53 Congressmen Visit Israel During August Break

Breitbart – by Deborah Danan

TEL AVIV – Fifty-three members of the U.S. House of Representatives are spending August break in Israel on a trip sponsored by the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF).

The groups are comprised primarily of freshman members, according to a statement by the organization, which is an independent non-profit funded by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).  

The delegation is being lead by House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Democratic Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with 18 Democratic members of Congress in Jerusalem and will meet with Republican lawmakers on Wednesday.

“The goal of the trips for both the Democratic and Republican groups is to provide members with first-hand knowledge of the U.S.-Israel relationship and critical issues facing American policymakers in the Middle East,” AIEF said. “Topics include regional strategic threats and how recent events may impact the future in the region.”

Lawmakers will meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, military officials, academics, journalists, and ordinary citizens.

They will also visit sites of historic and strategic relevance, as well as touring the borders Israel shares with Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2017/08/08/53-congressional-reps-on-visit-to-israel/

12 thoughts on “53 Congressmen Visit Israel During August Break

  1. I have to say, I’m encouraged with the level of awareness displayed by many folks in the comments under this story at Breitbart. Even there, on a mainstream “conservative” site, a surprising number of people seem to understand the level of foreign Zionist influence over US politicians.

    Of course we also see the usual hasbara activists there, but they have little ammunition for the debate other than childish personal attacks and the usual crap about how anyone who opposes Israeli control of the US government must support radical Islam. These are tactics of desperation, and few seem to be swayed by them anymore.

    I’m becoming more optimistic that Americans are waking up to Zionist control. I don’t recall seeing this level of awareness 15 years ago. Eventually it will reach a critical mass.

  2. More than a dozen Latino leaders from the Southwest US have just returned from a trip to Israel intended to deepen their “understanding of the country and its relationship with the U.S, while building ‘a partnership’ with the Jewish community.” …………Isn’t this just Dandy?
    ………………….The jews don’t want 2020 to be like 2016…………………..

    https://israelpalestinenews.org/53-congressional-reps-a-dozen-latino-leaders-political-operatives-on-all-expense-paid-trips-to-israel/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=c824af1e-7065-4328-a00b-20ae8ee6e076

  3. “As a Latina leader in the Bryan community, this is important for me,” Vasquez said, speaking to The Eagle by telephone from Israel. “I believe it’s going to be a transformative experience, to continue to learn the bonds that tie Israel and the relationship with the USA.”

    Vasquez, who teaches state and federal government courses part-time, is participating in the one-week gathering of community leaders and political activists sponsored by the American Israel Education Foundation, or AIEF.

    She said she thinks the foundation’s emphasis on Southwest Latino leaders is because they know what the future is, since “the future of America includes Latino leadership” at local, state and federal levels.

    “AIPAC gets around restrictions on privately paid travel by using the educational arm, an arrangement government watchdogs have criticized.”

    “A decade ago, the House banned groups from paying for extended trips as part of the fallout from the scandal over lobbyist Jack Abramoff. But a loophole allowed educational foundations to pick up the tab. The Israel trips are estimated at $10,000 per person.

    “Members of Congress feel indebted to someone who provides them with a week’s long vacation. It’s lobbying and it’s more effective than direct lobbying on Capitol Hill,” Craig Holman of the watchdog group Public Citizen, who helped draft the 2007 laws, told the Tampa Bay Times in 2013.

    He said the loophole has been steadily abused and privately-paid travel is back to pre-reform levels.

    “This is not what lobbying should be about,” Holman said. “It should be about providing information and expertise so lawmakers can make better decisions, not trying to buy their favors with gifts and travel junkets.”

  4. Read about Cynthia McKinney (D) 4th District Georgia how she refused to take ” the pledge” to AIPAC and therefore lost her re-election funding or actually watch on you tube. Remember most importantly her successor was and is Hank Johnson (D) who actually stated during a House Armed Services Committee Meeting back in March of 2010 that putting 8000 U.S. soldiers on the island of Guam would cause it to flip over and capsize. He’s the guy that replaced Cynthia!

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