Omaha, Neb. – Rep. Don Bacon (NE-R) participated in a bipartisan trip to Israel last week where he met with out-going Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, in-coming Prime Minister Yair Lapid, and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also met with The Honorable Mansour Abbas, current leader of the United Arab List and Chairman of the Special Committee on Arab Society Affairs, and the first Arab Israeli leader who has become part of the governing coalition. 

In addition, he traveled to the West Bank where he met the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, Mohammad Shtayyeh. After visiting with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to learn more about the Iron Dome, Bacon and the delegation toured one of the Hezbollah terror tunnels along the Lebanon-Israeli border, that was designed to enable Hezbollah terrorists to penetrate under the border to attack Israeli citizens.

Upon his return, Bacon noted the following key takeaways:

• America’s leadership and partnership are indispensable to the security of Israel, which has multiple enemies who are committed to its destruction.
• Iran’s nuclear program and support for terrorist proxies, such as the Hezbollah and the Hamas, is an existential threat to Israel.
• While there are deep divisions within the Israeli Parliament, their perspective of the United States as the cornerstone of their national security strategy has wide support. There is also wide consensus on the threat of Iran.
• The Abraham Accords has exceeded expectations in results. Trade and tourism have flourished between the Abraham Accord signatories. The common threat of Iran has brought many Arab states together with Israel. There is huge opportunity to add more Arab states to the Accords.
• The Iron Dome has been extraordinarily effective, and it has saved Palestinian lives as well. It has enabled Israel to intercept rockets fired by Hamas and has alleviated the need for the IDF to enter Gaza to stop the attacks. 
• Laser Air Defense systems offer significant future capabilities and help stop ballistic missile attacks. 

“I’m committed to an ironclad partnership with Israel,” said Bacon. “Both countries gain by our strong relationship. The state of Israel provides a safe haven for Jewish people all over the world who face rising anti-Semitism and centuries of persecution and even times of genocide.”

The weeklong trip was organized by the AIPAC-affiliated American Israel Education Foundation. In addition to Bacon, the delegation included Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Ron Kind (D-Wis.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) and Michael Turner (R-Ohio). 

Photos from the trip can be found here.

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