Israel

Personal Statement

I grew up in Newton, MA, the grandson on both sides of people with a powerful understanding of both the danger Jews face in the world, and the need for a Jewish state.

My mother’s grandparents fled pogroms in Ukraine. My father’s family faced no such danger but had a longstanding focus on democracy and stability in foreign affairs. My great grandfather on that side played a pivotal role in the Marshall Plan. My own Jewish community in Newton, where I was Bar-Mitzvahed, reinforced my pride in my heritage and in Eretz Yisrael.

This history and pride came alive for me the summer after my freshman year in college, when I travelled to Israel with a high school friend and her father, a sabra. Amos Nir grew up on a kibbutz in the south and took us all around Israel. We visited his kibbutz, Tel Aviv, and of course, Jerusalem. I saw firsthand the amazingly successful State my people rebuilt after 2,000 years of exile.

I served 4 1⁄2 years in the Marines, leading platoons in the desert of Afghanistan and the jungles of Panama. I’ve seen, up close, the need for stable guideposts and consistent leadership in volatile parts of the globe. And I learned from experience just how important it is for a strong, reliable ally to have your back. That is the kind of alliance the US and Israel have enjoyed for decades, and one that I am committed to protecting and deepening.

Because of my military service, I speak with conviction and credibility on the United States’ need for a stable, democratic partner in the Middle East, and I often do, even as a City Councilor in Newton. I have long-standing relationships with pillars of the pro-Israel community in my area and have joined efforts to combat anti-Semitism, in particular after the horrific shootings at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue.

While my experiences are in an entirely different category than those of our people in Pittsburgh, I’ve felt the sting of antisemitism personally. While serving in the military, I heard frequent expressions of bigotry by people who used the word “Jew” as a pejorative. I never let it pass, and more than once that led to serious confrontations with fellow Marines. Having experienced what, in historical context, is a mild form of anti-Semitism, I know that the seedbed from which more vicious forms may grow is widely dispersed and I understand the importance of remaining vigilant.

Protecting Israel

America’s alliance with Israel is based on shared values and shared interests.

Israel shares our commitment to free and fair elections, individual rights, free speech, a free press, and an independent judiciary. While like every other country, Israel does not always live up to its highest ideals, it remains committed to democratic values despite decades of war and terrorism.

Those shared values alone would constitute a powerful basis for our alliance with Israel, but there is a second vitally important foundation for the relationship. A democratic partner with a strong military and aligned long-term goals in such a volatile region is in the strategic interests of America. America has vital interests in the region – for example, keeping nuclear arms out of the hands of bad actors and preventing failed states from harboring terrorists. A strong Israel that serves as America’s most staunch ally, that supports her moderate neighbors, that shares critical intelligence, and that deters war in the region is vital to our ability to manage the fallout from a failing Middle East.

Moreover, Israel is an economic powerhouse, with a booming tech sector. Having worked in this field, particularly cybersecurity, since returning from my tours in the Marines, I know how much of the cybersecurity ecosystem originated in whole, or in part, in Israel. Many other sectors, like clean energy and carbon mitigation, biomedical innovation, health technology, and communications are making rapid advances in Israel. Massachusetts has an especially tight economic symbiosis with Israel, which helps both economies. Israel’s human capital and knowledge creation engine is unrivaled in the region and top tier in the globe. It’s in America’s and Massachusetts’ economic interest to keep the Israeli economic engine humming.

United States Aid to the Middle East

Having served in both the Middle East and in Central America, I wholeheartedly favor a strong US foreign aid effort. I know it has high impact outcomes. US aid – including military aid – to Israel, Egypt, Jordan and even the Palestinian Authority, increases stability in the region, and signals our enduring partnership. I support providing aid to the Palestinian Authority and UN agencies that serve the Palestinians, insofar as these funds encourage cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian security officials in the West Bank and meet critical humanitarian needs, and are not directed towards violence.

I saw firsthand that armies can’t build nations. But nations can build themselves and strengthen civic institutions, if they have the support they need from the US and other allies.

In Congress, I will strongly support the $3.8 billion dollars in annual military aid to Israel called for in the US Israel Memorandum of Understanding, an agreement negotiated and signed by the Obama Administration.

I will work to ensure that Israel has the defensive weapons it needs to prevent missile attacks and that it retains a qualitative military edge over its potential adversaries. In contrast to America’s other allies, Israel defends herself by herself, not asking for US troops to fight her battles.

I will also work to encourage a broad array of cooperation with Israel in intelligence as well as in science and technology.

Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Nevertheless, as even President Trump declared when he followed US law in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, “The United States continues to take no position on any final status issues. The specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final status negotiations between the parties.”

Palestinians have rights that must be respected in Jerusalem as well. The capital for a Palestinian state is a final-status determination, but I envision a 3 two-state solution that has a shared capital for Israel and a future Palestinian state, with security controls to protect both peoples.

Peace Process

I favor a two-state solution but recognize that such a solution must be negotiated between the parties and cannot be imposed by outsiders. It must result in a viable state for the Palestinians and security for Israelis.

I also know the history. I know that Israel has offered to create a Palestinian state and those offers were, unfortunately, rejected by Palestinian leaders.

Two other facts are also evident. First, the current Israeli government has been at best ambivalent about a two-state solution. I hope Israel’s recent elections and its new government will bring an end to that ambivalence.

Second, while outsiders cannot impose a solution, an active US role in promoting a peace process and a two-state solution is vital. While previous Administrations of both parties have worked hard to bring the sides together and to agreement, the Trump Administration has failed to take that tack, and has even encouraged the unilateral actions of the Israeli government, such as legitimizing settlement expansion. I oppose settlement expansion activities in the West Bank, which obstruct the path towards a two-state solution.

Iran and Other Threats in the Region

Iran‘s government and its proxies constitute a serious threat to the United States, and to Israel. Hezbollah, armed with tens of thousands of guided missiles, presents a real and immediate danger to Israel. Hamas has already fired over 15,000 less sophisticated rockets at Israel, exacting a significant toll.

Israel has a right and duty to defend itself against these threats and to prevent Iran from transferring advanced weaponry to its proxies.

President Trump’s abandonment of the Kurds has strengthened the hands of Iran and Hezbollah, as well as of Russia and Syrian dictator Assad, while also increasing the chances of a reconstituted ISIS inflaming tensions and terrorizing the region again.

Iran must not be permitted to obtain nuclear weapons. That has been US policy under both parties. I publicly supported the JCPOA, and President Trump should not have abandoned it without a strategy and a commitment to forge a better agreement. As a result of his withdrawal, Iran has broken through a number of caps.

By the time a new Congress is seated, we will be less than two years away from the sunsetting of key provisions. Therefore, simply re-entering the old JCPOA may not be feasible, but the US ought to prioritize diplomacy aimed at achieving an agreement with Iran.

BDS

While the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) works hard to appear benign, its objectives are clear: delegitimizing, demonizing and destroying the State of Israel. More than 90% of House Democrats properly joined in condemning this effort, without running afoul of our sacrosanct First Amendment. I support the House resolution.

Summary

Israel is our sole stable, democratic ally in the Middle East. It is the state of the Jewish people for perpetuity and must remain a democracy. My military experience gives me a unique perspective on the challenges involved in protecting Israel. In Congress, I will work tirelessly to protect and defend the interests of the United States and Israel, which include working to achieve a two-state solution to the conflict.