Iron Dome Senate Action Letter
Iron Dome Senate Action Letter January 11, 2022 The Honorable Majority Leader Charles Schumer United States Senate The Honorable Republican Leader Mitch McConnell United States Senate Dear Majority Leader Schumer and Republican Leader McConnell, On behalf of the organizations below, we ask that you urgently move forward the supplemental appropriations funding to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly for this critical funding in September 2021 by a vote of 420-9. It has bipartisan support in the Senate, although passage has been stymied. The threat is real. More than 4,000 rockets were fired into Israel this past May by the Iranian proxy Hamas. The Iron Dome system intercepted 90% of the rockets fired from Gaza, saving both Israeli and Palestinian lives. However, these Iranianbacked terrorists are growing in strength and sophistication. Some estimates put Hamas’s arsenal of rockets at nearly 30,000, while Hezbollah’s stockpile of 150,000 missiles threatens Israel’s north. Withholding funding for our closest ally while terrorists continue to threaten their people puts Israel in grave danger, increases the likelihood of innocent Palestinian and Israelis being harmed in another round of conflict and hurts American standing and national security interests. US support for Israeli missile defense returns great dividends. In 2014, the US and Israel signed a co-production agreement to enable the manufacture of components of the Iron Dome system in the United States. According to the Congressional Research Service some 60-70 percent of components for the interceptors are now produced here in the United States. Failing to advance the aid not only hurts Israel through terrorist attacks but also undermines the strategic partnership between the US and Israel. One person’s objection should not undermine the overwhelming bipartisan will of the Senate nor stand in the way of ensuring Israel has the tools necessary to keep its people safe. While we understand the supplemental Iron Dome funding would likely be included in a final omnibus spending package, the delay and even the prospects of a second continuing resolution undermine Israel’s security when the need to replenish this defensive system is urgent. The stakes are high. Failure to act could embolden Hamas or Hezbollah and imperils innocent lives on the ground. We urge you to find a path forward to pass the funding to replenish Iron Dome supply as quickly as possible. Sincerely, Christians United for Israel The Jewish Federations of North America Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America Jewish Council for Public Affairs United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Union for Reform Judaism Anti-Defamation League