Republicans sign letter backing Israel’s right to set its own borders
Image by Getty Images
By Ron Kampeas June 23, 2020
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Top Republicans spearheaded a letter backing Israel’s right to determine its borders at a time that Democrats are pressing Israel not to annex parts of the West Bank.
“We write to reaffirm the unshakeable alliance between the United States and Israel, to emphasize that Israel has the right to make sovereign decisions independent of outside pressure, and to express our support for you as you make such decisions in your capacity as Israel’s democratically-elected prime minister,” said the letter sent Monday to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “As dedicated friends of the Jewish state, we reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the relationship between our two nations and Israel’s right to sovereignty and defensible borders.”
The letter, shared with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, was spearheaded by the first, second, and third-ranked Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives: Kevin McCarthy, Calif., Steve Scalise, La., and Liz Cheney, Wyo., respectively. Also taking a lead in gathering signatures for the letter were the two Jewish members of the caucus: Lee Zeldin of New York and David Kustoff of Tennessee.
It has garnered 116 signatures out of 198 Republicans in the House. The Republican Jewish Coalition recently announced that it would lobby for Israel’s right to extend sovereignty to some areas as envisioned in the Trump administration peace plan unveiled earlier this year.
The letter comes as another letter is circulating among Democrats in the House that warn Israel of the perils of annexing parts of the West Bank. That letter so far has garnered 170 signatures, including top pro-Israel leaders like Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader.
The post Republicans sign letter backing Israel’s right to set its own borders appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
