Arutz Sheva met Congressman Scott Tipton and Congressman David B. McKinley at the Ariel University, as they are concluding the fact finding mission to Israel sponsored by Proclaiming Justice to the Nations and facilitated on the ground by Jaffe Strategies.
During their visit to Israel the congressmen met the sovereignty campaign and understood the demands of the campaign for Israeli control in Judea and Samaria.
After days of hearing the nationalist opinions and identifying with the message of the sovereignty campaign, the congressmen approached Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with a direct question on the issue. The congressmen said that Netanyahu replied by saying that Israel will always be in charge of security from the Mediterranean to the Jordan.
Netanyahu also told the congressmen that the Iran deal was bad and should never have been signed, stressing three concerns: Iran’s ballistic missile program, inspections and the sunset clause in the agreement.
“It’s awesome to come to Israel and to see that progress is made,” said McKinley. “Scott and I have been coming here for several years and one of the particular stops we wanted to make was to Ariel University.”
“We see this as an up and coming university, one that is trying to do more research and we want to see more partnerships with America,” he added.
Asked about the idea of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, Congressman Tipton replied, “Just to be able to have the cooperation and be able to have the self-determination is something that sensible people would embrace. We’re seeing here at the university right now: You have students from all backgrounds, trying to be able to move themselves forward, to be able to create better prospects for themselves, for their families and for the future – that’s the best starting point we can look for.”
The two Congressmen said they are excited about the United States embassy moving to Jerusalem.
“It was long enough,” opined McKinley. “50 years is long enough to make that determination, and I’m glad that’s now occurring. I think this administration certainly has a pro-Israel attitude and I think you’ll see more legislation coming out so that, if nothing else, I’d like the diplomats to be able to cross the Green Line. And, in fact, I’d like to do away with the Green Line but this is going to be up to Israel. Israel needs to make that determination of what they want and I hope that America will stand behind them. But this is not something that should be imposed by the American government.”
As for the “ultimate deal” that President Trump wants to achieve between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Tipton said that for now there is a “wait and see approach”, adding, “I think self-determination and recognition that Israel has the right to be able to control its borders is important.”
The relationship between the United States and Israel is “solid,” McKinley stated. “I don’t think you’re going to see it any stronger than it is right now. What I’m hoping is to continue to have adult conversations between all the parties involved, so that they work together, live together and worship together.”
Tipton welcomed the opportunity to visit Judea and Samaria, saying, “There’s no substitute for being able to see something in person, to be able to come in, to be able to talk to the people who live here, the people who live the experiences that are often just reported in the news – that’s great value and we’d certainly encourage a lot more of our colleagues to make the trip and to fully understand the issues that we may or may not have a role to play in, but it’s certainly well worth the effort to be able to come here.”