US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on Monday at the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC.
In his remarks, Pompeo noted that “it never gets old to be here with so many great friends of the relationship between America and Israel” and then added, “You should know that there is no president and no administration that loves Israel more than President Trump and our team.”
The Secretary of State pointed out the Trump administration’s achievements over the past year.
“We declared the common-sense truth that the Israeli West Bank settlements aren’t per se inconsistent with international law. We released a groundbreaking Vision for Peace. And President Trump took out one of the world’s worst anti-Semites, the terrorist Qassem Soleimani,” he said.
“The previous administration had a phrase they used to say. They used to say that Osama bin Ladin is dead and General Motors is alive. So that was good. I think we can do one better: Qasem Soleimani is dead; and Israel and the United States are alive,” continued Pompeo.
He noted that “nations of the Middle East and the world are recognizing just how enduring Israel is. They’re coming to recognize that the more the Middle East embraces Israel, the brighter their future will be. And that’s what I want to focus on this evening.”
“Under President Trump, Israel is not a pariah, but a partner, and rightly so,” he stressed. “Our special nations – our special nations share so much: a pioneering spirit; basic rights and freedoms, including religious freedom and pluralism; rough-and-tumble politics. Indeed, Israel loves democracy so much, today they are holding their third election. They cannot get enough of them.”
Israel, said Pompeo, is “an example of pluralism and free speech. Israel brings a robust, free-market, innovative economy where entrepreneurship is rewarded. And it is a place, it is a unique place in that region, a place where all can worship freely without fear or favor.”
He pointed out that “look closely around the world, and you will see that the nations of the world are increasingly embracing Israel – the nation-state of the Jewish people – as central to a bright future for the Middle East.”
“In December, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans for his government to pass an anti-BDS law. That same month, French parliamentarians voted to declare anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism, as I spoke about last year. Greece and Cyprus have pursued a new energy partnership with Israel, as have Egypt and Jordan. Guatemala, Honduras, Nauru have recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and Brazil says that it intends to do so. Come join,” continued Pompeo.
“Look, too, at the budding trend in the Middle East: Israel’s Gulf nations are warming to her. In 2018, Oman received Prime Minister Netanyahu for a visit. That very same year, the UAE played the Israeli national anthem, “The Hope,” at a judo tournament hosted in Abu Dhabi, not once, but twice. Last year, our Bahraini friends allowed Israeli journalists to visit for the first time since 1994. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said, quote, ‘I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land.’”
“And I remember being in that room when ambassadors from Oman, Bahrain, and the UAE attended the White House ceremony unveiling the Vision for Peace, where President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu both offered remarks.”
Pompeo said that “there is still much more progress to be made. But I think these anecdotes suggest a growing attitude, a real shift, a shift among some of Israel’s neighbors. And the more the Middle East embraces Israel, the brighter its future will be. That’s true for the entire region.”
He condemned Iran for continuing “to stoke hatred of Jews to serve their own corrupt ends, through classroom textbooks, state media propaganda, and the poisoned declarations of their unelected leaders.”
“Let me be clear: The world knows – the world knows that the noble Iranian people do not hate Israel, or Jews, or any other religious group. It’s the bigoted, intolerant regime that does. And it is that regime – it is that regime and its views – as the reason that President Trump said so clearly that Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon while we’re on watch,” declared Pompeo.
He also denounced members of Congress who, he said, refuse to respect Israel.
“In November, I received a letter from 106 members of Congress. They criticized moving the embassy to Jerusalem, closing the Palestinian office in D.C., halting foreign assistance to the West Bank and Gaza, and the rethinking that we did at the State Department about the settlements issue. Their claim – their claim in this letter – was that this ‘discredited the United States as an honest broker between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.’ They claimed this ‘severely damaged prospects for peace.’ They claimed that this ‘endangered the security of America, Israel, and the Palestinian people,’” said the Secretary of State.
He continued, “You know that discredits the United States. What damages peace, what endangers security, it’s not recognizing the truth. The truth must be spoken, and it’s what President Trump and our administration has done.”
“What damages and discredits the United States and our relationship with Israel is denying that Palestinian terrorism has been the real obstacle to peace. And it discredits this relationship when you deny that the settlement issue is a political dispute and not a political puzzle.”
Pompeo also denounced the UN Human Rights Council which recently released a database of companies doing business in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.
“How sad. I remember reading it after its release. This is an organization that was set up to ensure that no people ever again faced horrors like the Jews faced during the Holocaust, and it is now anti-Semitic,” he said. “This administration was right when President Trump asked us to leave an international institution that grossly betrays its most fundamental mandate.”
“My friends, President Trump and his team aren’t standing for this nonsense. We know that the more the Middle East embraces Israel, the brighter their future will be. It’s why we’ve taken action against those who would harm or weaken Israel,” he declared.
“I know some American companies are wondering – some of you here today are wondering how to move forward in the wake of the UN Human Rights Council’s release of the database that I just spoke about. It may not seem like much to some of you, but this is a real threat.”
“And I am proud to tell you that, this afternoon, the State Department released official guidance on this subject,” said Pompeo, who stressed that the US “will continue to work with, trade, and invest in Israel.”
“Neither the Human Rights Council nor the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has the power to tell you what you can and can’t do business in the West Bank. Don’t be intimidated. If you are being subjected to intimidation or harassment because of this database, let America know. And the United States will respond to take actions against members of our business community that are being threatened by this release that was so sorely mistaken,” he declared.
“We stand with Israel. We stand for peace in the Holy Land. We stand with the great Israeli people. And we stand for the unbreakable bond between our two great nations, rooted in our shared traditions of freedom and equality,” said Pompeo, who concluded his remarks with, “May God bless this great institution of AIPAC. May God bless Israel. And God bless these great United States of America.”