrorist group—has accumulated 60,000 rockets, including 

both short- and long-range versions, all aimed at Israel. According to former Secretary of Defense 

Robert Gates and other U.S. officials, Hizballah possesses more advanced weaponry than most 

countries. A New York Times article published after WikiLeaks released thousands of State 

Department cables cites Syria’s transfer of 10 Scud-D ballistic missiles to Hizballah that can 

target all of Israel. This acquisition of advanced technology, which may soon accelerate if Syria’s 

Assad seeks to secure parts of his own arms stockpile from rebels, demonstrates that Hizballah 

is a regional threat—to Israel, other U.S. allies and areas of U.S. interest. The radical Shia Islamic 

group also threatens the stability and sovereignty of Lebanon. 

79


Syrian Weapons Arsenal Threatens Regional Stability 

Since the 2006 war between Israel and Hizballah, Syria has sought to mimic Hizballah by 

accelerating its efforts to expand its inventory of ballistic missiles, rockets and chemical weapons. 

The Syrian government has spent billions of dollars acquiring one the largest supplies of ballistic 

missiles in the Middle East—weapons it has already used against its own civilian population—as 

well as hundreds of tons of chemical weapons and precursor materials needed to produce mustard 

agents, and sarin gas. Weapons of mass destruction enhance Syria’s capabilities to confront Israel. 

With the assistance of North Korea and Iran, Syria has also procured Scud-C intermediate-range 

ballistic missiles and is developing longer-range Scud-D missile systems that can hit all of Israel. 

Both can be deployed with a chemical warhead. If the Assad regime fears it will soon collapse, it 

could carry out an attack against Israel using this toxic arsenal or large portions could be hijacked 

by radical factions amid the likely chaos following the regime’s downfall. U.S. and Israeli officials 

are increasingly concerned about this scenario. 

Iran and Syria are supplying Hamas and Hizballah with increasingly sophisticated rockets and missiles to target Israel. 

80

HIZBALLAH ROCKET RANGES 



Qiryat Shemona 

h 

KATYUSHA 

LONG RANGE KATYUSHA 

GOLAN 

FAJR-3 

HEIGHTS 

S 

Tiberias 

Haifa 

Sea 

of Galilee 

FAJR-5/SYRIAN 220mm 

Nazareth 

SYRIAN B-302 

Netanya 

Tel Aviv 

JeninJ 

S a m a r i a 

Nablus 

WEST BANK 

Jordan 

River 

ZELZAL-2 

M-600 

Ramallah 

ah 

Jerusalem 

Bethlehem 

ehem 

Ashkelon 

Gaza City 

y 

Sderot 

GAZA 

J u d e a 

Dead Sea 

Beersheba 

SCUD-B 

Hizballah Rocket Ranges 

SCALE 



Eilat 

KATYUSHA 

12 mi. 

LONG-RANGE KATYUSHA 24 mi. 0 25 mi. 

FAJR-3 

28 mi. 

FAJR-5/SYRIAN 220mm 45 mi. 

SYRIAN B-302 

71 mi. 

ZELZAL-2 

130 mi. 

M-600 155 mi. 

* SCUD-B 

186 mi. 

Not confirmed Hizballah has this missile in possession. 

81


What Congress Has Done to Combat the Missile Threat 

Funded Key U.S.-Israel Missile Defense Programs. For the past two decades, Congress 

has funded key missile defense programs, including the Arrow anti-ballistic missile 

program. The Arrow is the centerpiece of the U.S.-Israel cooperative defense 

relationship and one of the most advanced missile defense systems in existence. This 

system provides Israel with an essential capability to counter imminent and emerging 

ballistic missile threats. It also enhances U.S. security efforts by supplying key research 

and technology for other theater missile defense programs. 

Congress also has helped fund the David’s Sling Short Range Ballistic Missile 

Defense System, jointly developed by the United States and Israel. David’s Sling 

is designed to provide Israel and the U.S. military with effective and affordable 

protection against the threat of long-range artillery rockets (LRAR) and shortrange 

ballistic missiles (SRBM). David’s Sling will also help defend against the 

emerging cruise missile threat currently proliferating in the Middle East. 

Authorized Funding for the New Israeli-Developed Iron Dome Rocket Defense System. 

Both the House and Senate voted to support President Obama’s 2011 request to 

provide $205 million to Israel to produce the short-range rocket defense system 

known as Iron Dome. An additional $70 million was provided in fiscal year 2012. The 

technology is designed to intercept artillery shells and short-range rockets from Hamas 

and Hizballah, and has successfully intercepted dozens of rockets fired from Gaza at 

Israel over the past year. 

Strongly Backed Israel’s Right to Defend Itself. Both houses have passed multiple 

resolutions backing Israel’s quest for peace and its right to self-defense. For example, 

the House and the Senate passed resolutions in 2009 and 2012 that support Israel’s 

right to self-defense against continuing Hamas rocket attacks on its cities and 

reaffirm America’s strong support for Israel. 

82


The Nuclear Threat 

The spreading pursuit of nuclear programs by Mideast states could pose 

an existential threat to Israel, while harming other important American 

interests and devastating the international non-proliferation regime. 

KEY POINTS 

• Iran, whose leaders regularly call for the destruction of the Jewish state, is aggressively 

pursuing a nuclear weapons capability. 

• Syria, which has threatened attacks against Israel, has been caught developing its own 

clandestine nuclear program. 

• Both Iran and Syria have pursued nuclear programs in violation of their Nuclear Non- 

Proliferation Treaty (NPT) commitments. 

• Iran’s illicit actions will likely unleash a Middle East nuclear arms race, which could signal the 

end of the NPT and the theoretical hope of eliminating nuclear weapons. 

• As more nations acquire nuclear capabilities, the risk increases that a state will use these 

weapons—either by design or miscalculation. 

• A nuclear crisis in the Middle East would affect the safety of Americans and put America’s 

energy supply at risk. 


Congress must do all it can to prevent rogue regimes like Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapons 

capability. Congress should ensure the strict enforcement of sanctions against nations that 

maintain illicit nuclear weapons programs, because these sanctions may persuade such regimes 

to abandon their pursuit of nuclear arms. Congress must also punish entities illegally trading 

sensitive technologies and ensure the close safeguarding of the materials needed to build nuclear 

arms. Congress should limit proliferation risks and strive to ensure that any additional nations 

establishing nuclear programs for civilian energy uses demonstrably guarantee the peaceful nature 

of their programs. 

83


Iran Pursues Nukes, Threatens to Destroy Israel 

Iran’s illicit pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability, backed by relentless rhetorical threats to 

destroy Israel, could pose an existential threat to the Jewish state. Iranian President Mahmoud 

Ahmadinejad repeatedly calls for the annihilation of “the Zionist regime” and denies that the 

Holocaust “actually took place.” This rhetoric is widespread throughout Iran’s leadership, with 

“moderate” leaders like former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani emphasizing how only one 

nuclear bomb is needed to obliterate Israel. “If one day, the Islamic world is also equipped with 

weapons like those that Israel possesses now, then the imperialists’ strategy will reach a standstill 

because the use of even one nuclear bomb inside Israel will destroy everything,” Rafsanjani said. 

A nuclear-armed Iran is a rapidly approaching reality. Iran continues to defy its obligations under 

the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It also continues to ignore the demands of the 

international community to cease its pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability. Recent reports by the 

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) indicate that Iran is rapidly closing in on the capability 

to produce nuclear weapons. Indeed, the agency has detailed an elaborate and highly organized 

program dedicated to acquiring the skills necessary to produce and test a nuclear bomb. This stark 

determination is a wake-up call that time to prevent Iran’s nuclear breakout is fast running out. 

Syria Pursues Clandestine 

Nuclear Program 

With North Korean assistance, Syria 

has pursued its own nuclear program in 

direct violation of its NPT commitments. 

In November 2008, the IAEA concluded 

that a secret facility reportedly destroyed 

by Israel in September 2007 was a 

nearly completed nuclear reactor. Syria 

modeled this reactor after one that North 

Korea utilizes to produce plutonium for 

nuclear weapons. After the facility was 

destroyed, Syria rebuffed international 

demands for a full, rapid site inspection. 

Iran continues to enrich uranium and has explored 

using polonium to fuel a nuclear weapon. 

84


Instead, Syria removed tons 

of earth from the site and 

sought to hide any radioactive 

remains from international 

inspectors. Despite Syria’s 

refusal to cooperate, the IAEA 

discovered processed uranium 

particles while on a restricted 

visit to this reactor site as 

well as to a reactor facility 

in Damascus. 

Beyond Syria’s nuclear 

program, Damascus has 

assembled a vast missile 

arsenal and what the U.S. 

intelligence community estimates is the largest stockpile of biological and chemical weapons 

in the Arab world. The quantity and quality of weapons that Syria possesses make Damascus’ 

adamant refusal to cooperate with the IAEA particularly worrisome, especially as the civil war 

continues and the question of who will control these weapons remains unanswered. 

Proliferation Prompts Other Arab States to Pursue Nuclear Programs 

In addition to directly endangering Israel, nuclear pursuits by Iran and Syria will likely spur 

nuclear proliferation throughout the Middle East. Many Arab states have already indicated their 

intention to begin “peaceful” nuclear programs—potentially a first step toward a nuclear weapons 

capability. The proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East would endanger U.S. allies 

and interests—including Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and the free flow of oil from the Persian 

Gulf. A Middle East full of nuclear-armed states would not only threaten Israel, but also increase 

the prospect of cataclysmic war throughout the region and beyond—particularly if such weapons 

were to fall into the hands of terrorist groups. This scenario would not only raise the risk of 

nuclear conflict, but would spell the end of the NPT and any theoretical prospect for elimination 

of nuclear weapons. 

Syria refuses to answer IAEA questions about its secret nuclear facility 

reportedly destroyed by Israel. 

85


What Congress Has Done to Counter 

Nuclear Proliferation 

Rejected containment as an option. Congress has overwhelmingly passed resolutions 

affirming that it is U.S. policy to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons 

capability and opposing any reliance on a policy seeking to contain a nuclearcapable 

Iran. 

Focused World Attention on Iran’s Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons. Congress has helped 

lead an international effort to draw attention to the dangers of an Iranian nuclear 

program. Congressional resolutions have condemned Iran for its repeated violations 

of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations and demanded cooperation with 

international nuclear inspectors. Members of Congress have reached out to foreign 

nations, urging them to enact tougher sanctions on Iran, and reached out to foreign 

businesses, urging them to exit the Iranian market. 

Passed Far-Reaching Sanctions Against Iran. Congress has passed increasingly tougher 

sanctions on Iran. The Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 targeted foreign investment in 

Iran’s energy sector—the lifeblood of the Iranian economy. In 2010, Congress passed 

the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act (CISADA), 

authorizing sanctions against foreign banks that conduct business with Iranian entities 

involved in nuclear arms proliferation. CISADA also includes key provisions targeting 

nations that allow shipment of illicit materials to Iran. In 2011, Congress passed 

unprecedented sanctions against Iran’s Central Bank, a key facilitator of Iran’s nuclear 

weapons program. 

Both the House and Senate in August 2012 overwhelmingly passed the Iran 

Threat Reduction Act of 2012, which enshrines in law that it is U.S. policy to 

prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, escalates the level of sanctions 

against the regime’s human rights violators, and sharply tightens the enforcement 

of existing sanctions law. 

Cut Off Flow of Dual-Use Materials to Iran and Syria. U.S. export laws currently 

restrict sales of dual-use American technology and Congress has passed legislation 

authorizing sanctions against foreign entities that supply nuclear and missile 

components to Iran. Congress has also provided significant funding for diplomatic, 

military and intelligence efforts to intercept illicit shipments to Iran. 

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Turmoil in the Arab World 

For the past four decades, the Arab regimes surrounding Israel were largely 

stable and predictable, and Israel was able to avoid large-scale regional wars. 

Today, with a new regime in Egypt, chaos in Syria, Hizballah dominating 

in Lebanon, and uncertainty in Jordan, Israel must tackle new threats while 

thwarting ongoing Palestinian terrorism and a looming nuclear Iran. 

KEY POINTS 

• Unprecedented political change in the Middle East, including the rise of Islamist parties, 

could lead to significant new strategic threats to Israel. 

• Israel must now devote time and resources to prepare for threats from countries that 

avoided conventional warfare with Jerusalem during the past four decades. 

• Egyptian-Israeli peace has been the cornerstone of regional stability for more than three 

decades; it is critical that the new government in Egypt maintain peace with Israel. 

• Violence in Syria and the likely end of the Assad regime raise the risk of conflict with Israel 

and require planning to secure Syria’s arsenal of missiles and chemical weapons. 

• The United States must work with Israel to ensure the Jewish state’s continued qualitative 

military edge and ability to defend itself against these emerging challenges. 


During this period of turmoil, Congress should continue to press Egypt and Jordan to uphold 

their peace treaties with Israel as the cornerstones of regional peace and stability. Egypt must be 

pressed to retake control of the Sinai Peninsula and prevent the area’s continued deterioration into 

a terrorist safe heaven. Congress should work with the administration to ensure Syria’s weapons 

arsenal cannot threaten Israel. Congress also should continue to ensure Israel has the means to 

defend herself against new threats by backing security assistance to the Jewish state. 

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A Region in Flux 

The “Arab Spring” has brought tectonic change to the Middle East, and has the potential to rewrite the 

political order that has dominated the region for decades. With the rise of an Islamist regime in Egypt, the 

lawlessness of Sinai, the deterioration of the Assad regime in Syria, the triumph of Hizballah in Lebanon 

and uncertainty in Jordan, Israel can no longer rely on stability and predictability among its immediate 

neighbors. Regional Arab powers such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are also 

facing internal challenges that threaten regional stability. Beyond the Arab world, once strong Israeli- 

Turkish relations have frayed as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the Islamist Justice and 

Development Party has sought to distance Turkey from the Jewish state. 

Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty Key to Regional Stability 

With the downfall of Hosni Mubarak, the future of Egytian-Israeli peaceful relations has been 

called into question. In 1979, Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with 

Israel, removing the threat of attack by the Arab world’s most populous and powerful country. 

Although the peace had been cold, Cairo adhered to its main treaty commitments: full diplomatic 

relations; keeping the Sinai as a demilitarized buffer zone; permitting the presence in the Sinai of 

the U.S.-led Multinational Force and Observers; and maintaining freedom of navigation through 

the Suez Canal even for Israeli warships. 

Turmoil in Egypt has raised questions about Cairo’s 

commitment to its peace treaty with Israel. 

Importantly, since the signing of the U.S.- 

brokered peace treaty with Israel, Egypt 

has been the key U.S. strategic ally in the 

Arab world. Egypt worked with the United 

States in opposing Islamic radicalism in its 

many forms (Hamas in Gaza, al-Qaeda in 

the entire region, Hizballah in Lebanon) 

and had been a strong opponent of Iran’s 

nuclear program and efforts to attain 

regional hegemony. Egyptian troops even 

participated alongside U.S. forces in the 

liberation of Kuwait during the first Gulf 

War in 1991. In return, Egypt benefited 

from massive annual U.S. military and 

economic assistance. 

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Muslim Brotherhood Gains Power 

The election of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi—who co-founded the Egyptian 

Commission for Resisting the Zionist Project—has raised concerns about Cairo’s future commitment to 

peace with Israel. 

In his first speech as president, Morsi pledged to “preserve international accords and obligations,” 

but in the past he has called the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty “unfair” to Egypt’s interests 

and accused Israel of repeated violations of the treaty. Indeed, Morsi comes from the Muslim 

Brotherhood, a fundamentalist Islamist movement that spawned the U.S.-designated terrorist group 

Hamas, which seeks Israel’s destruction. The Brotherhood continues to maintain close ties with the 

group that now controls Gaza and has pressed for an opening of Egypt’s border with the territory. 

Despite the domination of the Brotherhood in Egyptian politics today, and apart from extreme 

anti-Israel statements by its leaders, Morsi himself has adopted a more restrained policy toward 

Israel. In meetings with U.S. officials, he has expressed his intention to keep the Egypt-Israel peace 

treaty intact. But the 1979 treaty remains unpopular with the Egyptian public, as most view it as 

a concession to the United States and a relic of Mubarak’s harsh rule. Revising or abrogating the 

treaty could gain Morsi wide public support. The United States has made it clear that the continued 

flow of U.S. aid depends on Egypt’s honoring of the treaty. 

On the domestic front, Morsi and the Brotherhood, in the absence of a parliament, have used the 

presidency to push through several controversial acts claiming more powers. Widespread protests 

of this power-grab eventually caused Morsi to rescind the decree, but in a rushed vote, a new 

constitution was passed by Islamists, and subsequently put to a public referendum in December 

2012. In this way the Brotherhood secured a new constitution not widely debated and that it 

wrote almost entirely by itself. 

Threats to Israel from Sinai Increasing 

The dramatic changes now unfolding in Egypt have required Israel to rethink its long-held assumptions 

about Egypt and prepare for enhanced threats. Egyptian security forces have lost control of Sinai, and 

Bedouin tribes and factions carry out criminal and terrorist activity largely unencumbered. Tribes have 

been involved in smuggling weapons to Gaza, including advanced rocketry and arms from Libya and 

the Sudan, and have regularly attacked the pipeline running through Sinai that carries natural gas to 

Israel. Reports also indicate that al-Qaeda and other jihadi terrorist groups are taking advantage of the 

lawlessness in the area to set up training camps. 

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The Egyptian military’s inability—or unwillingness—to stem terrorist attacks from Sinai against 

Israel is also a worrisome trend, although it has stepped up actions after an August 2012 attack 

in which terrorists killed 16 Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai before ramming an explosives-laden 

military vehicle through the Israeli border. 

In August 2011, eight Israelis were killed when terrorists entered Israel from Egypt and fired at 

an Israeli bus travelling near the border. Israel is nearing completion of a security fence along its 

border with Egypt to help prevent future attacks. 

Civil War in Syria 

In 2011, Syria underwent a dramatic shift as mass protests aimed at bringing down the regime of 

President Bashar al-Assad resulted in a brutal crackdown and the mass killing of tens of thousands 

of civilians. Despite the lack of an official peace treaty, the relationship between Israel and Syria had 

proven remarkably stable for more than three decades under the regime of the current ruler’s father, 

President Hafez al-Assad, who conducted serious U.S.-hosted peace talks with Israel in 2000. 

The pragmatic foreign policy of Hafez al-Assad has given way to the more strident and provocative 

posture of his son, who has attempted to develop a clandestine nuclear program with help from 

North Korea and has continued to supply advanced weapons from Iran to Hizballah in violation of 

U.N. Security Council resolutions. 

As violence has escalated and the international outcry grows, these worrisome policies, coupled 

with concerns that a desperate regime could lash out, have caused Israel to dramatically 

recalculate the threat from Syria and 

plan for potential conflict. 

President Bashar Assad has sought to 

distract attention from his brutality by 

blaming the United States and Israel 

for stoking the internal dissent. The 

Assad regime has encouraged violence 

against Israel by having Palestinians 

and other regime supporters try to 

rush the border with Israel. Israeli 

defense officials have raised the threat 

level along the Syrian border. 

Syrians inside and outside the country are rebelling against the Assad 

regime amid its brutal crackdown on anti-government protestors. 

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Israeli officials are particularly concerned about the fate of Syria’s arsenal of long-range missiles and 

chemical weapons. Today, Syria maintains the largest stockpile of chemical weapons in the Middle East 

and has the capability to place such weapons on long-range SCUD missiles. As the regime collapses, 

there is concern that these weapons could be transferred to Hizballah in Lebanon or otherwise fall into 

the hands of terrorists that might use them against U.S. or Israeli targets. 

Jordan Remains Stable—For Now 

While Jordan has remained relatively stable amid the dynamic changes in the region, the potential for 

instability and expanding protests in the Hashemite Kingdom is another cause for concern. Since the 

1997 treaty between Jordan and Israel, the Hashemite kingdom has emerged as a key ally in the region 

of both Israel and the United States, particularly in the areas of counter-terrorism and intelligence 

sharing. Additionally, in a widely touted joint U.S.-Jordanian program, Palestinian Authority national 

security forces have been trained in Jordan under U.S. personnel and curriculum since 2007. 

With the beginning of the Arab Spring in 2011, King Abdullah has worked hard to respond to public 

calls for political reforms, often firing governmental ministers for not moving quickly to implement 

changes. Jordan’s monarchy remains deeply 

concerned by the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood 

in Egypt, as it has the potential to embolden the 

Islamic Action Front (IAF), the Brotherhood’s 

organization in Jordan, which has long opposed 

peace with Israel. 

King Abdullah of Jordan has thus far survived 

internal opposition to his rule. 

Israel’s border with Jordan is the longest border 

it has with any of its Arab neighbors. The border 

has been kept quiet and free of smuggling for 

many decades, but now plays host to more than 

100,000 Syrian refugees. Should dramatic change 

come to Jordan, the potential that weapons 

and rockets could be smuggled to terrorists in 

the West Bank could become a serious concern. 

Rockets launched from the West Bank would 

pose an intolerable risk to Jerusalem and other 

Israeli population centers as well as Ben Gurion 

International Airport. 

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What Congress Has Done to Reinforce 

U.S. Principles amid Arab Turmoil 

Urged Egypt to Maintain Peace Treaty with Israel. After the fall of Egyptian President 

Hosni Mubarak, 326 House members sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary 

Clinton urging her to call on Egypt to maintain its international obligations, 

including its peace treaty with Israel. The March 2011 letter also stated that Egypt 

must continue to play a constructive role in opposing Iran’s nuclear program and 

combating terrorism and Islamic extremism. 

Conditioned Aid to Egypt on Maintaining Peace with Israel. Congress passed legislation 

in December 2011 that conditions future aid to Egypt on the country’s adherence 

to its peace treaty with Israel, its holding of free and fair elections, and its successful 

transition to a civilian government that implements policies protecting freedom of 

expression, association, religion and due process of law. 

Increased Aid to Jordan. Recognizing the important role Jordan plays in maintaining 

relations with Israel and helping the United States train Palestinian security forces, 

Congress has provided increased aid to Jordan in recent years, including $360 

million in economic assistance and $300 million in security assistance during the past 

two fiscal years. 

Restricted Aid to Lebanese Army. In light of Hizballah’s expanded influence over 

the Lebanese government, the fiscal year 2012 foreign aid bill does not provide a 

specific amount for security assistance to Lebanon and new language restricts any 

funds from going to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) if it is controlled by a foreign 

terrorist organization. Any funds that would go to the LAF could only be used to 

professionalize the LAF, strengthen border security, combat terrorism, interdict 

arms shipments, prevent Lebanon from being a safe haven for terrorist groups, and 

implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. Congress also directed that any 

aid to the LAF “not affect Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region.” 

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The Unjust Efforts to 

Delegitimize Israel 

Israel routinely faces unique obstacles to the acceptance of its existence, 

legitimacy and right to self-defense. 

KEY POINTS 

• The United Nations has frequently and disproportionately singled out Israel for special 

condemnation, often for exercising its basic right of self-defense. 

• Most Arab states refuse any contact with Israel, and many participate in the Arab League 

boycott of the Jewish state. 

• Today, many of Israel’s opponents are engaged in a worldwide effort to boycott and 

sanction Israel. 

• America has opposed efforts to tarnish Israel’s legitimacy and has fought anti-Israel 

resolutions at the United Nations and other international bodies. 

• The United States has also led efforts to enhance Israel’s standing by demanding fair and 

equal treatment for Israel in international fora and by highlighting Israel’s value to the 

United States and the world. 


Congress can play a critical role by speaking out against any effort to delegitimize Israel and single it 

out for special opprobrium. If the U.N. Security Council considers an anti-Israel resolution, lawmakers 

should urge the administration to veto the measure. In addition, lawmakers can encourage the 

administration to fight such measures in fora where the United States does not have the power of a 

veto. Congress can also pressure Arab states to begin normalizing relations with Israel. 

Congress should also support efforts by Israel to enhance its position internationally. Support for 

updating the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement, backing Israel’s quest to join the U.N. Security 

Council, supporting Israel’s efforts to join the Executive Board of UNESCO and the Western 

Europe and Others Group in Geneva, among other steps, would strengthen Israel’s standing. 

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From Double Standards to Delegitimization 

For decades, Israel has faced wave after wave of condemnation by international institutions and 

scores of countries. In these attacks, other nations have applied a standard toward Israel not 

used with respect to countries actually responsible for genocide and other massive human rights 

abuses. Through many of these campaigns against Israel, these nations and institutions have 

sought not only to discredit Israel’s policies, but also to delegitimize its very right to exist. In 

addition, they have strived to deny Israel’s right to self-defense against countries and extremist 

groups that kill Israeli citizens and seek Israel’s destruction. 

These campaigns weaken the integrity of the international community and exacerbate the 

very conflicts that they purport to solve. They have also deeply undermined Israeli trust and 

encouraged Arab states and the Palestinians to continue rejectionist policies. 

The United Nations: A History of Exclusion 

Although the United Nations played a crucial role in the creation of Israel, U.N. history reflects 

a persistent antagonism toward the Jewish 

state. At the United Nations, Israel is 

singled out for condemnation in the General 

Assembly, in one-sided Security Council 

resolutions and in biased Human Rights 

Council reports. The United Nations has 

passed more resolutions aimed at isolating 

Israel than those condemning genocide, 

warfare and human rights violations 

throughout the world. The very countries 

that promote these efforts are oftentimes 

among the worst violators of human rights. 

UNDERMINING ISRAEL’S LEGITIMACY 

In 1975, Israel faced a singularly outrageous 

challenge to its legitimacy when the 

United Nations adopted General Assembly 

Resolution 3379, which equated Zionism 

with racism. After vigorous efforts by the 

Protesters across the globe have called for 

Israel’s destruction. 

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United States to overturn it, the General Assembly in 1991 revoked the “Zionism is Racism” 

resolution. President George H.W. Bush personally introduced this motion, stating that Resolution 

3379 “mocks…the principles upon which the United Nations was founded.” 

Despite these efforts, various U.N. members and agencies continue to equate Zionism with racism. 

Similarly, for most of its history, the United Nations has condemned virtually every conceivable 

form of racism, yet it has refused to condemn anti-Semitism. Not until 1994 did the U.N. Human 

Rights Commission in Geneva, at the insistence of the United States, finally pass a resolution 

condemning the hatred of Jews. 

The United States withdrew its delegation from the 2001 and 2009 U.N. Conferences on Racism, 

known as the Durban conferences, after member states and anti-Israel non-governmental 

organizations hijacked the agenda, and the discussions degenerated into a forum for anti- 

Semitism. “You do not combat racism by conferences that produce declarations containing 

hateful language, some of which is a throwback to the days of ‘Zionism equals racism,’” said 

then-Secretary of State Colin Powell about the 2001 conference. Similarly, in September 2011, the 

United States boycotted a 10-year anniversary celebration of the first Durban conference. 

A DOUBLE STANDARD FOR ISRAEL 

The United Nations has consistently employed a double standard in its treatment of Israel, 

directing false allegations against the country while ignoring acts of genocide and other massive 

human rights violations committed by other countries. Furthermore, the United Nations has 

The United Nations has condemned Israel more times than it has condemned various acts of genocide 

around the world. 

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repeatedly held “Emergency Special Sessions” that focus solely on the Arab conflict with Israel. 

Although these types of sessions were originally conceived in 1950 for emergencies like the Korean 

War, they have since then focused primarily on condemning Israel, while numerous other world 

emergencies, such as the genocide in Darfur and the Syrian regime’s killing of its own people, go 

virtually ignored. 

Likewise, three unique U.N. entities are dedicated to promoting the Palestinian cause 

and, consequently, to repeatedly condemning Israel. They include the Special Committee 

to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and 

Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable 

Rights of the Palestinian People and the Division for Palestinian Rights within the U.N. 

Secretariat. Together, these three agencies spend millions of dollars each year to spread anti- 

Israel propaganda and engage in some of the worst anti-Israel activity. The United States has 

consistently condemned this behavior. 

SINGLING OUT ISRAEL ON HUMAN RIGHTS 

Created in March 2006 to replace the former U.N. Commission on Human Rights, the new 

U.N. Human Rights Council maintains an endemic hostility to Israel, combined with hands-off 

treatment of some of the world’s most notorious human rights abusers. 

The new Council’s first session culminated with only one country-specific decision—a call for reports 

and consideration of “Israeli human rights violations” in Palestinian and “other occupied Arab 

territories.” Less than one week later, the Council convened an emergency session devoted to “Israeli 

military operations against Palestinian civilians.” As the Israel Defense Forces sought to rescue 

Corporal Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas days earlier (on June 25, 2006) and 

eventually released as part of a prisoner exchange between the terrorist group and Israel in October 

2011, the Council passed a resolution condemning Israeli actions and dispatched an “urgent factfinding 

mission” to the region to report on Israeli human rights abuses. The resolution ignored 

Hamas’ kidnapping and the daily barrage of Qassam rockets striking Israeli cities. 

QUESTIONING ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE 

This process of condemnation and delegitimization was renewed in the wake of fighting between 

Hamas and Israel in 2008. Israel had launched defensive operations in Gaza after enduring 

thousands of rocket attacks against its civilians. An ill-conceived and biased fact-finding commission, 

appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, released a report—known as the Goldstone Report 

96


(after the commission’s leader, South African 

Richard Goldstone)—that placed blame for 

the fighting almost exclusively on Israel. 

Rather than illuminating the real causes 

of the Gaza conflict—eight years of 

Hamas’ unrelenting rocket attacks on 

Israeli civilians—the report merely rubberstamped 

the Council’s predetermined 

conclusion that Israel had committed “war 

crimes.” It also ignored overwhelming 

evidence of Hamas’ deliberate use 

of civilian infrastructure to hide the 

group’s terrorist activity. The report 

and subsequent action by the Council 

disregarded Israel’s long-standing practice 

of conducting independent investigations 

of alleged abuses during wartime, befitting 

a democratic nation operating under the 

rule of law. 

For its part, the Obama administration 

forcefully rejected the report, calling 

it “deeply flawed” and “irredeemably 

biased.” The United States was one of 18 countries to vote against a U.N. General Assembly 

resolution that endorsed the findings of the report. (114 countries voted in favor of the 

resolution and 44 abstained.) 

In April 2011, Richard Goldstone retracted the report’s finding that Israel purposefully 

target civilians, and also affirmed Israel’s system for adequately pursuing individual cases of 

possible wrongdoing. 

The International Court of Justice Blames Israel 

The Goldstone Report unjustly condemned Israel’s response 

to thousands of rocket attacks. 

In 2002, Israel began constructing a security barrier along the West Bank in an effort to keep 

out Palestinian suicide bombers that were repeatedly attacking its cities. Indeed, in 2001 and 

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2002 alone, Palestinian terrorists murdered more than 300 Israelis and wounded nearly 5,000. 

The barrier, most of which runs along Israel’s 1949 armistice line with the Palestinians, has been 

remarkably effective in eliminating suicide attacks inside Israel. 

Yet in 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague voted overwhelmingly to 

condemn the barrier, claiming that it would bring undue suffering to Palestinian civilians. The 

ICJ blithely dismissed the Jewish state’s argument that the barrier would save Israeli lives. “This 

is a dark day for the International Court of Justice and the international legal system,” said Dan 

Gillerman, then-Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. “It is shocking and appalling that in 

all the 60-plus pages of the opinion, the court failed to address the essence of the problem and 

the very reason for building the fence—the indiscriminate and murderous campaign of terror that 

Israelis are facing.” 

Most Arab States Refuse to Recognize Israel 

Today, Israel maintains full diplomatic relations with only 2 of the 22 states that compose the 

Arab League: Egypt and Jordan. Many of the 20 remaining Arab states refuse relations with 

Israel, refuse to recognize the Jewish state and maintain a persistent propaganda campaign 

through their state-sponsored media and educational systems that seek to present Israel as 

inherently illegitimate. In addition, the Arab League maintains an official boycott against Israel—a 

potent symbol of the Arab world’s refusal to accept the Jewish state in its midst. While multiple 

United States presidents, including President Obama, have called on Arab states to undertake 

peace gestures, most have yet to do so. 

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign 

In 2005, Palestinian activists, with the support of some 170 Palestinian organizations, launched 

a global campaign aimed at persuading countries and organizations of all kinds to boycott, 

divest and sanction (BDS) Israel. The BDS campaign, as it came to be known, spread to countries 

throughout the world, particularly Europe, and has gained traction on some American campuses. 

The campaign has taken various forms: boycotts against Israeli universities, Israeli products, 

Israeli sports teams, Israeli cultural events and celebrities traveling to or supporting Israel. The 

goal is to treat Israel as a pariah nation. 

In Britain, for example, some professors have refused to work with their Israeli counterparts 

or to engage in any academic exchange that constitutes a normal part of university life. Ahava, 

an Israeli skin care company, closed its store in London in 2011 because of constant protests. 

98


In Australia, activists have protested outside a mall to encourage shoppers to refrain from 

purchasing Israeli products. And in the United States, BDS campaigns have tried to persuade 

universities—unsuccessfully, thus far—to divest their holdings in companies that do business 

with Israel and to refrain from participating in exchange programs with Israeli universities. 

Former Israeli diplomats and retired military officials are unable to travel to certain democratic 

countries for fear of arrest for alleged war crimes. 

Additionally, the United Nations has been used as a venue to further implement BDS principles. 

In October 2012, U.N. then-Special Rapporteur Richard Falk called for a boycott of companies 

conducting business in the West Bank or East Jerusalem. Then-U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan 

Rice rebuffed Falk’s report, calling it “irresponsible and unacceptable.” 

These developments are not isolated incidents; they reflect an international effort to delegitimize 

Israel by challenging its ability to operate as a normal country. There have been no comparable 

efforts targeting dictatorial regimes that condone or carry out genocide, routinely crush dissent 

through forced intimidation or otherwise oppress their own people. 

Israel Makes Some Progress at U.N. 

Though Israel continues to face significant obstacles 

to full inclusion at the United Nations, Israel has 

made positive inroads within the U.N. system. In 

the last year, Israel has joined specific U.N. bodies, 

advanced to executive board membership and signed 

new partnerships with U.N. agencies. An Israeli 

agency signed an agreement with the U.N. Industrial 

Development Organization (UNIDO) in May 2012 

to boost cooperation on food security, women’s 

rights, water accessibility, and industrial development 

in Africa and other countries. Israel achieved some 

acceptance in the U.N. General Assembly when 

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor was elected to 

serve as one of 20 vice presidents at the 67th U.N. 

General Assembly in June 2012. 

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor was elected 

to serve as of one of 20 vice presidents at the 

67th U.N. General Assembly. 

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What Congress Has Done to Oppose the 

Delegitimization of Israel 

Supported Israel Against Palestinian Attacks at U.N. The 2012 foreign aid 

appropriations bill mandates that aid to the Palestinians would be cut and the PLO 

office closed if they achieved statehood status at the U.N. or any specialized agencies. 

When the Palestinian leadership violated these principles by achieving an upgraded 

U.N. status, the House condemned it in a December 2012 letter signed by 240 

members. Congress also continued its support for current law that would cut off U.S. 

funding to any U.N. agency that admitted “Palestine” as a member state. 

Backed Israel’s Inclusion in International Organizations. During the past decade, members 

of Congress helped advance Israel’s membership in such groups as the Organisation for 

Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and backed the inclusion of Magen 

David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical service, in the International Committee of the 

Red Cross. Similarly, Congress has encouraged the United States to help Israel gain full 

membership in the United Nations’ Western European and Others (WEOG) regional 

group, which greatly enhances Israel’s ability to participate in various U.N. bodies. 

Backed Israel’s Right to Self-Defense Against Hamas and Hizballah Attacks. The House 

and Senate resoundingly passed resolutions in January 2009 and November 2012 

voicing support for Israel’s right to defend its citizens against thousands of rocket 

attacks by Hamas. In July 2006, the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed 

resolutions backing Israel’s right to self-defense in the wake of Hizballah’s kidnapping 

of Israeli soldiers and firing of thousands of rockets at Israel. 

Condemned the Goldstone Report. In November 2009, the House overwhelmingly passed 

a resolution calling on the president and the secretary of state to oppose unequivocally 

any endorsement or further consideration by the United Nations or other international 

fora of the Goldstone Report on the Gaza war. The resolution called the report 

“irredeemably biased” and noted that it “is being exploited by Israel’s enemies to excuse 

the actions of violent militant groups and their state sponsors.” 

Condemned the U.N. Human Rights Council. The House overwhelmingly passed a 

resolution in September 2007 condemning the U.N. Human Rights Council for 

unfairly and incessantly criticizing Israel while ignoring severe human rights abuses 

in other countries. 

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FOREIGN AID 

Foreign aid, about 1 percent of federal spending, 

is a cost-effective tool for keeping America strong, 

safe and prosperous and is vital in helping Israel 

counter increasing threats in the region.

FOREIGN AID 

Foreign Aid—Key Principles 

BOLSTERS AMERICAN SECURITY: Foreign aid is an essential component of 

U.S. national security strategy that complements American military efforts 

and promotes successful and effective overseas operations. 

KEEPS AMERICA SAFE: Foreign aid helps prevent unstable areas from becoming 

breeding grounds for terror, disease, poverty and lawlessness that can spill over 

into other countries and directly threaten American interests. 

CREATES JOBS AT HOME: In today’s globalized economy, U.S. foreign aid helps 

grow markets for American companies; create stable business environments in 

developing countries; and bring education, health care and transportation to 

hundreds of millions of potential new customers. 

PROMOTES STABILITY AND DEMOCRACY: U.S. assistance helps save lives and 

create sustainable institutions and accountable governance, all of which advance 

economic development and political stability around the globe. 

SUPPORTS KEY ALLIES SUCH AS ISRAEL: Vital U.S. security assistance to Israel 

helps the Jewish state maintain its qualitative military edge and feel secure in 

pursuing diplomatic talks. 

BACKED BY REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRATIC, AND MILITARY LEADERS: Former 

presidents, secretaries of state and defense, lawmakers and senior military 

leaders agree that a robust foreign aid budget is as essential as a strong military 

in maintaining America’s preeminent leadership position around the globe. 

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FOREIGN AID 

The Importance of U.S. Security Aid 

to Israel 

U.S. security assistance to Israel in the annual foreign aid bill is the most 

tangible manifestation of American support, especially during a time of 

tremendous turmoil in the Middle East. American aid is vital to ensuring that 

Israel maintains its qualitative military edge and its deterrence capabilities. 

KEY POINTS 

• U.S. assistance to Israel provides financial and technological support critical to keeping 

Israel strong and able to defend herself. 

• Israel spends a greater percentage of its gross domestic product on defense than does 

any other advanced nation. 

• Despite its own extraordinary efforts, Israel finds it increasingly difficult to keep pace with 

the challenges of a potentially nuclear-armed Iran, military buildups by the terrorist groups 

Hamas and Hizballah, and growing regional instability and uncertainty. 

• U.S. assistance helps counter the great disparity in aggregate military spending between 

Israel and its Arab and Iranian neighbors. 

• U.S. aid demonstrates to friend and foe alike that America’s commitment to the Jewish 

state is unwavering. 

• President Obama’s fiscal year 2013 budget request for $3.1 billion in aid to Israel 

represents the sixth year of a 10-year security agreement entered into by President 

George W. Bush outlining America’s enduring security commitment to the Jewish state. 


Congress should support the administration’s request for $3.1 billion in security assistance 

for Israel in fiscal years 2013 and 2014. In the long term, it should support continued security 

assistance to the Jewish state in accordance with the terms of a 2007 Memorandum of 

Understanding (MOU) between the two countries that calls upon America to provide $30 billion 

to Israel over a 10-year period. 

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FOREIGN AID 

U.S.-Israel Agreement Aims to Help Israel Face Increased Threats 

A potential nuclear-armed Iran, Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza against Israeli civilians, a resurgent 

Hizballah in Lebanon armed with 60,000 rockets and missiles, as well as growing uncertainty and 

instability throughout the Middle East—these are just some of the unprecedented threats that Israel 

faces. Such challenges require a significant increase in Israeli defense expenditures. 

Recognizing these increased threats and costs, the United States has taken concrete steps to 

solidify its commitment to Israel’s security. In 2007, the United States and Israel signed a 10-year 

MOU that calls for the United States to provide $30 billion in security assistance during the 10 

years of the agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel received gradual increases in aid 

during the first four years before reaching the $3.1 billion level, where it is to remain until 2018. 

America’s increase in aid to Israel reflects the dramatically escalating military expenses Israel is 

forced to incur to meet its new threat environment. 

The 10-year agreement is a key component of America’s commitment to maintain Israel’s 

“qualitative military edge” 

(QME), which Congress has 

defined in legislation as Israel’s 

“ability to counter and defeat 

any credible conventional 

military threat from any 

individual state or possible 

coalition of states or from 

non-state actors.” Direct U.S. 

security assistance provided 

in the annual foreign aid 

bill is the most tangible way 

that the United States helps 

Israel maintain its military 

superiority and deterrence 

capabilities, counter the great 

disparity in defense spending 

between Israel and potential 

adversaries in the Middle East, 

and maintain peace. 

STRONG SUPPORT: 10-YEAR PLAN FUNDING LEVELS 

$2.55 $2.775 $3.0 $3.075 $3.1 

$3.1 

$3.1 

$3.1 

$3.1 

$3.1 

The 10-year U.S.-Israel 

security agreement aims to 

provide Israel with increased 

aid to meet growing threats. 

$3 

$2 

$1 

$ in Billions 

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FOREIGN AID 

SOLID INVESTMENT: HOW AID TO ISRAEL BENEFITS THE UNITED STATES 

Creates Jobs 

Israel spends 75 percent 

of U.S. security assistance 

in the United States, 

buying vital defense 

products. 

Promotes Peace 

U.S. assistance has 

allowed Israel to remain 

strong militarily, allowing 

it to take risks for peace 

with the Palestinians and 

sign peace treaties with 

Egypt and Jordan. 

Advances Technology 

Israeli battlefield use 

of American defense 

products has helped the 

United States improve its 

own equipment while 

tapping advanced Israeli 

technology and tactics. 

Deters Major Conflict 

U.S. aid has deterred 

major conflict by making 

clear to potential foes 

that they cannot defeat 

Israel on the battlefield. 

Israel’s Defense Costs Have Risen Markedly 

Spiraling defense costs are forcing Israel to spend more on defense as a percentage of gross 

domestic product (GDP) than any other nation in the industrialized world. Israel officially 

allocates close to seven percent of its GDP to defense. However, the actual costs to the Israeli 

economy are much higher, taking into account lost productivity and the need for reserve duty, 

internal security and anti-terrorism spending. Even as Israel faces its own substantial budgetary 

pressures, during the next decade, Israel may well have to spend $160 billion on defense, a 

significant increase over the previous 10-year period. 

Israel’s spending coincides with accelerated military investment fueled by the oil revenues of 

Israel’s Arab and Iranian neighbors. Saudi Arabia’s military budget doubled over the last decade, 

while Iran’s rate of military spending has grown at a similar pace despite economic pressures. 

This is reflected in the major purchases and development of new arms that may put Israel at risk. 

Egypt, the UAE, Iraq and other Arab nations have also made large-scale purchases of weapons 

and military technology. On a more modest but no less troubling level, Lebanon has greatly 

ramped up arms imports, and Iran continues funding elements of Hizballah’s military expansion. 

The military hardware—including American-built advanced fighter aircraft and naval vessels— 

that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) must acquire over the next decade to maintain its QME is far 

more sophisticated, complex and expensive than previous Israeli purchases from the United States. 

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FOREIGN AID 

The most recent U.S.-produced front-line fighter aircraft deployed by Israel in the 2000s, the 

F-16I, costs $45 million each. By comparison, the U.S. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which Israel 

is seeking to purchase later in this decade, will cost nearly $150 million per plane. Israel is also 

investing more than $2 billion to develop cutting-edge systems to combat short-range rockets and 

Congress has strongly supported U.S. security aid to the Jewish state. 

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FOREIGN AID 

long-range missiles, and Israel is building hundreds of upgraded tanks and armored vehicles to 

better protect troops from advanced anti-tank missiles in the hands of Hamas and Hizballah. 

Congress, Executive Branch Have Strongly Backed U.S.-Israel MOU 

With these threats and costs in mind, both Congress and the president have supported the funding 

of the MOU each year since the agreement went into effect in fiscal year 2009. Both President 

Bush and President Obama submitted budget requests consistent with levels outlined in the MOU. 

To date, Congress has approved funding for Israel that has been consistent with the MOU each 

year through 2012, even during uncertain economic times and an irregular appropriations process. 

Even with the generous support of the United States, Israel is still not able to develop and procure 

all the necessary systems with its own funds, such as F-35s, naval vessels, and the Iron Dome 

rocket defense shield, to defend itself from the escalating threats. America and Israel continue to 

work together to find ways to fund these critical programs. 

Aid to Israel Benefits the United States 

Both countries have long recognized that their mutual interests in deterring war, promoting 

stability and eventually achieving peace are only possible if the United States continues to help 

ensure Israel’s QME. During the past few years, the two allies have greatly enhanced their 

collaborative efforts to preserve that QME. 

In the 40 years since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, U.S. support for Israel through annual security aid 

has helped deter conflict by making it clear to potential foes that they cannot defeat the Jewish state 

militarily. Israel has served as an anchor of stability in the region and helped thwart aggressors. 

By helping the Jewish state maintain its military edge, American assistance has also promoted 

peace with Egypt and Jordan. This support has provided Israel with the confidence necessary to 

make dramatic concessions in peace talks and has enabled it to take risks for peace through farreaching 

offers to Syria and the Palestinians. 

U.S. assistance to Israel also serves other American interests. By law, 75 percent of U.S. aid to 

Israel has to be spent in the United States, thus boosting America’s defense industry. In addition, 

Israeli battlefield innovations have helped the United States dramatically improve both its 

equipment and tactics. Israel also has provided invaluable intelligence and training to U.S. forces 

in the region. 

107

INCREASED THREATS, INCREASED COSTS: ISRAEL’S URGENT DEFENSE NEEDS 

Amid an array of changing and increasing threats, Israel is being forced 

to invest heavily in new and expensive technologies. 

THREAT: Advanced 

Ballistic Missiles and 

Rockets. Hamas and 

Hizballah can hit Israel’s 

major population centers 

with Iranian-supplied 

systems, while Syria can 

strike with ballistic missiles. 

Iran continues expanding its 

ballistic missile capabilities, 

which could be used to 

deliver nuclear warheads. 

ISRAEL’S NEED: Improve 

Rocket and Missile 

Defenses. Israel needs to 

invest more than $2 billion 

to urgently develop and 

deploy cutting-edge 

defense systems to combat 

short-range rockets, and 

medium- and long-range 

missiles such as the Fajr and 

Shihab, which are capable of 

hitting Israel’s major cities. 

THREAT: Sophisticated 

Anti-Aircraft Weapons. 

Hamas and Hizballah are 

acquiring new anti-aircraft 

missiles, while Syria and 

Iran are fielding new 

Russian radar-guided air 

defense systems. Egypt 

and the Persian Gulf 

states are upgrading their 

fleets of sophisticated 

combat aircraft. 

ISRAEL’S NEED: Enhance 

Aircraft Capabilities. 

Israel is planning to 

purchase America’s premier 

combat aircraft, the F-35 

Joint Strike Fighter. Israel 

is buying 25 planes, with a 

goal to eventually field 75. 

Each plane will cost close 

to $150 million. 

THREAT: Advanced 

Anti-Tank Weapons. 

Syria, Hizballah and 

Palestinian terrorist groups 

are using advanced Russian 

and Iranian anti-tank 

missiles. Hamas and 

Hizballah are also building 

up their infrastructure of 

defensive positions, 

bunkers and fortified 

command posts. 

ISRAEL’S NEED: Enhance 

Ground Forces. The Israel 

Defense Forces is building 

dozens of Merkava IV 

tanks ($4.5 million each) 

and deploying hundreds 

of U.S.-made heavy Namer 

armored troop vehicles 

($1.5 million each) 

protected with new “active 

defense” technology to 

replace a 30-year-old fleet. 

THREAT: Increased 

Sea-and Shore-Based 

Threats. Arab states and 

other regional powers are 

modernizing their fleets, 

terrorist groups are using 

maritime routes for 

weapons smuggling and 

Israel’s adversaries are 

deploying sophisticated 

anti-ship missiles. 

ISRAEL’S NEED: Upgrade 

Naval Fleet. 

The Israeli Navy will expand 

and upgrade its fleet by 

purchasing new combat 

ships and submarines. 

These multi-hundred 

million dollar vessels 

will enhance Israel’s ability 

to project power at sea 

and defend the Jewish 

state’s coastline. 

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FOREIGN AID 

What Congress Has Done to Support U.S. Security 

Assistance to Israel 

Ensured That Israel Receives Aid at Beginning of Fiscal Year. This “early disbursal” 

provision in the annual foreign aid bill allows Israel to receive its security assistance 

at the beginning of the fiscal year, rather than as military purchases are made over 

time. Under this provision, Israel receives its full allotment of security assistance at 

the beginning of the fiscal year or 30 days after final enactment of the bill, whichever 

is later. 

Allowed Israel to Invest in Its Domestic Military Industry. Under the “offshore 

procurement” provision, Israel is allowed to spend a portion of its security assistance 

to buy military hardware within Israel. The provision gives Israel the flexibility to use 

approximately 25 percent of American military aid to purchase domestic equipment 

designed specifically to meet the array of threats that Israel faces. Offshore 

procurement helps Israel preserve its military industrial base, which is critical to its 

national security. The bulk of U.S. aid is spent in the United States. 

Designated Specific Funds for Israel. Congress can mandate that a specific amount of 

money be spent for a specific purpose. Each year, Congress mandates that “no less than” 

the slated level of aid to Israel for that fiscal year “shall” be provided. Israel’s annual 

“earmark” is a programmatic one and differs in kind from the special project earmarks 

that have been the source of much controversy. 

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FOREIGN AID 

Keeping America Safe, Strong 

and Prosperous 

The United States faces extraordinary challenges to its preeminence in today’s 

world, including physical threats to its security and economic well-being. A 

robust foreign aid program that supports key allies like Israel is an essential 

tool to address these challenges and help preserve America’s safety, security 

and prosperity. 

KEY POINTS 

• U.S. foreign aid includes critical assistance to Israel that strengthens a critical ally, deters war 

and supports American diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. 

• Together with financial support for the U.S. armed forces, funding for foreign aid is an 

essential component of America’s national security strategy. 

• Foreign aid plays a critical role in establishing new economic opportunities for American 

businesses and jobs for American workers. 

• U.S. foreign aid is a relatively small, cost-effective investment that helps prevent more costly 

wars, crises and disasters. 

• Foreign aid helps to avert unstable areas from becoming breeding grounds for terror, 

poverty, disease and lawlessness—threats that can spill into other countries and undermine 

American interests. 


In addition to funding aid to Israel, Congress should provide sufficient funds to the overall foreign 

aid account to ensure that the United States can continue to maintain a strong leadership position 

in the world. 

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FOREIGN AID 

Treasury secretaries of both parties have spoken out about the value of foreign aid. 

Winning the War and Winning the Peace 

Foreign aid is an essential component of America’s national security strategy. Today, the U.S. 

foreign aid budget helps strengthen civil society and build institutional and economic capacity 

in the very places where hundreds of thousands of American soldiers are risking their lives. 

To succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called for “a 

dramatic increase in spending on the civilian instruments of national security—diplomacy, 

strategic communications, foreign assistance, civic action, and economic reconstruction and 

development.” Any hope of winning the peace in current conflict areas will depend on America’s 

willingness and ability to invest in building civil society, economic infrastructure and stable 

government institutions. 

Both the Obama and Bush administrations have included foreign aid, together with defense and 

homeland security, as part of overall “national security spending” in the budgets they presented to 

Congress. Since our national security challenges extend well beyond traditional military threats, the 

United States needs a robust foreign aid program to complement and reinforce American military 

efforts to combat aggression and promote stability in crucial conflict zones. U.S. soldiers cannot win 

the war with weapons if we do not win the peace with wise investments. 

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FOREIGN AID 

Securing America, Strengthening Our Allies 

Foreign aid is one of the most important tools available to help American policymakers 

advance American interests in the world. As U.S. military leaders have repeatedly and readily 

acknowledged, a powerful military is inadequate unless it is backed up by a strong civilian 

diplomatic presence and the financial resources to help friends and undermine adversaries 

around the globe. 

In areas such as the Middle East, a region long plagued by wars, terror and religious extremism, 

foreign aid helps bring stability, encourage moderation and further the prospects for peace. 

U.S. aid to Israel, for example, assures that America’s close friend and ally has the military 

capabilities to deter attacks from hostile neighbors or to prevail on the battlefield. Israel’s 

adversaries understand that U.S. backing prevents them from destroying the Jewish state. 

Underfunding foreign aid would result in a risky disengagement from the world at a time when 

we face serious military and economic threats. America will confront a much more precarious 

future without the resources to help secure strong allies, build stable societies in conflict zones, 

stop criminals and disease from spreading across our borders and encourage responsible economic 

development in struggling countries. 

Asserting U.S. Economic Leadership and Creating American Jobs 

During the current economic downturn, in which millions of Americans lost their jobs, there is no 

more important issue than job creation. In today’s globalized economy, U.S. foreign aid continues to 

U.S. foreign assistance helps nations recover from natural disasters and prevent the spread of diseases. 

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FOREIGN AID 

help American companies develop foreign markets, build stable business environments in developing 

countries, and thereby help create jobs at home. Foreign aid programs also help bring education, 

health care and transportation to hundreds of millions of potential new customers. Today, one in five 

American jobs is linked to U.S. exports. Foreign markets offer the best opportunities to expand the 

American economy. 

Foreign aid helps make the United States competitive with the fast growing economies of the 

world. Other countries—most notably China—are aggressively promoting exports for their 

businesses and securing major business deals with foreign governments trying to modernize their 

countries’ infrastructure. The money America uses from the foreign aid bill to fund its embassies 

and support American business expansion abroad helps ensure that the United States will not cede 

markets and opportunities to international competitors. 

FOREIGN AID: AN AFFORDABLE INVESTMENT 

While polls show that Americans think the United States 

spends 25 percent of the federal budget on foreign aid, 

the actual number is only 1 percent. 

Foreign Aid 1% 

Defense 19% 

Other 8% 

Homeland Security 2% 

Interest Payments 9% 

Social Security 21% 

Income Security 13% 

Medicare 14% 

Health 10% 

Education 3% 

(Percentage of Federal Budget) 

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FOREIGN AID 

Foreign aid plays a critical role in enabling the United States to flex its economic muscle abroad 

to achieve its foreign policy goals, as well as establish new economic opportunities for American 

businesses and workers. 

Investing Modestly to Save Money in the Long Run 

At a time of declining budgetary resources, foreign aid is a cost-effective and relatively small 

investment that saves U.S. taxpayers money. Using foreign aid dollars wisely today helps prevent 

the more costly wars, crises and disasters that might otherwise occur. Prevention—whether of 

terror attacks, weapons proliferation, pandemic disease, economic meltdown, societal collapse or 

the spread of radical ideology—is always cheaper and easier. 

“The United States has the best military in the world and we must protect it, but many of our 

security challenges require other instruments,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman 

of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey wrote to top congressional appropriators 

in 2011. “The return on investment from robust diplomatic efforts and targeted development 

programs is the protection of both the lives of our people not sent into harm’s way and our 

nation’s fiscal health as we prevent problems from leading to armed conflict.” 

Helping Abroad to Protect Americans at Home 

The United States can no longer wish away the world’s growing problems and hope that they do not 

reach our shores. As former President George W. Bush wrote, “Many of the world’s problems—terrorist 

networks, criminal gangs, drug syndicates, pandemic diseases—are no more than a half-day plane ride 

from the United States.” The terrorist attacks of 9/11 should have forever put to rest the notion that we 

can disengage from the world without consequences for our homeland and for our people. 

To keep America safe, President Bush went on to write, “America has a direct stake in the 

progress and hope of other nations.” That means tuning our attention and resources to what he 

described as the world’s “hopeless, poorly controlled areas.” 

Foreign aid helps bring political, economic and social stability to these very “hopeless, poorly 

controlled areas” around the world. Foreign aid helps prevent these areas from becoming breeding 

grounds for terror, disease, poverty and lawlessness that can spill over into other countries and 

directly threaten American interests. 

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FOREIGN AID 

American foreign aid can be used wisely to help stabilize and develop failing states by building 

institutions; creating economic opportunities; developing standards for rule of law; and giving 

hope to young generations who have known violence, despair and ignorance. 

Robust Foreign Aid Helps Affirm and Promote American Values 

In addition to advancing vital national security and economic interests, America’s foreign 

aid program embodies the core values of the United States: protecting the most vulnerable 

populations, especially when disaster strikes; promoting democracy, pluralism and human rights; 

and encouraging needy people and their governments to become self-sufficient and law abiding. 

The U.S. response to the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan are just two examples of the urgency and 

magnitude of America’s humanitarian response when disaster strikes unexpectedly. As important as 

providing relief aid are the ongoing programs throughout the world to promote liberty, pluralism and 

open and free political institutions within weak societies. For example, democracy-building programs 

in Central America, Eastern Europe, South Asia, Africa and the Middle East help organize free and fair 

elections, support due process, train future leaders, promote good governance and protect human rights. 

U.S. government programs leverage billions of dollars in contributions by private American 

donors supporting critical projects in needy countries. The programs also encourage collaboration 

between U.S. companies and private American voluntary organizations in running projects that 

promote health, education, economic development and private entrepreneurship. 

U.S. foreign aid speaks to America’s core values of helping those in need and promoting free and open societies. 

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FOREIGN AID 

What Congress Has Done to Fund 

Foreign Aid Programs 

Set Spending Targets in Budget Resolutions. Every year, after the president submits his 

own budget proposal, Congress approves a budget resolution that serves as a guide 

to appropriators, who, in turn, write the various appropriations bills. For fiscal year 

2013, President Obama requested $56.2 billion for the “core” international affairs 

budget, which includes both foreign aid and the diplomatic operations of the federal 

government. The president’s request continues the bipartisan approach of including 

international affairs spending as part of the overall national security budget. 

Funded Foreign Aid in State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Bills. Even when a 

formal budget resolution is not adopted, the appropriations committees divide target 

funding levels among 12 subcommittees and then determine program-by-program 

funding allocations for domestic, defense and international affairs programs. Most 

foreign aid and other international programs are included in the State-Foreign 

Operations appropriations bill. For fiscal year 2012, Congress appropriated $43.7 

billion in “core” international affairs spending and $11.2 billion in emergency 

overseas funds, for a total of $54.9 billion dollars. Congress has not yet acted on 

final spending levels for fiscal year 2013. The six-month continuing resolution setting 

temporary funding expires on March 27, 2013. 

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IRAN 

The Iranian regime has called for the destruction 

of Israel and for a world without the United 

States. Armed with nuclear weapons, Iran would 

present major challenges to American interests and 

international security.

IRAN 

Iran—Key Principles 

PREVENT A NUCLEAR-ARMED IRAN: American policy must unabashedly seek to 

prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear-weapons capability. A nuclear-armed Iran 

would spur a nuclear arms race in the Middle East; fatally undermine the global 

nuclear non-proliferation regime; dramatically increase the threat of nuclear terror; 

significantly aggrandize Iranian power and influence at the expense of pro-Western 

states; undermine American credibility and efforts in the region and pose a serious 

prospect for the actual use of nuclear weapons. 

THWART IRANIAN TERRORISM: The United States should work to prevent Iranian 

acts of terrorism and end Tehran’s support for terrorist groups, including Hamas 

and Hizballah. The United States must stand with Israel as it confronts Iranianbacked 

terrorists. 

SUPPORT THE IRANIAN PEOPLE: The United States should promote human rights in 

Iran and stand with the Iranian people in opposition to the brutal mullah regime. 

ENGAGE AND PRESSURE: Although the United States should remain open to 

serious talks aimed at ending the Iranian nuclear weapons program, Iran cannot 

be allowed to use talks as a ruse to advance its nuclear program and avoid tougher 

sanctions. The international community must increase pressure on Iran until it 

abandons its dangerous nuclear quest. 

IMPLEMENT TOUGH SANCTIONS: Congress must ensure that U.S. financial and 

political sanctions are implemented and enforced stringently. This pressure is the 

last best hope of persuading Iran to suspend its pursuit of nuclear weapons through 

political, economic and diplomatic means. 

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IRAN 

The Iranian Nuclear Threat 

With its call for the destruction of the United States and its ally Israel, the 

Iranian regime—armed with nuclear weapons—would pose an unacceptable 

threat to American national security interests. 

KEY POINTS 

• Iran, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), has legally foresworn 

attaining nuclear weapons. 

• Iran is rapidly advancing toward a nuclear weapons capability in defiance of U.N. Security 

Council requirements that it suspend its nuclear program. 

• Iran has refused to engage in serious, sustained talks with the United States and other world 

powers regarding its nuclear program. 

• Iran’s acquisition of a nuclear weapons capability would likely signal the death knell 

of the global non-proliferation regime and destabilize the Middle East. 

• Tougher sanctions are a key component of efforts to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. 


Sanctions are the last best hope of peacefully persuading Iran to suspend its quest for nuclear 

weapons. Congress should press the Obama administration to implement and stringently enforce 

existing U.S. sanctions on countries buying Iranian oil, foreign companies that continue to work 

in Iran’s energy sector or aid Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and banks that 

facilitate Iran’s international transactions. 

Congress also should conduct vigorous oversight hearings to ensure that the administration 

is implementing the law. In addition, congressional leaders should raise the threat posed by 

a nuclear Iran in their meetings with officials of foreign governments to ensure that the 

international community imposes and enforces meaningful sanctions on the regime. 

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IRAN 

How a Nuclear Iran Would Undermine U.S. Interests 

A nuclear-armed Iran would pose a direct threat to American interests and an existential threat to 

Israel, America’s strategic partner and ally. It would likely lead to nuclear proliferation elsewhere 

in the region and around the globe, while fundamentally altering the strategic balance of the 

Middle East. 

EMBOLDEN THE REGIME 

Possessing the capability to produce nuclear weapons would further embolden Iran’s efforts to 

dominate the Middle East. 

UNDERMINE U.S. GOALS IN THE REGION 

A nuclear-capable Iran would likely further intensify its support of Middle East terrorist groups, 

particularly Hamas and Hizballah. This would endanger efforts to negotiate a peace agreement 

between Israel and the Palestinians—already a complicated process. Iran could also share its 

nuclear technology with anti-American terrorist groups, greatly increasing the threat of nuclear 

terrorism and blackmail. 

IRAN’S PROGRESS TOWARD THE BOMB 

Iran has accomplished most of the key steps needed to achieve a nuclear weapons capability. Just two remain. 

Obtain raw 

Convert the 

Convert the 

1 2 3 4 

uranium from 

local mines and 

foreign imports. 

Iran imported 

531 tons of uranium oxide 

from South Africa in the 

early 1980s. 

uranium into 

yellowcake to 

begin the 

process of 

enriching, or purifying, 

the uranium for use in 

a weapon. 

Iran’s supply of yellowcake 

would last 30 years at current 

enrichment rates. 

yellowcake into 

a gas to feed 

into centrifuges. 

Iran has produced 371 tons 

of uranium hexafluoride gas, 

which is enough to produce 

30 bombs if further enriched. 

Install 

thousands of 

centrifuges— 

machines that 

spin at supersonic 

speed—to carry out 

the enrichment. 

As of November 2012, 

Iran had installed more than 

13,500 centrifuges, including 

hundreds of advanced models. 

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IRAN 

DESTABILIZE PRO-WESTERN ARAB STATES 

Arab leaders are deeply anxious about the prospect of a nuclear Iran, fearing that it would become 

the dominant regional force. A resurgent Iran, in turn, would weaken the United States and the 

West. The Gulf countries, in particular, fear that Iran would use its nuclear umbrella to intimidate 

them and radicalize their people. They might seek to accommodate Iran and Iranian interests on 

the surface, as they pursue their own nuclear capabilities. At the same time, Iran would be able to 

increase its support to Syria’s brutal Assad regime. 

KILL THE NON-PROLIFERATION REGIME 

Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons would likely spur a regional nuclear arms race. Indeed, more 

than a dozen Arab states have already expressed new interest in “peaceful” nuclear programs, 

as Iran continues its pursuit of nuclear weapons. This heightened interest in nuclear technology 

would likely spread beyond the Middle East, marking the death knell of the global nonproliferation 

regime. When nuclear weapons abound, the likelihood that they might actually be 

used would increase exponentially. 

Produce 

5 6 

low-enriched 

uranium (LEU). 

As of November 

2012, Iran had 

produced nearly 17,000 

pounds of low-enriched 

uranium at the Natanz 

enrichment facility—enough 

to produce the needed fuel 

for four to five bombs. 

Enrich 

uranium to a 

higher level, 

representing 

85 percent of 

the work needed to 

produce the fuel for a 

nuclear weapon. 

As of November 2012, 

Iran had produced more 

than 510 pounds of this 

higher-rade uranium. 

510 lbs. 

LAST STEPS TO THE BOMB 

7 8 

Produce the 

highly enriched 

uranium needed 

for a bomb. 

It would take as 

little as three months for Iran 

to convert its stockpile of 

higher-grade uranium into 

weapons-grade. 

Turn the 

highly 

enriched 

uranium 

into a metal 

sphere to 

form the core 

of a nuclear 

weapon. 

The IAEA has 

confirmed that 

Iran has carried 

out activities related 

to triggering a 

nuclear explosion. 

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IRAN 

UNDERMINE AMERICA’S CREDIBILITY 

For the past two decades, the United States has proclaimed that it is unacceptable for Iran to 

acquire nuclear weapons and has sought to prevent that from occurring. If the United States fails 

to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, America’s credibility in the eyes of its 

allies in the region—and around the world—would be undermined. 

Iran Pressing Ahead With Its Nuclear Weapons Pursuit 

These dangerous scenarios are moving closer to reality, as Iran continues to ignore the repeated 

demands of the U.N. Security Council to suspend its nuclear activities. For more than 25 years, 

Iran has pursued a path to a nuclear weapons capability, constructing a secret program in 

violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). 

Iran has focused its nuclear efforts on enriching uranium, a key step in producing fissile material 

for the core of a nuclear weapon. Low levels of enriched uranium generate power, while highly 

enriched uranium (HEU) is used to make bombs. As of November 2012, Iran had produced nearly 

17,000 pounds of low-enriched uranium (LEU). If further enriched to a weapons-grade level, the 

uranium would be enough to produce six to seven nuclear weapons. 

Iran has also begun the process of converting its LEU into uranium enriched to the 20 percent 

level. This level represents 85-90 percent of the effort needed to produce weapons-grade fuel. As 

of November 2012, Iran had produced more than 500 pounds of this higher enriched uranium. 

This amount is more than enough—if further enriched to weapons grade—to fuel a nuclear bomb. 

To date, most of Iran’s enrichment activity has taken place at the Natanz facility. In September 

2009, the United States disclosed that Iran was constructing a secret uranium enrichment facility 

located deep in a mountain on an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base near Qom. 

The size of the facility is insufficient to produce needed fuel for a nuclear power reactor, but ideal 

to produce weapons grade uranium. 

In the fall of 2012, Iran completed the installation of nearly 2,800 centrifuges at the facility. Once 

fully operational, the site could allow Iran to triple its output of higher enriched uranium. 

Iran claims that it needs this uranium for a research reactor in Tehran that produces radioactive 

isotopes for medical procedures. However, Iran rejected a proposal backed by the United States, 

France and Russia that would send a portion of Iran’s LEU outside the country in return for the 

medical-grade fuel. Under the proposal, Iran would have been able to meet its medical needs, 

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IRAN 

Xxxx 

Iran has consistently sought to conceal its nuclear sites from weapons inspectors. 

while reducing its stockpile of LEU so that it could not build a nuclear weapon. Iran’s current 

stockpile of 20 percent uranium is already enough to produce medical isotopes for the next 20 

years. Iran is also seeking to produce plutonium, the other path to the bomb. 

Iranian Nuclear Activities Have No Credible Civilian Purpose 

Despite Iran’s claims that its program is peaceful, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy 

Agency (IAEA) have uncovered evidence that Iran has carried out a number of nuclear activities 

with no known civilian purposes. 

In November 2011, the IAEA published an unprecedented unclassified report revealing the 

advanced military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program. The report uncovered Iran’s rapid 

progress toward a nuclear capability, detailing extensive work by Tehran that has no other 

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IRAN 

purpose but to produce and test nuclear weapons. Citing credible intelligence information from 

ten countries and IAEA inspections, the report reinforced the world’s growing concerns about 

Iran’s nuclear advance. 

In its report, the IAEA revealed undisclosed Iranian facilities used to manufacture material suitable 

for nuclear weapons. It also provided extensive details on weapons-related experiments, describing 

tests on nuclear triggers and technology used to simulate nuclear explosions. In perhaps the most 

concerning portion of its report, the agency unveiled an elaborate weapons-research program, 

exposing efforts to develop the necessary skills to build nuclear bombs. It also documented 

extensive intelligence-gathering activities, confirming Iran’s attempts to understand the potential 

military applications of its nuclear program. 

Major Iran sanctions legislation signed by President Obama in 2010 is squeezing the Iranian economy. 

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IRAN 

According to the IAEA, Iran continues to experiment with polonium, an element primarily used to 

trigger nuclear explosions and continues to block IAEA inspections of numerous nuclear facilities. 

For more than three years, Iran has refused IAEA requests to explain any of these activities, other 

than to dismiss the information as fabricated. Moreover, Iran reportedly conducted research and 

tests on a neutron initiator using uranium deuteride (UD3). The only application for UD3 is as a 

neutron source to trigger an atomic chain reaction in a nuclear warhead. 

The Green Salt Project, an alleged clandestine Iranian effort focusing on uranium processing, high 

explosives and a missile warhead design, remains a matter of serious concern. Iran has failed to 

address questions about this project that the IAEA believes are critical to an assessment of the 

possible military dimension of the country’s nuclear program. 

Iran has also been conducting research and tests on technologies needed to deliver a nuclear 

weapon, including the rapid advancement of its long-range ballistic missile and space program. 

Iran Faces Tougher Sanctions After Rejecting Outreach Efforts 

Upon taking office, President Obama made it a priority to reach out to Iran and seek a dialogue. 

Despite the president’s efforts, Iran has failed to engage in significant, substantive talks with the United 

States, the IAEA or the P5+1 (the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, plus Germany). 

While the U.S. remains open to talks, Iran’s refusal to engage in serious negotiations or suspend its 

nuclear program has led the United States to impose dramatic new sanctions on Tehran. 

The United States has imposed progressively escalating rounds of sanctions on Iran since the early 

1990s. Initial efforts focused on preventing the transfer to Iran of components that might be used 

in its nuclear or ballistic missile programs. More recent sanctions have focused directly on Iran’s 

ability to conduct international business and generate revenue from its vast energy resources. 

The Iran Threat Reduction Act of 2012, coupled with sanction provisions in the National Defense 

Authorization Acts for Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013, place nearly the entire energy sector of Iran 

under sanctions. The laws also effectively cut Iran off from the international financial system. 

An important exemption to the sanctions was included in the laws for financial institutions 

in countries that significantly reduce their purchases of Iranian oil. Largely as a result of this 

provision, Iranian oil exports have been more than halved since the middle of 2012, resulting in 

lost yearly revenue to the regime of more than $50 billion. 

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IRAN 

In 2012, the Obama administration also acted to sanction the Central Bank of Iran, the National 

Iranian Oil Company, the IRGC and numerous Iranian entities involved in proliferation and terrorism. 

The administration has actively engaged with purchasers of Iranian petroleum to press them to reduce 

such purchases and find alternative suppliers. Sanctions have also been imposed on several foreign 

energy firms and financial institutions for conducting prohibited activities with Iran, marking the first 

time the U.S. has taken such action. 

Since 2007, the United States has also worked with the U.N. Security Council to pass four sets 

of increasingly tougher sanctions on Iran. These measures—mandatory for all U.N. members— 

target Iranian entities involved in Tehran’s nuclear, missile and conventional weapons programs. 

The European Union, Japan, Australia, Canada, South Korea and other U.S. allies have adopted 

further measures beyond the U.N. sanctions. In July 2012, the EU imposed a complete embargo 

on the purchase of Iranian oil. 

Combined with American efforts, these international sanctions are having a dramatic impact 

on the Iranian economy and are causing increased political division within Iran. Iran’s currency, 

the rial, has lost nearly 80 percent of its value in the last two years as the country has been cut 

off from the international financial system. The devaluation of the currency has led to rampant 

inflation, and unemployment, already high, is growing. 

As a result of these sanctions, growing concern among the political elite is producing tensions 

within the conservative establishment, and criticism of the government of President Mahmoud 

Ahmadinejad is rising, along with dissension in Iran’s clerical ranks. 

Iranian oil exports have dropped by more than half since the middle of 2012. 

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IRAN 

What Congress Has Done to Prevent a Nuclear Iran 

Targeted Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Programs. Congress has enacted a series of 

sanctions laws to punish foreign firms that supply Iran with nuclear components and 

conventional weapons. These sanctions, and tough law-enforcement efforts, have 

disrupted Iran’s proliferation networks, and limited the flow of critical technologies 

to Tehran. 

Squeezed Iran’s Energy Sector. Since 1996, Congress has passed a series of laws targeting 

the economic heart of Iran: its energy sector. Most recently, Congress passed the National 

Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2012 and the Iran Threat Reduction and 

Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, which targeted Iranian oil exports and support to the 

Iranian energy sector. 

Outlawed Financial Firms Dealing with Iran. In 2010, Congress passed provisions that 

mandate sanctions on foreign banks that continue to conduct significant business 

with sanctioned Iranian entities. Since 2006, the United States has specifically 

sanctioned more than 20 Iranian financial institutions, and all Iranian banks have 

been barred from carrying out transactions via U.S.-based financial institutions. 

In 2011, Congress approved sanctions on foreign financial institutions that continue 

to carry out significant financial transactions with the Central Bank of Iran. As a 

result, Iran has been virtually cut off from the entire international financial system. 

Called on the Administration to Enforce Sanctions. Congress has repeatedly urged the 

executive branch to utilize its authority and fully enforce U.S. sanctions. In March of 

2011, the United States imposed sanctions on seven firms providing support to Iran’s 

refined petroleum sector. Congress continues to press the Obama administration to 

implement sanctions on Chinese companies and other businesses with ties to Iran. 

Reiterated that All Options Are on the Table. Members of Congress have repeatedly 

reiterated that all options must remain on the table to deal with the threat of a 

nuclear Iran. Congress has pressed the Pentagon to ensure that the United States is 

prepared to carry out any action ordered by the president that may be needed to 

stop Iran’s nuclear quest. In the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress 

required the preparation of a national military strategy to counter Iran. In December 

2012, 74 senators signed a letter to President Obama calling on him to affirm his 

readiness to take military action against Iran if it continues to seek a nuclear weapon. 

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IRAN 

A Terrorist Regime 

Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, providing weapons, 

money and training to groups whose goals include the destruction of Israel 

and the establishment of Islamic theocracies throughout the Middle East 

and beyond. 

KEY POINTS 

• Iran is a radical Islamist regime that has called for the destruction of both the United States 

and Israel. 

• Iran sponsors terrorist groups that have killed hundreds of American civilians and soldiers. 

• Iran has a global terrorist reach and undermines U.S. peace efforts through its support of such 

terrorist groups as Hamas and Hizballah. 

• The United States and other countries should increase efforts to interdict arms shipments and 

the transfer of funds from Iran to its terrorist allies. 


Congress should ensure that the executive branch exercises its broad authority to sanction Iranian 

entities that engage in or finance terrorism. Congress should support U.S. efforts to work with 

Israel and the international community to intercept Iranian weapons shipments. Congress must 

exercise extreme diligence and oversight to ensure the United States identifies and disrupts Iranian 

terrorist plots before they can be carried out. 

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IRAN 

A History of Targeting Americans 

Iranian-sponsored terrorists have a long history of targeting Americans and U.S. interests 

around the world. From the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut (killing 241 

American servicemen) to the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia (killing 19 

American servicemen), Iran’s terrorist proxies have killed more Americans than any group other 

than al-Qaeda. Hamas suicide bombers and other terrorists backed by Iran have killed dozens 

of Americans in Israel. During the past decade, Iran has targeted American forces in Iraq and 

Afghanistan, providing weapons, financing and training to Iraqi insurgents and the Taliban. 

Iranian-produced improvised explosive devices have been directly responsible for the deaths of 

American soldiers in both conflicts. Most recently, U.S. authorities uncovered an Iranian plot to 

assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States while he ate at a popular Washington, 

D.C., restaurant, an attack that would potentially have killed not only him but also numerous 

bystanders. The United States also accused Iran of planning to bomb the Israeli embassy in 

Washington and the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Argentina. 

The attack on the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 by the Iranian-backed Hizballah killed 

241 American servicemen. 

Iran Bankrolls Hizballah Terrorist Activities 

Iranian support for Hizballah—whose supporters regularly chant “Death to America, Death to Israel” 

at rallies—is one of the clearest examples of Tehran’s support for terrorist activity. Iran is the primary 

supplier of Hizballah’s arsenal of 60,000 rockets and missiles. In November 2009, Israeli naval forces 

seized a single cargo ship carrying 320 tons of Iranian weapons intended for Hizballah. By providing 

sophisticated weapons to the Islamist group, Iran blatantly violates numerous U.N. Security Council 

resolutions, including Resolution 1747, which forbids Iran from exporting any weapons. 

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IRAN 

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)—itself a designated terrorist organization— 

provides Hizballah with training, weapons and millions of dollars each year. 

Iran Backs Hamas’ Military Buildup in Gaza 

Just as it supports Hizballah’s war against Israel, Iran also provides critical aid to the terrorist group 

Hamas, which openly calls for Israel’s destruction. By networking with smugglers in Yemen and Africa, 

Iran sends cash and weapons through Egypt to the Gaza Strip. Iran transfers thousands of mortars and 

hundreds of rockets to Hamas, including longer-range rockets capable of striking Tel Aviv from Gaza. 

In November 2012, Israeli forces destroyed dozens of Iranian Fajr-5 rockets in Gaza after Hamas 

successfully launched a handful of these weapons at the outskirts of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Iran also 

provides key financial support to Hamas. While exact figures are difficult to verify, estimates start at 

$30 million annually, but may be several times as much. 

The United States Works to Intercept Iranian Arms 

The U.S. military and intelligence 

services have worked to uncover 

and disrupt Iranian weapons 

shipments. In 2009, the U.S. Navy 

intercepted at least two vessels 

containing shipments of Iranian 

arms destined for Hamas and 

Hizballah. Both of the shipments 

were arranged by the Islamic 

Republic of Iran Shipping Lines 

(IRISL), which the U.S. Treasury 

Department sanctioned in 2008 for 

facilitating shipments of militaryrelated 

cargo to Iran. The EU and 

the U.N. Security Council have 

sanctioned IRISL since then. 

EGYPT 

IRAN’S ARMS SMUGGLING ROUTES 

Iran provides advanced weaponry to Hamas in Gaza and 

Hizballah in Lebanon through various land, sea and air routes. 

LEBANON 

ISRAEL 

GAZA 

SYRIA 

JORDAN 

IRAQ 

SAUDI ARABIA 

KUWAIT 

IRAN 

BAHRAIN 

QATAR 

U.A.E. 

OMAN 

In the aftermath of the 2009 

conflict in Gaza, the United 

States and Israel signed a historic 

SUDAN 

YEMEN 

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IRAN 

Memorandum of Understanding that pledged joint efforts to stem the flow of weapons to Hamas 

and other terrorists in the Gaza Strip. The agreement calls for enhanced international sanctions 

and enforcement mechanisms against those states, such as Iran, that are determined to supply 

weapons and explosives to Gaza. In the aftermath of the November 2012 fighting in Gaza, the 

United States renewed its pledge to work with Israel to disrupt Iranian arms shipments. 

Iranian Terrorism Around the World 

Beyond the Middle East, Iran has established a wide network of terrorists and has carried out attacks 

targeting Israeli and Jewish targets. In the early 1990s, Iranian-backed terrorists carried out bombings 

at the Israeli embassy and the Argentine-Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires 

that killed 114 people. Iran and its terrorist proxy Hizballah are suspected in carrying out a July 18, 

2012, attack on a group of Israeli tourists that had just arrived in Bulgaria, resulting in the deaths 

of five Israelis and their Bulgarian bus driver. Multiple other terror plots were disrupted in 2012, 

including attacks planned in India, Thailand and Azerbaijan. Iran has also expanded its influence and 

promoted bloodshed by exporting arms to multiple African countries and to rebels in Yemen. 

Iran Supports Syrian Crackdown 

Iran and Syria have long maintained close relations and worked together to supply arms to 

Hizballah in Lebanon. Since the outbreak of violence in Syria began in the spring of 2011, Iran 

has provided arms, training, and personnel to support the regime of President Bashar Assad. The 

IRGC-led efforts have 

involved regular flights 

between Tehran and 

Damascus, resulting in 

U.S. sanctions against three 

Iranian airlines, Iran Air, 

Mahan Air and YasAir. 

The United States has 

pressed Iran and Syria’s 

neighbors, especially 

Turkey and Iraq, to closely 

inspect all flights destined 

for Syria and suspected of 

carrying illicit cargos. 

Iranian-backed Hizballah is suspected in a July 2012 bus bombing targeting 

Israeli tourists in Bulgaria. Six people were killed in the attack. 

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IRAN 

What Congress Has Done to Counter Iran’s 

Support for Terrorism 

Outlawed Support for Terrorist Entities. Congress has enacted legislation giving wide 

authority to the executive branch to impose sanctions on entities that engage in 

terrorism, finance terrorism or otherwise facilitate terrorist activities. Under this 

authority, the Treasury Department has sanctioned multiple Iranian entities involved 

in terrorism, making it a crime for U.S. citizens to provide them with material 

support. In 2007, the Treasury Department sanctioned the IRGC-Quds Force, 

the facilitator of much of Iran’s terrorist activities. 

Targeted the Source of Iran’s Terror Funding. Congress has also targeted Iran’s energy 

sector, whose revenue funds terrorist activities. The Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 has 

helped limit investments in Iran’s energy sector, costing the regime tens of billions of 

dollars that could have been used to finance terrorism. In addition, the United States 

has targeted Iranian banks involved in the transfer of funds to terrorist entities. Since 

2006, more than 20 Iranian banks have been sanctioned for supporting terrorism or 

aiding Iran’s nuclear program. 

Provided Support to Iran’s Victims. Congress has sought to provide support to the 

victims of Iranian terrorism by allowing civil lawsuits against the Iranian regime. 

In 1996, Congress amended the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) to allow 

victims of terrorism to sue designated state sponsors of terrorism for their terrorist acts. 

Victims have since won multiple judgments—totaling billions of dollars—against Iran. 

Congress has also worked to provide avenues for the victims to collect their financial 

awards from the Iranian government. 

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IRAN 

A Repressive Regime 

Iran is a theocratic dictatorship that maintains control by holding fraudulent 

elections and violently suppressing its own citizenry. 

KEY POINTS 

• Following massive protests after the June 2009 presidential election, the Iranian 

regime instituted and maintained a massive crackdown on an increasingly discontented 

and restless population. 

• Iranian authorities subject their opponents to arbitrary and mass arrests, prolonged 

detentions, torture and execution. 

• Iran severely limits women’s rights and freedoms of speech, religion, press and assembly. 

• The United States can play an important role in criticizing Iranian abuses and 

in providing funding to promote human rights in Iran. 


Congress has been a steadfast voice in speaking out in support of freedom and democracy in 

Iran. Congress should ensure that the executive branch enforces sanctions passed in 2010 and 

strengthened in 2012 to target those in Iran responsible for committing serious human rights abuses 

as well as those foreign companies that provide Iran the means to carry out those cruel acts. 

Congress can give additional support to human rights activists in Iran by providing anticensorship 

technology, supporting broadcasting into Iran and exercising its oversight 

responsibilities to examine the scope and effectiveness of the administration’s efforts in 

the area. Congress also can do more to highlight Iranian religious repression through hearings 

and in meetings with foreign officials. 

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IRAN 

The Regime Has a Long History of Repressing Its People 

Iran has reminded the world time and again that despite presidential and parliamentary elections, 

it remains a religious—and increasingly a military—dictatorship. The supreme leader retains 

final veto authority over all government decisions and has empowered the Islamic Revolutionary 

Guards Corps (IRGC)—a U.S.-designated terrorist organization—and IRGC-affiliated politicians 

to manage many aspects of Iran’s domestic and foreign policy, as well as much of its economy. 

TORTURES AND KILLS OPPONENTS AFTER FRAUDULENT ELECTION 

The June 2009 presidential election was a stark reminder of the lack of democracy and fundamental 

freedoms in Iran. In addition to severely limiting the ability of candidates to run for the office— 

only 4 out of 476 prospective candidates were allowed to compete—this election was marked by 

significant voter fraud. When millions of Iranians took to the streets to protest President Mahmoud 

Ahmadinejad’s stolen electoral victory, the government unleashed the Revolutionary Guard and the 

paramilitary Basij militia to violently suppress the demonstrations. 

In the immediate aftermath of the fraudulent election, as many as 200 people were killed and 

another 4,000 were arrested as part of the initial crackdown on opposition activists. Thousands 

more have since been arrested. In addition, reports of rape, torture and executions of political 

prisoners remain commonplace. 

IMPOSES HARSH 

CENSORSHIP AND DENIES 

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS 

Claiming the need to protect 

the “fundamental principles 

of Islam,” the Iranian regime 

restricts freedom of speech and 

of the press, creating a vast 

system of censorship and selfcensorship. 

The regime suppresses 

all criticism of Islamic rule and 

routinely imprisons journalists 

who dare to defy its dictates. 

Reporters Without Borders has 

In 2009, Iranian citizens initiated mass protests after fraudulent 

presidential elections. 

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IRAN 

awarded Iran the infamous honor of being the country with 

the greatest number of journalists in jail. 

TREATS WOMEN AS SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS 

The Iranian constitution grants women equal protection under 

the law. However, due to the regime’s strict adherence to Islamic 

legal codes, women have little legal standing and are restricted 

from pursuing careers in numerous advanced fields. While 

many are well educated—60 percent of Iranian university 

students are female—they represent a disproportionate number 

of the unemployed and under-employed. According to the U.S. 

State Department’s annual report on human rights, women also 

often receive a disproportionately harsh punishment for crimes 

such as adultery, which is punishable by death by stoning. 

Iran treats women as second-class 

citizens. 

RESTRICTS THE FREE EXPRESSION OF RELIGION 

While Shia Iran recognizes non-Shia forms of Islam, as well as Judaism and Christianity, the regime 

severely restricts freedom of religion. Conversion from Islam is punishable by life in prison, or 

death. In particular, the Iranian regime targets members of the Baha’i faith and frequently sentences 

its leaders to decade-long imprisonment. The U.S. State Department’s report on religious freedom 

for 2010 states: “The Baha’i religious groups reported arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention, 

expulsions from universities and confiscation of property. During the reporting period governmentcontrolled 

broadcast and print media intensified negative campaigns against religious minorities, 

particularly the Baha’is.” 

LEADS THE WORLD IN PER-CAPITA EXECUTIONS 

Iran conceals the exact number of executions it carries out, but estimates from human rights groups 

indicate over 600 executions in 2011 and over 400 known executions in 2012. Executions by 

hanging are often carried out in a public fashion, and widespread secret executions are suspected 

to have been carried out in a prison in the city of Mashad. Iran’s retrograde criminal code calls 

for punishments including lashings, floggings, amputations, hangings, and stoning for crimes that 

include protesting the regime, drug-related offenses, theft, sodomy, apostasy, and adultery. Iran is 

presently the only country in the world known to execute minors. 

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IRAN 

What Congress Has Done to Oppose Iran’s 

Human Rights Violations 

Condemned and Sanctioned Iranian Human Rights Violators. During the past 30 

years, Congress has passed dozens of resolutions condemning systematic human 

rights violations and the denial of basic freedoms in Iran. In 2010, as part of the 

Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act (CISADA), 

Congress for the first time mandated sanctions against individuals responsible for 

the massive human rights abuses and government crackdown following the 2009 

election. The Obama administration has sanctioned multiple Iranian officials, 

including the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the 

minister of intelligence. The 2012 Iran Threat Reduction Act also called for sanctions 

on individuals responsible for human rights abuses against Iranian citizens following 

the 2009 elections and on persons who engage in censorship or related activities 

against citizens of Iran. 

Urged Greater Scrutiny of Repression in Iran. Congress has also urged the administration 

and the international community to put greater diplomatic emphasis on Iranian human 

rights violations. Congress has supported the U.S.-led efforts in the United Nations 

to condemn Iran’s record. Every year for the past seven years, the General Assembly 

has passed a resolution sponsored by the United States and Canada condemning the 

“serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations” in Iran. 

Provided Funding for Democracy Activists. Beginning with the fiscal year 2004 

appropriations bill, Congress has provided financial support for the promotion of 

democracy in Iran. During the past eight years, more than $50 million has been 

appropriated for such efforts. In 2006, Congress passed the Iran Freedom Support 

Act, which declared that the policy of the United States should be to support human 

rights and democracy promotion in Iran. 

Supported Media and Internet Freedom in Iran. Congress placed greater focus on 

Internet technology as the Iranian regime increased censorship and attacked new 

media to prevent the flow of information and ideas. In February 2010, at the urging 

of Congress, the administration provided licenses to export anti-censorship software 

to Iranian democracy activists. As part of CISADA, Congress also prohibited 

government contracts to any company that provides the regime with technology used 

to monitor and restrict free speech. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

For more than 60 years, Israel has sought a lasting 

peace with its Arab neighbors. As the United States 

works with Israel to pursue this goal, American 

diplomats should adhere to principles that have 

guided previous successful negotiations.

PEACE PROCESS 

The Peace Process—Key Principles 

MAINTAIN CLOSE U.S.-ISRAELI COORDINATION: The United States should support 

and work closely with Israel as it charts the course for peace. 

PRESS FOR DIRECT NEGOTIATIONS: The United States should press the Palestinians 

to enter high-level, direct talks without preconditions. 

RESIST DISTRACTIONS: The United States should continue to oppose Palestinian 

efforts to bypass direct negotiations by turning to the United Nations or other 

parties that would delay actual progress toward peace. 

REJECT IMPOSED SOLUTIONS: America must recognize that no outside party can 

impose a durable Israeli-Palestinian agreement. Instead, the United States must 

assist Israelis and Palestinians in negotiating a peace agreement in which they will 

be invested. 

ISOLATE EXTREMISTS: The United States should exclude extremists from 

negotiations until they demonstrate a willingness to live in peace. America should 

continue to isolate Hamas until it meets the three conditions—recognize Israel, 

renounce violence and accept previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements—issued by 

the diplomatic Quartet responsible for mediating the Middle East peace process 

(the United States, the United Nations, Russia and the European Union). 

RECOGNIZE THAT ISRAEL IS A DURABLE ALLY: America should continue to 

emphasize that the U.S.-Israel relationship rests on shared values and interests 

that transcend the fluctuating status of negotiations. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

Direct Talks: The Key to 

Israeli‐Palestinian Peace 

The only way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is through direct 

negotiations. While Israel has worked with the United States to pave the way 

for serious discussions, PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has refused to hold 

high-level, direct talks with Israel and is taking unilateral steps that only 

serve to undermine U.S.-backed peace efforts. 

KEY POINTS 

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has taken far-reaching steps to pave the way for 

substantive talks with the Palestinians. 

• Netanyahu has called for a Palestinian state, reduced barriers to movement in the West Bank, 

bolstered the Palestinian economy, and implemented an unprecedented 10-month West Bank 

housing construction moratorium. 

• Despite these steps, PLO Chairman and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas 

continues to reject high-level, direct talks with Israel. Instead of negotiating, the Palestinians 

have sought recognition as a non-member observer state at the U.N. General Assembly 

outside of talks with Israel—a direct violation of the Oslo Accords. 

• As the United States pursues peace between Israel and its neighbors, it should adhere to the 

key principles that have guided past negotiations. 


Congress should continue to support U.S. diplomatic efforts to bring Israelis and Palestinians into 

direct negotiations while urging the administration to remain both a trusted mediator between 

the parties and a devoted friend to Israel. Congress should also continue to make clear to the 

Palestinians that the United States will reexamine America’s diplomatic and financial relationship 

with the Palestinians if they continue to refuse to negotiate with Israel. Congress should stand firm 

in calling on the Palestinians to end incitement and cease violence against Israel and refusing to 

provide aid to any Palestinian government that includes an unreformed Hamas. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

United States, Israel Take Steps to Foster Peace Talks 

At the beginning of his first term, President Obama appointed former Sen. George Mitchell 

(D-ME) as his special envoy to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Obama and Mitchell 

asked Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab states to take concrete actions to facilitate talks. 

Israel responded positively to the president’s request, taking a series of bold steps during the 

past several years. For the first time in his career, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 

announced in June 2009 that he accepts, and is prepared to negotiate, a two-state solution to 

the conflict: a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state of Israel. 

Netanyahu also announced a 10-month moratorium on the construction of new homes in 

the West Bank on Nov. 25, 2009, a move that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described as 

“unprecedented.” No Israeli prime minister from either side of the political spectrum had ever 

agreed to such a freeze on settlements. Mitchell, reflecting on the freeze after leaving the envoy 

position, said in November 2011 that “the Palestinians rejected it as worse than useless. They 

were strongly opposed to it. Then nine months on, there were negotiations for a couple of weeks 

Israel removed more than 400 checkpoints and roadblocks in the West Bank to ease Palestinian travel. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

that were discontinued by the Palestinians on the grounds that Israel wouldn’t continue the 

settlement freeze. What had been less than worthless a few months earlier became indispensable to 

continue negotiations.” 

In addition, Israel has removed more than 400 West Bank checkpoints and roadblocks, improving 

the freedom of movement for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The improved security 

situation permitted Israel to allow its Arab citizens to shop in West Bank cities. These actions 

significantly boosted the West Bank economy, which grew near or above 10 percent between 2008 

and 2010—one of the highest growth rates in the world during a time of world-wide recession. 

Israel has also moved to dramatically bolster the Palestinian economy and mitigate the PA’s 

financial crisis. Israel signed a new tax agreement aimed at increasing the PA’s revenue from tax 

collection and pressed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide a $1 billion loan to 

support the PA budget. Despite Israel’s efforts, however, the IMF rejected the loan request. 

The Palestinians Refuse to Hold High-Level, Direct Talks 

The Palestinian Authority (PA) 

has taken an important step by 

helping to clamp down on terrorism 

emanating from the West Bank 

and has made significant progress 

in institution building for a 

future Palestinian state. But it has 

fundamentally rebuffed President 

Obama’s appeal to return to the 

negotiating table for high-level, 

direct talks without preconditions 

and has not reciprocated Israel’s 

positive actions. 

Instead, the Palestinians have 

attained an upgrade in their status 

in the U.N. General Assembly to a 

non-member observer state. They 

are also seeking acceptance as 

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah rebuffed President Obama’s call to take 

concrete steps to reach out to Israel. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

a state in other U.N. and international bodies in order to intensify their efforts to isolate Israel 

and attack it in international fora. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 

Organization (UNESCO) accepted “Palestine” as a member in October 2011. The Palestinians are 

politicizing the U.N. system and are using such bodies as UNESCO as platforms to attack Israel. 

Such steps by the Palestinians only serve to push the parties further apart. 

The Palestinians have maintained unrealistic preconditions for serious, high-level talks, including 

demands that Israel cease all construction in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem. This stance 

is peculiar, given that leaked notes of Palestinian negotiators demonstrate that Palestinians— 

like Presidents Clinton and Bush—were willing to accept Israeli control over nearly all Jewish 

neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem. 

Palestinian leaders know that Israeli leaders never intended to extend their construction 

moratorium to their sovereign capital city. The government of Prime Minister Netanyahu, 

in keeping with the position of all prior Israeli governments, views Jerusalem as different 

in nature from the West Bank and considers Israeli construction within Israel’s capital 

as completely legal and proper. Moreover, additional construction in Jerusalem has been 

necessary because Jerusalem’s government must meet the housing and infrastructure 

requirements of a growing population. 

Key Principles for the Peace Process 

As President Obama begins his second term, it is critical that the administration keep in mind a 

number of key principles that are vital to supporting successful Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. 

THE U.S. AND ISRAEL SHOULD WORK TOGETHER 

The chief guiding principle is that the United States and Israel must always work together, 

even if they are not in full agreement on every issue. Israel can be more flexible in negotiations 

when it completely trusts American negotiators. Efforts to circumvent Israel’s decisions or 

pressure the state on issues relating to its security are destined to backfire. When the United 

States and Israel closely coordinate their approaches to peacemaking and avoid surprises, the 

chances for success increase. 

The United States promotes negotiations in a variety of critical ways. The United States often 

hosts talks and is in close contact with regional and international partners. It can help rally 

support for negotiations and opposition to parties trying to undermine them. In the case 

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PEACE PROCESS 

of Israel’s negotiations with the Palestinians, the United States can help isolate the terrorist 

organization Hamas until it foreswears terror, accepts Israel’s right to exist and accepts prior 

Israeli-Palestinian agreements. 

STRONG U.S. SUPPORT ALLOWS ISRAEL TO PURSUE PEACE 

America’s approach—including its special relationship with Israel—is an asset to any 

negotiating process and has historically made the United States the only outside party trusted by 

both sides to be an effective mediator. When its security requirements are being addressed and 

when the United States is backing its efforts, Israel will be more confident and secure as it charts 

the course toward peace. 

The United States should continue to promote the need for secure, recognized and defensible 

borders with the understanding that Israel must determine its own security requirements. 

Negotiations should also be premised on the belief that a final-status agreement between Israel 

and a Palestinian state would entail the end of all claims between the parties. 

U.S. aid helps ensure the PA will continue using its security forces to fight terrorism. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HOLD THE PALESTINIANS ACCOUNTABLE 

The United States can take actions that help the parties in a fair-minded way and urge them to 

maintain their commitments. With respect to the Palestinians, America can support moderate 

leaders, without abandoning its insistence that the Palestinian Authority decisively act to 

halt violence, incitement and terror, and abide by its Oslo commitment to solve the conflict 

through direct negotiations between the two parties. U.S. officials have long opposed the 

Palestinians’ effort to circumvent talks by heading to the United Nations. As President Obama 

has said, “No vote at the United Nations will ever create an independent Palestinian state.” 

The Arab League should encourage the Palestinians to hold talks with Israel and take steps to normalize relations 

with the Jewish state. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

THE U.S.-ISRAEL RELATIONSHIP TRANSCENDS THE PEACE PROCESS 

Beyond the peace process, the United States and Israel have a deep alliance, based on common 

values, that benefits both countries. The two allies share intelligence, cooperate extensively 

regarding defense measures and work to counter the mutual threats of terrorism and proliferation. 

It is critical that this vital cooperation be maintained irrespective of the daily ups and downs of 

Israel’s negotiations. 

Similarly, the United States should assert its position as a trusted ally of Israel, providing the 

support and assurance so essential to Israeli leaders as they consider tough compromises for 

peace. Differences should be worked out with Israel privately. Public differences have allowed the 

Palestinians to stall U.S. efforts to get the sides back to the negotiating table. 

DIRECT TALKS—NOT IMPOSED SOLUTIONS—ARE THE KEY TO SUCCESS 

An enduring solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must arise from the parties themselves and 

cannot be imposed by the United States or other outside parties, as President Obama has made 

clear. “The United States will put our full weight behind this effort,” he said. “We will be an active 

and sustained participant. We will support those who make difficult choices in pursuit of peace. 

But let me be very clear. Ultimately the United States cannot impose a solution, and we cannot 

want it more than the parties themselves.” A deal can only work if both parties enter into it 

willingly, feel vested in it and intend to implement it. Without buy-in from the two parties and the 

publics they represent, no accord will be viable. 

UNILATERAL STEPS ARE NOT HELPFUL 

The Palestinians’ non-member state upgrade at the U.N. General Assembly and continued pursuit 

of membership in other U.N. bodies and international organizations push the parties further from 

resuming direct talks. Such moves outside the context of talks with Israel are highly destabilizing, 

undermine trust and fail to advance the goal of a negotiated peace agreement as advocated by the 

United States. That is why direct, sustained bilateral negotiations—which can be facilitated by the 

United States—are still the best way forward. 

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ISRAEL’S QUEST FOR PEACE 

Even before the establishment of Israel in 1948, the Jewish community in then-British Mandatory Palestine expressed 

its desire to live in peace with its Arab neighbors. Since its founding amid the ashes of war, Israel has repeatedly 

demonstrated its willingness to make bold, painful concessions, such as withdrawing from land and forcibly removing 

its citizens, in order to reach peace. 

Early Zionists Reach Out to Arabs 

Chaim Weizmann, who was to become the first president 

of Israel, leads a mission to Cairo in 1918 to express the 

Jewish people’s desire to live in harmony with the Arabs. 

Jews Accept U.N. Partition Plan 

The Jewish community of Palestine, and Zionists 

worldwide, accept the partition plan approved by 

the United Nations that would create a Jewish state 

alongside an Arab state. The Arab states reject the 

U.N. resolution and prepare for war. 

1918 –1919 

1937 

1947 

1948 

Jews Accept Peel Commission Report 

Israel’s future prime minister, David 

Ben-Gurion, accepts the recommendations 

of the official British Peel Commission report, 

which allocated a very small percentage of 

Palestine to a Jewish state. The Arab 

governments reject the plan. 

A State is Born 

Declaring independence, 

Ben-Gurion says Israel 

will “extend the hand of 

peace to all its neighbors” 

as well as grant “full 

and equal citizenship 

and due representation” 

for the 

non-Jewish population. 

In response, the 

armies of five Arab 

states invade. 

Israel Signs Camp David 

Accords with Egypt 

Israel agrees to return the 

entire Sinai Peninsula, an 

area almost three times 

the size of Israel, to Egypt. 

In 1979, Egypt and Israel 

sign a peace treaty—the 

first between Israel and an 

Arab country. 

1967 

1978 

Israel’s Offer to 

Withdraw is Rejected 

Days after successfully 

defending itself in the 

Six-Day War, Israel offers 

to return captured 

territories in return for 

peace treaties. The Arab 

states reject the offer. 

1993 

Israel Inks Oslo Agreement 

Israel grants the Palestinians unprecedented 

authority over Gaza and parts of the West 

Bank and starts talks aimed at ending the 

conflict with the Palestinians. 

146

Israel Establishes Peace with Jordan 

Jordan’s King Hussein and Israel’s Yitzhak Rabin sign a 

peace treaty, making Jordan the second Arab state to 

recognize Israel. 

Israel Removes All 

Soldiers, Citizens 

from Gaza 

With U.S. support, Israel 

takes a historic step and 

unilaterally withdraws 

from Gaza and parts of 

the West Bank, providing 

the Palestinians with an 

unprecedented chance to 

prove their intention to 

fight terrorism and 

govern effectively. 

Israel Extends Hand in Peace at 

Annapolis Conference 

At the U.S.-sponsored Annapolis 

conference, Israel reiterates its 

commitment to peaceful negotiations 

with the Palestinians and Arab states. 

Israel Endorses Demilitarized 

Palestinian State; Implements 

Settlement Moratorium 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 

Netanyahu formally endorses the 

creation of a demilitarized Palestinian 

state and implements a 10-month 

moratorium on the construction of 

new homes in the 

West Bank. 

Palestinians refuse to 

hold serious talks 

despite these 

gestures. 

1994 2005 2007 2009–2010 

2000 

2011–2012 2008 

Israel Unilaterally Withdraws 

from Lebanon 

With backing from the United States, 

Israel unilaterally withdraws from 

southern Lebanon after 18 years of 

maintaining a security zone to prevent 

attacks on its northern communities. 

Israel’s step is met with a massive 

military buildup by Hizballah. 

Israel Makes Historic 

Offer for Peace 

Israel agrees to 

President Clinton’s 

proposals for peace 

between Israel and the 

Palestinians: Israel 

would cede all of Gaza, 

96 percent of the West 

Bank and additional 

territory from within 

pre-1967 Israel, 

recognize an 

independent Palestinian 

state and cede parts of eastern Jerusalem to serve as the 

Palestinian capital. Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat rejects 

the offer and launches the worst wave of terrorism in 

Israel’s history. 

Israel Continues to Seek Peace Despite Daily Attacks 

Despite daily Hamas rocket fire and other terrorist 

attacks against its civilians during the year, Israel holds 

intensive negotiations with the Palestinian Authority to 

reach an agreement covering all remaining issues. 

Israel Repeatedly Calls for Direct Talks with Palestinians 

Prime Minister Netanyahu repeatedly calls for the 

Palestinians to return to direct peace talks. Palestinian 

leaders rebuff Israeli entreaties, set preconditions for 

talks and turn to the United Nations for recognition of 

statehood. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

What Congress Has Done to Support the Peace Process 

Opposed a Unilateral Declaration of Palestinian Statehood. In mid-2011, the House 

and Senate overwhelmingly passed resolutions that called on the administration 

to lead opposition to the Palestinian statehood gambit at the United Nations. The 

sentiment in the resolutions echoes a law passed by Congress 11 years earlier. The 

law, the Peace Through Negotiations Act of 2000, expressed U.S. opposition to the 

unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, arguing that such an action would violate 

the underlying principles of the Oslo Accords and the Middle East peace process. 

Congress sent a strong message as part of the 2012 foreign aid appropriations bill, 

mandating that aid to the Palestinians would be cut and the PLO office closed if they 

achieved statehood status at the U.N. or any specialized agencies. Also, Congress 

continued its support for current law that would cut off U.S. funding to any U.N. 

agency that admitted “Palestine” as a member state. 

Pressed Palestinians to Make Fundamental Changes. An overwhelming majority of the 

House and Senate signed letters in 2003 to then-President George W. Bush backing 

his demands that to restart negotiations the Palestinians must take the following 

steps: Elect new leaders not tainted by terrorism; implement security, economic and 

political reforms; and end violence against Israelis. 

Supported Key U.S. Peace Commitments to Israel. The House and Senate overwhelmingly 

passed resolutions in 2004 strongly endorsing key commitments that President George 

W. Bush made in an April 14, 2004, letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon 

supporting the Israeli leader’s plan to withdraw from Gaza. The resolutions strongly 

backed the president’s support for defensible borders that reflect demographic realities 

and opposition to the Palestinian refugees’ so-called right of return to Israel. 

Restricted U.S. Aid to Hamas-Led Palestinian Authority. With Hamas joining a 

national unity government with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ 

Fatah faction, Congress passed in 2006 the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act, which 

strengthened the ban on direct U.S. aid to the Palestinians as long as the terrorist 

organization was part of the government. The law permitted humanitarian assistance 

to continue through non-governmental organizations. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

The Palestinian Divide: Impediment 

to Peace 

The Palestinians are ruled by two rival factions: the Palestinian Authority 

(PA) in the West Bank and the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. Hamas’ 

continued violence and refusal to recognize Israel, as well as PLO Chairman 

Mahmoud Abbas’ refusal to negotiate and efforts at the United Nations, 

compound the difficulty of reaching an Israeli-Palestinian agreement. 

KEY POINTS 

• The Palestinian Authority (PA) governs in the West Bank, where the dominant political force 

is the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Fatah Party. 

• Although the Palestinians have said that they are committed to reaching an agreement with 

Israel, they are currently refusing to enter direct, high-level negotiations with Israel. 

• In a step opposed by the United States and that further hindered the peace process, the PLO 

upgraded its status at the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) and has threatened to use this new 

status to isolate Israel in the international arena. 

• The U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas, which is committed to destroying Israel and 

replacing it with an Islamic state, rules the Gaza Strip, and has fired some 9,500 rockets and 

mortars on Israel since it withdrew from the area in 2005. 


Congress should continue to support Palestinian leaders committed to peace with Israel and opposed 

to violence. Congress should press the Palestinian leadership to resume direct negotiations with Israel 

without preconditions. Congress should continue to send a clear message to the Palestinians that there 

are consequences for pursuing action against Israel at the United Nations and other international fora. 

Congress should also continue to insist that Hamas cannot be a partner for negotiations or part of 

a Palestinian Authority government until it meets key requirements demanded by the international 

Quartet (the United States, E.U., Russia and the United Nations): recognize Israel, renounce violence 

and accept previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

Hamas: 25 Years of Terror 

Hamas was founded 25 years ago with the goal of destroying Israel. Since its founding, Hamas has 

killed more than 500 innocent civilians, including two dozen Americans. It has conducted suicide 

bombings, shootings and 14,000 rocket attacks since 2001. Hamas’ founding charter, published in 

1988, details the guiding principles of the group, which is laced with anti-Semitism and racism. The 

charter rejects peaceful efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and calls for the destruction of 

the State of Israel through jihad, or holy war. The charter’s opening statement declares: “Israel will 

exist and continue to exist until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors.” 

Hamas Seizes Control of Gaza After Israeli Withdrawal 

In August 2005, Israel took a bold step by unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza, which Israel 

captured during the 1967 Six-Day War. In a dramatic move that caused great trauma among the 

Israeli public, Israel dismantled all 21 settlements in Gaza, relocated roughly 8,500 residents and 

removed all its soldiers. At that time, the PA governed in both the West Bank and Gaza. Israel had 

In 2007, Hamas carried out a bloody coup against Fatah, taking control of the Gaza Strip by force. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

hoped that the PA would use this opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to govern and improve 

the life of Gaza’s population. For some, Israel’s withdrawal provided a chance to show that Israeli 

withdrawals from Palestinian-populated areas could galvanize a process of reconciliation between 

Israelis and Palestinians and, ultimately, peace between Israel and a Palestinian state. 

Unfortunately, that did not happen. After Israel withdrew, Hamas-led radical forces shattered the 

prospects for building peace. First, Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006 and led a 

unity government with Fatah, the party of PA President Mahmoud Abbas. 

Then, in June 2007, Hamas carried out a bloody coup against the Fatah Party, forcibly taking 

over the Gaza Strip. After the coup, Abbas dismissed the Hamas-led government and established 

a technocratic government led by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, whose government controls the 

West Bank. However, Hamas remains in control of Gaza. 

Hamas Expands Weapons Smuggling, Military Infrastructure 

Since the 2007 coup, Hamas has expanded both the quantity and sophistication of its weapons 

arsenal. Hamas manufactures Qassam rockets, which it has indiscriminately fired at Israeli 

border towns such as Sderot. Hamas has also manufactured its own longer-range missiles and 

has imported more destructive longer-range Katyusha rockets and Fajr-5 rockets that can reach 

major Israeli population centers, including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beersheba and Ashkelon. Since 

2001, Hamas fired approximately 14,000 rockets and missiles at Israel. Today, the terrorist 

group possesses a significant arsenal of an estimated 6,000 to 8,000. Iran and other radical 

regimes have provided Hamas with extensive financial and military aid. 

Hamas Refuses to End Violence, Accept Israel 

The situation in Gaza remains a hotbed of terror due to Hamas’ violent agenda. In November 

2012, after Hamas launched hundreds of rockets at Israeli civilians, Israel launched a defensive 

operation in Gaza aimed at ending the rocket fire, similar to an operation carried out by Israel 

in late 2008. The Israeli campaign reduced Hamas’ ability to launch rockets, degraded some of 

Hamas’ long-range capabilities, and took out senior Hamas terrorists. However, following the 

operation, Iran quickly resumed efforts to rearm Hamas. 

Hamas continues to flout the internationally backed principles and instead remains steadfast 

in calling for the destruction of Israel. During the commemoration of Hamas’ 25th anniversary 

in December 2012, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said, “Jihad and armed resistance are the 

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PEACE PROCESS 

right and real way to liberate Palestine” He added: “There is no legitimacy for Israel, no matter 

how long it will take.” Hamas’ violence and rhetoric will further isolate Gaza and imperil the 

prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. 

Israel Continues to Facilitate Delivery of Humanitarian Goods 

Despite Hamas’ violence, Israel is committed to ensuring that the Palestinian people in Gaza 

continue to receive needed humanitarian supplies. Since the end of Israel’s military operation in 

early 2009, Israel has facilitated the delivery of millions of tons of humanitarian aid to the Gaza 

Strip. Israel has significantly expanded the transit of commercial goods into Gaza, facilitating 

the delivery of a greater variety of products, including candies, spices, toys, cosmetics and 

housewares, and the export of goods, including produce, from Gaza to markets mainly in 

Europe. Today, Israel is also facilitating the delivery of construction material into Gaza. 

Abbas Refuses to Talk with Israel, Takes Damaging Steps at U.N. 

While security cooperation with Israel remains strong and the violence from the West Bank 

has been reduced, PLO Chairman and PA President Abbas has taken harmful steps at the 

United Nations and has refused to hold talks with Israel. On Nov. 29, 2012, the U.N. 

General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution granting the Palestinians non-member state 

observer status, marking a direct blow to Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. In addition to 

upgrading the status, the resolution delineated the boundaries of “Palestine” to include “the 

Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967”—all the territory held by Arabs within the 1949 

Armistice line—and called East Jerusalem the capital. Given U.N. acceptance of the maximum 

Palestinian demands, the PLO will find it difficult to compromise in talks with Israel. 

UNGA recognition of a virtual state of Palestine does nothing to advance that process and 

hinders resumption of real peace talks. This move also is a direct violation of the Palestinian 

commitments made in the Oslo peace agreements, which say the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 

must be solved through direct negotiations between the two parties. Abbas has indicated that 

he will use this recognition to isolate Israel and attack her in international fora. 

In addition, Abbas has set unrealistic preconditions for resuming negotiations, including a 

freeze on construction in the Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem and the demand for release 

of Palestinian prisoners who committed mass murders. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

Israel Takes Steps to Pave the Way for Talks 

Despite persistent Palestinian rejectionism, Israel has offered important political and economic 

incentives to Abbas to return to talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has 

repeatedly called for direct negotiations and has remained committed to a two-state solution. 

Israel also signed a significant new tax agreement aimed at increasing the PA’s revenue from 

tax collection to help bolster the PA’s finances. Israel pressed the International Monetary Fund 

(IMF) to provide a $1 billion loan to support the PA budget. Despite Israel’s efforts, the IMF 

rejected the loan request. 

Additionally, Israel issued 5,000 additional permits for Palestinians to take jobs in Israel’s 

construction sector, consenting to the construction of four power substations in the West Bank 

and allowing more than one million Palestinians from the West Bank into Israel during Ramadan. 

Rather than reciprocate these moves with goodwill gestures of their own, the Palestinians have 

chosen to take such harmful unilateral steps as seeking an upgraded status at the United Nations 

while refusing to negotiate with Israel. As a result, Israel is currently reexamining its economic 

policies toward the Palestinians until their long-term intentions become clear. 

Hamas and Fatah Unity Efforts 

Amid this complicated backdrop, Fatah and Hamas have pursued on-again, off-again 

reconciliation talks. Hamas’s acceptance of the Quartet principles must remain the central 

requirement for U.S. acceptance of the legitimacy of a government emerging from any potential 

unity deal. Indications that Hamas and other terrorist groups such as Islamic Jihad could 

possibly join the PLO to further reconciliation efforts also raise concerns about the future 

commitment of the organization—which represents the Palestinian people in the territories and 

beyond—to peaceful talks with Israel. 

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PEACE PROCESS 

What Congress Has Done to Support the PA and 

Isolate Hamas 

Prevented Funding for Any Hamas-Led Government. Congress has provided significant 

funding to the Palestinians since 1993, the beginning of the Oslo peace process. 

The Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 remains one of the strongest displays of 

congressional action to ensure that aid does not go to Hamas or to a government 

in which Hamas participates. The law strengthens the ban on direct U.S. aid to the 

Palestinians—unless the president certifies that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is not 

controlled by a terrorist organization—while permitting humanitarian assistance 

through non-governmental organizations to continue. In 2006, the House and 

Senate overwhelmingly passed resolutions that reaffirm the 2006 law and call on the 

administration to suspend U.S. aid if Hamas does not meet the Quartet requirements. 

The 2012 foreign aid bill approved by Congress broadens prior congressional 

prohibitions on any aid to a Palestinian unity government with Hamas to include 

“any power-sharing government of which Hamas is a member or that results from an 

agreement with Hamas and over which Hamas exercises undue influence.” 

Pressed for Isolating Hamas for Terrorist Activity. Members of Congress have sent letters, 

made floor statements and passed legislation and resolutions warning of the direct threat 

that Hamas’ rejectionism and violence pose to U.S. peace efforts. The United States has 

consistently declared Hamas a terrorist organization and rejected any attempts to engage 

Hamas. Then-President Bill Clinton first designated Hamas a terrorist organization in 

1997, and this policy has been fully supported and strengthened by subsequent U.S. 

administrations and by Congress. 

Called on the United States and EU to Ensure that Hamas Meets Standards for 

Recognition. In 2007, large majorities of the House and Senate sent letters to both the 

Bush administration and to the European Union urging them not to grant any aid or 

recognition to Hamas until it agrees to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept 

previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements. 

Provided Aid to the Palestinian Authority. In an effort to support the Palestinian 

Authority in combating terrorism and pursuing peace efforts with Israel, 

Congress since the mid-1990s has committed more than $4 billion in assistance 

to the Palestinians. 

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SYRIA-LEBANON 

Syria and the terrorist group Hizballah—which 

continues to dominate Lebanon—threaten Israel 

and are undermining U.S. interests in the region.

SYRIA-LEBANON 

Syria and Lebanon—Key Principles 

INCREASE INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE ON SYRIA: The United States and the broader 

international community should impose the toughest possible sanctions on the 

Syrian regime to help bring about a new government that will not kill its own 

citizens or support terrorism. 

OUTLINE KEY CRITERIA FOR NORMALIZATION WITH DAMASCUS: The United States 

should support key criteria for any normalization in U.S.-Syria relations, including 

that any Syrian transitional government adopt a formal non-aggression policy with 

all neighbors, renounce terrorism, dismantle chemical weapons facilities and accept 

their removal, and permit regular international inspections. 

CONDITION AID TO LEBANON: With Hizballah dominating the government in 

Lebanon, U.S. funding to the Lebanese Armed Forces should be reevaluated. 

Congress should scrutinize any proposed assistance to ensure that it would not 

enhance Hizballah’s control, support attacks on Israel, or perpetuate Syrian or 

Iranian influence in Lebanon. 

DISARM HIZBALLAH: The United States must urge strict United Nations 

enforcement of U.N. Security Council resolutions intended to disarm Hizballah. 

COMBAT HIZBALLAH TERRORISM: The United States must continue to counter 

Hizballah’s terrorist capabilities. Hizballah has killed more Americans than any 

terrorist group except al-Qaeda. 

SUPPORT SPECIAL TRIBUNAL IN LEBANON: The United States should continue to 

back the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is opposed by Hizballah and Syria, 

and assist it to successfully prosecute those who assassinated former Lebanese 

Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. 

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SYRIA-LEBANON 

Syria: Undermining Peace 

and Stability 

The Assad regime’s oppression, torture and mass killing of the Syrian people, 

support of terrorism, cooperation with Iran, and interference in Lebanon 

undermine U.S. interests in the region. 

KEY POINTS 

• Syria’s government is brutally persecuting its own people, killing more than 60,000, creating 

more than 500,000 refugees, and wounding tens of thousands since March 2011. 

• The Syrian regime has the largest stockpile of chemical and biological weapons in the Middle 

East. U.S. and Israeli officials are increasingly concerned that they could fall into the hands of 

terrorists if the regime falls. 

• The Assad regime has supported Hizballah and has helped supply the terorrist group with 

increasingly sophisticated rockets and missiles that threaten Israel. 

• Though its support for Hizballah, and frequent use of assassinations of Lebanese opposition 

leaders, the Syrian regime continues to threaten and intimidate the government of Lebanon. 


Congress should continue to press for the expansion of sanctions against the Syrian government 

to pressure Damascus to stop the killing of its own people and its other destabilizing policies, 

including its alliance with Hizballah and Iran. Congress should ensure that the United States 

works with Israel and other international partners to prevent Syria’s chemical and biological 

weapons from falling into the hands of anti-Western terrorist groups. 

Congress can also press for a full investigation into the Syrian nuclear program, which violates 

Syria’s obligations as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. 

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SYRIA-LEBANON 

The Syrian Regime Has Long Used Violence as a Tool 

The violence of the Syrian regime extends both inside and outside the country. Syria has been 

a charter member of the U.S. list of designated State Sponsors of Terrorism since the list’s 

inception in 1979. Since March 2011, the regime has killed more than 60,000 citizens and jailed 

and tortured countless more. The Assad regime has provided financial, political and diplomatic 

support to numerous terrorist groups, including Hizballah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad 

and Iraqi insurgents. Syria’s continued support of terrorism undermines U.S.-led peace efforts in 

the region. 

Assad Government Brutally Suppresses Democratic Protests 

Since protests began in the middle of March 2011, Assad’s security forces have slaughtered more 

than 60,000 civilians and have overrun protester strongholds. Thousands have been jailed and 

tortured without due process. Activists report that more than 40,000 people remain missing, 

likely detained as part of the crackdown. Syrian President Bashar Assad also unleashed regime 

sponsored gangs—known locally as “sahbiha,” or ghosts—to terrorize the public, and Syrian state 

media have encouraged its supporters to attack the U.S. and French embassies in Damascus. 

The Syrian regime has brutally suppressed demonstrators calling for a new government. 

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SYRIA-LEBANON 

In August 2011, President Obama called for Assad to step down, and condemned the regime’s 

“outrageous use of violence” and decision to “compound the already oppressive security 

measures” in place prior to the outbreak of protests with even greater “force and outrageous 

human rights abuses.” The United States has also announced sanctions against scores of regime 

figures, including Assad’s brother, Maher Assad, his cousin Atif Najib, and the director of Syria’s 

intelligence agency, Ali Mamluk. The United States also sanctioned the Syrian intelligence agency 

and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for providing support to the regime’s efforts to 

suppress protests. 

The Syrian regime’s war against its own people has created a mass exodus of perhaps half a 

million Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. An estimated 1.5 million Syrians 

are internally displaced, with their homes and whole communities destroyed. During the past 

year, after widespread peaceful protests were set upon by regime armed forces, a desperate 

armed insurgency has grown into a “Free Syrian Army,” recognized as a serious fighting 

force that has gained ground steadily since July 2012. A new FSA command structure was 

organized in December 2012 and a new umbrella Syrian National Coalition of opposition 

groups was officially recognized by the United States, France, Britain, and the Arab League as 

the “legitimate representative of the Syrian People.” It remains to be seen if this new apparatus 

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has helped Syrian President Bashar Assad wage war against the Syrian people. 

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SYRIA-LEBANON 

can consolidate the many competing interests in a post-Assad Syria and ensure that Syria’s 

chemical and biological weapons do not fall into the hands of anti-Western terrorist groups now 

operating in the war-torn country. 

Syria Has Supported Terrorists Opposed to the United States 

For decades, Syria’s government maintained safe havens for numerous Palestinian terrorist 

groups. Frequent Syrian promises—most notably in April 2003 to Secretary of State Colin 

Powell—to close the Damascus offices of these groups were not fulfilled. With the Alawitedominated 

Syrian regime targeting the majority Sunni population, the leaders of Sunni terrorist 

groups such as Hamas moved their 

headquarters to other countries. 

Hizballah’s Massive Arsenal 

in Lebanon 

In the aftermath of the 2006 war between 

Hizballah and Israel, Syria played a 

key role in helping Hizballah to rearm, 

in violation of U.N. Security Council 

resolutions. Syria is both a transit 

route for Iranian weapons shipments to 

Hizballah and a key supplier of advanced 

weapons to the terrorist group. Syria has 

provided its most advanced, long-range 

guided rockets to Hizballah. Pentagon 

officials believe that the regime has 

transferred at least 10 Scud-D missiles 

to Hizballah. These ballistic missiles 

are capable of targeting all of Israel and 

represent a significant advancement in 

the terrorist group’s military capabilities. 

The fact that Bashar Assad is willing to 

provide Hizballah with such weapons— 

something his father, President Hafez 

Assad, never did—demonstrates his 

The Syrian regime has brutally suppressed and 

murdered tens of thousands of its own people. 

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SYRIA-LEBANON 

reckless disregard for regional stability and the depth of the relationship between these terrorists 

and Damascus. 

SYRIA-BACKED TERRORISTS ATTACKED U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ 

Syria took a leading role in facilitating—both financially and logistically—the transit of foreign 

fighters into Iraq. Although there had been a decrease in the number of foreign fighters during 

the last two years before U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi officials maintained 

that Syria continued to allow terrorists to cross into Iraq to carry out major attacks against 

Iraqi civilians and American troops. 

SYRIA CONTINUES TO INTERFERE IN LEBANON 

Syria has long played the unwelcome role of a power-broker in Lebanon, and its new 

crisis further undermines the independence and sovereignty of Beirut. In addition, Syrian 

interference has forced pro-Western Lebanese officials to accede to Hizballah’s political 

demands and has allowed the terrorist group to expand its influence. 

The Syrian population continues to face brutal repression at the hands of the Assad regime. 

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SYRIA-LEBANON 

ASSAD REJECTED U.S. OUTREACH EFFORTS 

As part of the Obama administration’s emphasis on engagement, U.S. policy toward Syria 

during the early part of the president’s first term focused on a renewed effort to encourage 

Damascus to distance itself from Iran and become a more productive regional actor. In 2010, 

five years after the United States withdrew its ambassador following the assassination of 

Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the Obama administration announced its nomination 

of career Foreign Service officer Robert Ford as the ambassador to Syria. Following attacks 

both on the U.S. Embassy in Damascus and on Ambassador Ford personally, he was 

confirmed by the Senate in October 2011, mere days before he had to return to Washington 

for what the U.S. State Department called “credible threats to his personal safety.” 

In addition to Ford’s appointment as ambassador, senior U.S. officials have taken more than 

a dozen trips to Damascus during the past several years in efforts to communicate U.S. goals 

to the Syrian leadership and press the regime to end its destabilizing behavior. This outreach 

culminated in a meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Syrian Foreign Minister 

Walid Mouallem in September 2010. 

Syrian Preconditions Have Derailed Talks with Israel 

During the Oslo era of the 1990s, Israel and Syria engaged in U.S.-sponsored talks culminating 

with the January 2000 meeting between then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and then-Syrian 

President Hafez al-Assad. Although the parties appeared close to finalizing an agreement, a deal 

could not be reached. Assad died six months later, and his son Bashar al-Assad assumed the 

presidency. Since that time, Syria and Israel have negotiated on and off through third parties. 

In 2007 and 2008, Turkey facilitated indirect negotiations between the two nations. However, 

following Israel’s defensive operations in Gaza at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, 

Syria suspended peace talks with Israel. Subsequently, Syria imposed a precondition before 

it would resume any peace talks: an Israeli commitment to a full withdrawal from the Golan 

Heights to what Syria views as the pre-June 1967 borders. Syrian leaders also had stated that 

Damascus will continue to support terrorist groups and have close relations with Iran even if it 

reaches a peace agreement with Israel. 

With Assad launching his brutal campaign against his own people, peace talks are obviously 

moribund. Israeli leaders have said that the Middle East will be better off without Assad in 

power and predicted his eventual removal from the presidency. 

162

ISRAEL’S NORTHERN BORDER 

Beirut 

58 mi. 

LEBANON 


Litani River 

Tyre 

Sheba Farms 

Metulla 

Qiryat Shemona 

28 mi. 

ISRAEL 

GOLAN 

HEIGHTS 

Haifa 

Tiberias 

Sea of Galilee 

Nazareth 

Jenin 

Netanya 

WEST BANK 

Tulkarm 

JORDAN 

BEKAA 

VALLEY 

Damascus 

SYRIA 

SCALE 

0 

10 mi. 



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SYRIA-LEBANON 

What Congress Has Done to Change Syrian Behavior 

Passed Tough Sanctions on Damascus for Interfering in Lebanon and Pursuing Weapons 

of Mass Destruction. In December 2003, Congress passed the Syria Accountability and 

Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, imposing diplomatic and economic sanctions 

on Syria for violating Lebanese sovereignty, for backing terrorist groups in Iraq and 

for maintaining weapons of mass destruction programs. The new sanctions included 

prohibiting the export of American products to Syria and barring American businesses 

from investing or operating in Syria. Syria had already been banned from receiving U.S. 

foreign aid or military goods because of its addition to the State Sponsors of Terrorism 

list in 1979. 

Backed Sanctions on Syria for Its Continued Pursuit of Weapons of Mass Destruction. 

In 2005, Congress expanded the Iran Non-Proliferation Act to authorize sanctions 

against entities that support Syria’s efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction. 

Syria maintains the largest stockpile of chemical weapons in the region and has 

conducted research into various biological weapons. An investigation by the 

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provides strong evidence that Syria also 

has been pursuing nuclear weapons. 

Condemned Syrian Interference in Lebanon. In October 2007, the House and Senate 

overwhelmingly passed resolutions that reaffirm U.S. support for a democratic Lebanon 

and condemn Syria’s continued support of terrorist groups that undermine Lebanese 

stability and sovereignty. 

Pressed Administration to Impose Tougher Sanctions on Regime for Killing its Own 

People. A bipartisan group of 68 senators and 237 members of the House sent letters 

to President Obama in August 2011 urging the administration to take a tougher 

stance against Syria and to fully enforce the Syria Accountability and Lebanese 

Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003. The letter called for a ban on U.S. businesses 

operating or investing in Syria, restrictions on travel by Syrian diplomats in the 

United States, and blocking transactions of property in which the Syrian regime has 

an interest. 

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Hizballah: Amassing Arms and Power 

Hizballah is a heavily armed terrorist organization with global reach that in 

many ways dominates and paralyzes Lebanon’s government. Supported by 

Iran and Syria, Hizballah poses a direct threat to American national security 

interests and to Israel. 

KEY POINTS 

• U.S. officials describe Hizballah as the most technically capable terrorist organization 

in the region. Headquartered in Lebanon, Hizballah targets U.S. allies and interests in the 

Middle East and across the world. 

• Hizballah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, has killed more Americans than any 

terrorist group other than al-Qaeda. 

• Hizballah acts as a proxy for Iran and was founded as an organization dedicated 

to Israel’s “obliteration,” and has aided and abetted the killing of rebel forces in Syria. 

• Hizballah’s Iranian- and Syrian-supplied arsenal of more than 60,000 short- and 

long-range rockets threatens all Israeli population centers. 

• Hizballah has aided and abetted the killing of rebel forces in Syria. 

• Hizballah’s refusal to disarm and its expanded influence over the Lebanese 

government threaten regional stability. 


During deliberations on foreign aid legislation, Congress has played an important oversight 

role in helping to ensure the proper use of U.S. assistance by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). 

With Hizballah and its allies now largely dominating the Lebanese government, Congress should 

scrutinize any proposed assistance to ensure that it would not enhance Hizballah’s control, 

support attacks on Israel, or perpetuate Syrian or Iranian influence in Lebanon. 

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SYRIA-LEBANON 

Hizballah Serves as Iran’s Proxy Along Israel’s Border 

A half-decade after the end of the 2006 war between Israel and Hizballah, the terrorist group has 

rebounded. With the support of Iran and Syria, Hizballah flagrantly violates U.N. Security Council 

Resolution 1701, which established a cease-fire and called for Hizballah’s disarmament. Instead, 

Hizballah has amassed a stockpile of more than 60,000 rockets and mortars, including hundreds of 

advanced guided rockets capable of hitting all of Israel. U.S. officials, including former Secretary of 

Defense Robert Gates, have said that Hizballah’s military capabilities now dwarf those of many nations. 

As the leading state sponsor of terrorism, Iran utilizes Hizballah to export its revolutionary ideology 

and promote terrorism. Together, Iran and Hizballah have built alliances with narcotics traffickers 

in Latin America and terrorist groups throughout the Middle East, including Iraqi insurgents who 

regularly attacked U.S. forces when they were in Iraq. 

By providing sophisticated weapons to Hizballah in the aftermath of the 2006 war, Iran has 

blatantly violated numerous Security Council resolutions, including U.N. Security Council 

Resolution 1747, which forbids Iran from exporting or trading weapons. The Islamic Revolutionary 

Guards Corps (IRGC)—itself a designated terrorist organization—provides Hizballah with training, 

weapons and millions of dollars each year. 

Syria Helps Hizballah Advance Military Capabilities 

Syria serves as a transit point for Iranian weapons and provides its own military and technical support 

to Hizballah. In the view of American and Israeli defense officials, Syrian-Hizballah ties have advanced 

during the past five years to the point that the Syrian leadership views Hizballah as an extension of its 

own military. Syria has provided top-shelf weapons systems such as M600 missiles and late-generation 

Scud missiles from its own arsenal to the terrorist group. Both missiles have a range of 150 to 250 

miles and can target Israel’s main population centers. Top Israeli and American officials have accused 

Syria of transferring approximately 100 M600s and at least 10 Scud-D missiles to the terrorist group, 

according to a WikiLeaks report picked up by The New York Times in December 2010. The transfer 

constitutes a destabilizing escalation by the Assad regime. 

Hizballah Aids Syrian Repression of Its People 

As the civil war in Syria raged throughout 2012, Hizballah was cited by Syrian rebels as playing 

an increasing role in helping the regime. Syrian rebels reported Hizballah sniper teams operating in 

Damascus, Hama and Homs, and often assisting the “shabiha” regime gangs that terrorize towns and 

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cities with house-to-house raids and civilian massacres. 

In October 2012, Hizballah officials admitted openly 

that Hizballah had operatives in Syria. In December, 

senior Syrian defectors to the opposition reported that 

Hizballah operatives had been trained to deploy Syrian 

chemical weapons. These developments reflect the 

strong support that Hizballah’s leaders have expressed 

for the Syrian regime over a period of years. 

Growing Hizballah Power 

Undermines Lebanese Stability 

Following Lebanon’s 2005 Cedar Revolution, 

which ended Syria’s 30-year occupation of Lebanon, the United States became one of Lebanon’s 

largest donors. Since 2006, America has provided the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) with more 

than $800 million in security assistance. 

Despite this effort to build Lebanese institutions independent of Hizballah, the terrorist group has greatly 

strengthened its political power. In May 2008, Hizballah launched attacks on civilian neighborhoods in 

Beirut, placing the country on the brink of civil war. Weeks later, the pro-Western March 14th movement 

and Hizballah reached a temporary agreement granting Hizballah increased leverage in the cabinet. The 

following year, Hizballah suffered an electoral setback in parliamentary elections. 

However, the pro-Western majority was unable to actualize its electoral success in the formation 

of a new government. Instead, it was forced to form a unity government with the Hizballah-led 

opposition, which was able to block any legislation of consequence. Hizballah used its position to 

defend the assassins of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. In January 2011, Hizballah 

forced the government to collapse over the U.N.’s efforts to bring to justice Hizballah members who 

had played a role in the Hariri slaying. Hizballah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah pledged to 

“cut off the hand” of anyone attempting to enforce indictments against Hizballah officials. 

Hizballah exploited its political power to install the pro-Syrian Najib Mikati as Lebanon’s prime minister, 

leading the U.S. to temporarily suspend the provision of any lethal equipment to the Lebanese Armed 

Forces. The Hizballah-backed government remains politically paralyzed in the shadow of the Syrian 

uprising and the uncertainty of President Bashar Assad’s rule. 

Hizballah, which has consolidated political power in 

Lebanon, serves as Iran’s proxy in the unstable country. 

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SYRIA-LEBANON 

What Congress Has Done to Isolate Hizballah 

Urged the EU to Designate Hizballah as a Terrorist Group. In March 2005, the House 

and Senate passed resolutions urging the European Union (EU) to designate Hizballah 

as a terrorist organization. A decade earlier, the United States had designated the group 

as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Congress urged the EU to prohibit the funding of 

Hizballah and recognize the organization as a threat to global security. While individual 

countries have taken steps to ban Hizballah’s fundraising activities, the EU as a body has 

not sanctioned Hizballah. 

Called for the Designation of Al-Manar as a Terrorist Organization. A July 2005 letter 

signed by 51 senators urged the Bush administration to place Al-Manar on the 

Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity (SDGT) list. Al- 

Manar is the official television station of Hizballah and has a history of broadcasting 

anti-Israel, anti-Semitic and anti-American material. The administration sanctioned 

Al-Manar the following year. 

Condemned Hizballah and Reaffirmed Israel’s Right to Self-Defense. During the 2006 

war between Israel and Hizballah, the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed 

resolutions reaffirming Israel’s right to self-defense against Hizballah’s unprovoked 

attacks. The resolutions also condemned Syria and Iran for supporting Hizballah. 

Provided Economic and Military Assistance to Lebanon. In the aftermath of the 2006 

war between Hizballah and Israel, Congress dramatically increased aid to the 

Lebanese army as a way to help build a national institution after years of Syrian 

domination and to counter Hizballah’s growing influence. Since 2007, the United 

States has provided more than $1.3 billion in aid to Lebanon, including more than 

$700 million in security assistance. As part of the appropriations and authorization 

process, Congress has provided important oversight for this military assistance, 

requiring the secretary of state to offer a detailed spending plan prior to the provision 

of aid. 

In light of Hizballah’s expanded influence over the Lebanese government, however, the 

fiscal year 2012 foreign aid bill does not provide a specific amount for security assistance 

to Lebanon and new language restricts any funds from going to the Lebanese Armed 

Forces (LAF) if it is controlled by a foreign terrorist organization. 

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