In the waning days of the Obama administration, Democrats have been doing everything they can to undermine our alliance with Israel. However, with the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump looming, and the Republican majority in congress secured, that might be about to change.
President-elect Trump has promised since the beginning of his campaign to strengthen our alliance with Israel. Trump has vowed to protect them from not just their neighbors, but from the UN as well. That promise is off to a good start, as Trump has already had dialogue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even going to far as to extend him an invitation to the inauguration.
Shortly after winning the election, Trump outlined some of his ideas to show his support for the Jewish State. One of the first things Trump promised to do is move our embassy from Tel Aviv to the capital of Israel, Jerusalem. Of course, that sparked predictable outrage from liberals who are more concerned about kowtowing to terrorists than acting in the interests of a loyal ally.
Unfortunately for liberals, their policies were rejected by the American people in the 2016 election. Not only did they lose the White House, they failed to take control of the House and Senate. And now that the new Senate is in session, Republicans are already going to work on Trump’s agenda.
In support of Israel, Senator Ted Cruz has introduced legislation that would force the State Department to move the embassy to Jerusalem. From The Dallas Morning News:
Sen. Ted Cruz and two fellow Republicans are pressing the State Department to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Congress passed legislation in 1995 that called for moving the embassy to Jerusalem, but Democratic and Republican administrations alike have declined to enact the change, citing security concerns. The latest measure, introduced Tuesday as the new Congress convened, would withhold funding from the State Department until it makes the move.“Jerusalem is the eternal and undivided capital of Israel,” Cruz said in a written statement. “Unfortunately, the Obama administration’s vendetta against the Jewish state has been so vicious that to even utter this simple truth — let alone the reality that Jerusalem is the appropriate venue for the American embassy in Israel — is shocking in some circles.
“But it is finally time to cut through the double-speak and broken promises and do what Congress said we should do in 1995: formally move our embassy to the capital of our great ally Israel.”
Not only is this legislation a step in the right direction for our relations with Israel, it shows Republicans are coming together under Trump’s ideas to make our country strong again. In addition to Cruz, former primary adversary Senator Marco Rubio is co-sponsoring the legislation.
President-elect Trump’s pick for ambassador to Israel, David Freidman, has also shown support for the move, demonstrating that Republicans seem to be marching in lock step on the issue. After a disastrous 8 years under Obama, President-elect Trump looks poised to strengthen our commitment to our vital security partner.
[Note: This post was authored by Michael Lee. Follow him on Twitter @UAMichaelLee]
