GRAHAM: 'NOBODY DOES MORE TO PROTECT AMERICA FROM RADICAL ISLAM THAN OUR FRIENDS IN ISRAEL'

Lindsey Graham calls Israel the 'eyes and ears of America'

 

JNS and Reuters

June 2, 2021 

US Senator Lindsey Graham on Tuesday said he expected Washington would quickly authorize as much as $1 billion for Israel to replenish its Iron Dome missile defense system after clashes in May with the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza.

Graham met with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz during his recent trip to Israel.

"There will be a $1 billion request coming to the Pentagon this week from the [Israeli] defense minister to replenish the Iron Dome and a few other things, to upgrade the system," Graham told reporters in Jerusalem.

Graham, a senior Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, which oversees spending including foreign military aid, described Israel as "the eyes and ears of America" and said that "nobody does more to protect America from radical Islam than our friends in Israel."

"To every American, what happens with Iran matters not only to America but to the world," he said. "The worst possible outcome for the world is to allow the Iranian regime to acquire nuclear capability."

He also noted that America's Arab allies "feel far more threatened by Iran than they do Israel."

Graham said that he hoped to "find an alternative" to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) from which former US President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 – one "that would allow for nuclear power but not create a nuclear arms race through enrichment, and that's the existential threat to the State of Israel and the world writ large."

Netanyahu thanked Graham for his efforts on behalf of Israel.

"No one has done more for Israel than you, Senator Lindsey Graham, a stalwart champion of our alliance and we have no better friend. I want to thank you for everything you've been doing over the years on our defenses, our security, on Iran. You've been a tremendous friend and a tremendous ally," he said.

Graham's remarks, which he ended by promising more US support for Israel in the "coming days and weeks," come on the heels of a fifth round of talks in Vienna between Iran and world powers.

Addressing Israel's military aid request, Graham said the Iron Dome air-defense system had saved thousands of lives during last month's rocket attacks, and predicted Israel's request would find favor with both US President Joe Biden and Congress, which is narrowly controlled by Biden's Democrats.

"There's been a big dustup over the last engagement between Hamas and the State of Israel in the United States, but I'm here to tell you that there's a wide and deep support for Israel among the Democratic Party," Graham said.

Biden has said he would replenish Iron Dome, which helped Israel fend off most of the more than 4,300 rockets fired from Gaza during the conflict.

Israel and Hamas began a ceasefire on May 21 after 11 days of the fiercest Israeli-Palestinian hostilities in years.

Israel's fierce response drew criticism from some Democrats, but Israel generally enjoys strong support in Washington from both parties. Congress routinely approves large sums on military funding for a country roundly seen as a solid US partner in an unstable region.