All Things Israel: Election of Israel’s Prime Minister, Why the United States Gives Money to Israel, & Pres. Trump Designates Israel’s Enemy, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a State Sponsor of Terror
Many historical things have taken place concerning Israel recently, and President Donald Trump has worked hard with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help make sure many of those things take place. America is blessing Israel, and in return we see America being blessed as well!
In a statement from the White House, President Trump underlines his actions of designating Iran’s military, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
“I am formally announcing my Administration’s plan to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including its Qods Force, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft. The IRGC is the Iranian government’s primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign. This designation will be the first time that the United States has ever named a part of another government as an FTO. It underscores the fact that Iran’s actions are fundamentally different from those of other governments. This action will significantly expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime. It makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to, the IRGC. If you are doing business with the IRGC, you will be bankrolling terrorism. This action sends a clear message to Tehran that its support for terrorism has serious consequences. We will continue to increase financial pressure and raise the costs on the Iranian regime for its support of terrorist activity until it abandons its malign and outlaw behavior.”
This is a huge deal for Israel and the world by formally declaring Iran’s military as a terrorist organization. Imagine how the citizens of Israel must feel about America and President Trump and the fact that he has made it clear that America is friends with Israel and that their enemies are our enemies!
Prime Minister Netanyahu quickly responded to President Trump’s designation of this terrorist group with a Tweet stating, “Thank you, my dear friend, President Donald Trump, for deciding to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. Thank you for answering another one of my important requests, which serves the interests of our country and the countries of the region.”
Next, we discuss the recent elections that took place in Israel for the Prime Minister which we now know that Netanyahu won that election but how does an election in Israel work? A reporter from CBN News, John Waage, who is in Israel, walks us through the election process. “Once the results are in, the President of Israel who is really a figurehead kind of a ceremonial leader of the country, invites all the parties who have done well in the election and says to them, ‘Who do you think should be the one to form a government?’ Now that person when that person is chosen, he or she, has 28 days to get a coalition together, if they don’t get it they… can petition for 14 more days…to get a coalition formed. If that doesn’t happen, it goes back to the drawing board. So, it’s going to take weeks to find out…whether the winner can get a coalition together to lead the country.”
Just because one gets elected as the Prime Minister doesn’t mean that they will become the Prime Minister! This is the test of a leader to find out if the person elected can get people together to help him lead the country. What do you think about Israel’s form of government? We want to hear from you!
Prime Minister Netanyahu visited America for AIPAC 2019, and he also spoke with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. In this visit, President Trump and America recognized Israel as sovereign over the Golan Heights! It is just one more historical act between America and Israel during the Trump administration. It is encouraging to hear Prime Minister Netanyahu’s words about President Trump and America.
President Trump remarks first acknowledging that the Golan Heights should have been under Israel’s sovereignty a long time ago. “But today, I think we’re talking about — more than anything else, we’re celebrating the Golan Heights. It’s something that I’ve been hearing about for many years, from many people. I’ve been studying for years. And this should have been done; I would say, numerous Presidents ago. But for some reason, they didn’t do it, and I’m very honored to have done it. So, I just want to say, Bibi, it’s an honor to have you at the Oval Office. Thank you.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu responds. “Thank you. May I say that I’ve been here many, many, many times. I’ve been around. And I’ve met many friends of Israel in this office. But as I said in the other room, just now, in a day of history, we have never had a greater friend than President Trump. And I think there is a unique bond between our countries, between our administrations, between the two of us. There has been no greater bond than that. It serves the interests of Israel in ways that I cannot begin to describe because not everything that the President and I talk about can be shared with the public. And I think that, in many ways, the President knows, and the United States knows that America has no better friend than Israel. We are willing to fight for our common values. We’re willing to fight. You have an ally that is willing to take up arms in defense of liberty, in defense of our land, our people, and our common values. We admire America, and we’re grateful to you. Thank you, Mr. President.”
It is rewarding to see the friendship that America has with Israel! It is completely different than it was in the previous administration and just as Prime Minister Netanyahu has said how great of a friendship America and Israel have, we look at the importance of America supporting Israel by spending money in that country!
PragerU helps answer a question many may ask as to why America spends so much in Israel? U.S. General Chuck Wald helps explain that for us.
“Why do we spend so much money on Israel? Over my decades of military service, as the Deputy Commander of United States European Command and now as a security advisor, I’ve often heard people make this complaint. The truth is we don’t spend enough. We should spend more. And for purely selfish reasons. Every dollar we spend on Israel is a dollar spent, in effect, in our own defense. As a value proposition, it’s all in America’s favor.
“Let me explain, but before I do let me say this: I can easily defend why America supports Israel on moral grounds alone. I’ve been there on numerous occasions. It’s a good and decent country. Given the neighborhood it lives in, I find that both remarkable and admirable. But I will make this argument solely on the basis of America’s security. Our partnership with Israel is unique. Unlike most of our current treaty alliances — say with South Korea — our ties with Jerusalem are not premised on American troops serving as tripwires on Israel’s frontlines. This is because Israel takes care of itself. America, for good reason, remains wary of any further military engagement in the Middle East. And this only strengthens the case for giving Israel the tools it needs to defend its borders.
“Here are three things we can do – again, all in our own self-interest. First, the United States should front load its financial commitment to Israel. We have agreed to provide Israel $38 billion in defense assistance over ten years. That’s a big number, but it’s also a great deal – for America. In addition to giving Israel the financial wherewithal to purchase the weapons it needs, it also benefits the American economy. Under the agreement, Israel must spend these funds on U.S. products. And it’s happy to do so. Without adding a cent to the total, the United States should “front-load” this assistance to reflect the changing strategic situation in the Middle East, specifically the rising danger presented by Iran and its proxies Hezbollah and Hamas. An accelerated timetable would allow Israel to acquire critical capabilities like more F-35 air attack squadrons, more air refueling tankers and more precision munitions. It will need this hardware to defend itself and American interests against these persistent, and growing, threats.
“Second, the United States should enhance our alliance with Israel. It may surprise you to know that the United States does not have a defense treaty with this essential ally – lots of agreements, but no treaty. We should. Why is this so important? Because it will send a loud strategic signal to Israel’s enemies that if you mess with Israel, you mess with us. Israel is not going to ask us for troops. But we should be giving them anything else they need – intelligence, weapons technology, and other vital information. And we know this is a two-way street. Israel gives a lot in return.
“Which leads me to the third point. The United States and Israel should build on their already close collaboration in research and development. Israel is one of the most high-tech economies in the world. American investors understand this. More venture capital is spent per capita in Israel than in any other country. Nine out of the ten largest companies have R&D facilities there. This is in a country of just 8 million people. When we sell them military gear, they adapt it to their own special needs. The American military, in turn, benefits from these innovations, especially in the area of desert warfare. Indeed, President Obama’s Defense Secretary Ashton Carter made this point. “There’s no question that American lives have been saved by Israeli technology.”
“There are many cutting-edge projects we can work on together, such as directed-energy weapons. This new form of cannon emits highly-focused energy to neutralize targets. Such weapons will be needed to counter the spread of cheap, deadly and plentiful mortars and drones from Iran and other bad actors. All this explains why I find it so infuriating to see Americans, especially young Americans, support anti-Israel groups like BDS – Boycott, Divest, Sanction –that want to weaken and destroy Israel. Putting aside the perverse logic of these groups – that we should punish a free and open democracy – it’s self-destructive. Israel is on the front line of terror. They, not us, are within missile range of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas. To the extent these enemies of freedom are held in check, they are held in check by Israel. And, they ask from us not one US soldier – only for military aid, which they spend on American defense products to help defend American interests. We should give them that aid without reservation. Sure, it costs us treasure. But it saves us blood. Our blood. It’s also the right thing to do.”
This is why America is a friend to Israel because it benefits the world! What do you think about this? We want to hear from you! Write to us at Friends@VFNKB.com. Also, don’t forget to order our new book, I Will Fight! You can learn strategies of how to be successful in your life and gain hundreds of wisdom nuggets! You can get it for free, we just ask for shipping and handling, order your copy HERE. Greg and John shared in this segment.
