Reps Royce, Engel To Embark on Bipartisan Mission To Israel
U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY), the Committee’s Ranking Member, announced on Saturday they will travel to Israel next week.
Royce and Engel are scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, as well as Palestinian Authority officials.
They are also scheduled to tour an Iron Dome battery. Royce and Engel were very vocal in their defense of Israel over the past two months and played an instrumental role in securing needed funds for Israel’s defense system. Last month, the Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously passed, as amended, the Emergency Iron Dome Replenishment Act (H.R. 5235), which ensured that the Iron Dome system is well-supplied and equipped to handle future threats.
“Ranking Member Engel and I are traveling to Israel to show bipartisan support at a critical time,” Royce said in a statement. “With Iran’s backing, Hamas was able to launch a barrage of rockets on innocent Israelis, reaching further and deeper into the country. Now with a ceasefire in place, we’ll be meeting with senior Israeli leaders as they chart their course forward. We’ll also assess the other threats to Israel – and the United States – including Iran’s nuclear program and the continuing Syrian implosion and its severe humanitarian and security consequences.”
Rep. Engel added, “Chairman Royce and I are making this trip to deliver a clear message: the Congress and the people of the United States stand with Israel. This ceasefire gives us the opportunity to meet with Israeli leaders about next steps to shore up Israel’s security and ensure a lasting stop to the violence. We’ll also consult with our ally about the range of regional conflicts at their doorstep. I look forward to a productive visit.”
http://jpupdates.com/2014/08/30/reps-royce-engel-to-embark-on-bipartisan-mission-to-israel/
