Congressman Rivera Stresses Need to Stand With Israel

Statement

As the House Foreign Affairs Committee met on Wednesday to discuss re-examining aid to the Palestinian Authority, Foreign Affairs Committee Member Congressman Rivera stressed the need to stand with Israel as an ally in the Middle East.

"Since Israel's inception, the Jewish state has shown a commitment to democracy and a respect for human rights and individual freedoms, much like that of our own country," Congressman Rivera said.

"The Middle East is experiencing a more turbulent than usual period and no one is sure as to the future stability of the region. Palestine continues to seek membership in the United Nations as a recognized state, and over the weekend Israel's embassy in Cairo was attacked by protesters while Egyptian authorities stood idly by and did nothing to stop them. Clearly, the threat to Israel is very real."

During today's hearing, Congressman Rivera questioned the panel that welcomed Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, James Phillips, Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at the Heritage Foundation, Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, Vice President of Research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and David Makovsky, Distinguished Fellow and Director of Project on the Middle East Peace Process at the Washington Institute, about the Palestinian Authority's efforts to gain recognition as a state before the United Nations.

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