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Dear A.,
There is great news tonight in Washington.
Moments ago, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act – one of the most important bills for our legislative agenda each year.
NDAA is the major bill that sets the annual U.S. defense budget, and I’m proud to share that AIPAC worked to include nearly $700 million in lifesaving U.S.-Israel programs in the bill, including:
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$500 million for missile defense programs, like Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow
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$80 million for joint anti-tunnel cooperation
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$70 million for U.S.-Israel counter-drone programs, a $15 million increase from last year’s bill
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$35 million for cooperation on emerging military technologies
We all witnessed these programs save countless lives over the last two years, protecting millions of Israelis from ballistic missiles, rockets, drones, and tunnel threats. These systems will be critical to Israel’s defense in the face of growing security threats, while also helping to keep Americans safer.
We expect the Senate to take up the bill soon, and I will keep you informed as the legislative process continues.
This major policy achievement, in this political environment, is a testament to what you help make possible through your support of AIPAC.
Continue to
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follow AIPAC on social media for the latest updates.
Jake Braunstein
Senior Director, Policy Communications
New National Poll Results: Americans increasingly want Hamas to disarm, believe Hamas and Iran are rebuilding
Each month,
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Harvard-CAPS Harris releases a national poll of registered voters. The poll asks a broad range of questions, including on the Israel-Hamas war. The December survey shows that Americans continue to support Israel against Hamas, want Hamas to be disarmed, and believe Hamas and Iran are rebuilding their capabilities.
Key Takeaways:
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74% of Americans support Israel over Hamas (67% of Democrats, 81% of Republicans, and 74% of Independents).
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78% Americans agree that Hamas should disarm and disband (a 3-point increase over last month).
- Very few Americans (2%) consider the Israel-Hamas war a top issue to them personally, or a top-three issue facing the country (4%)
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Americans believe Hamas and Iran are rearming. 68% of Americans believe Hamas is trying to rearm, and 69% believe Iran is rebuilding its nuclear capability.
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Click here to view the complete poll results.
IDF, Shin Bet find rocket cache in West Bank
Yesterday, the IDF and Shin Bet announced that they found a storage of rockets near the West Bank city of Tulkarem, following a similar finding in September.
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The IDF
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said , "The Shin Bet, IDF, and Israel Police uncover[ed] terror infrastructure in the Tulkarm area, during which rockets and combat means intended to strike IDF forces and additional targets were located... several terrorists in the Tulkarm area who carried out attacks in recent months was exposed, and they were arrested by IDF forces."
As Israel political analyst
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Amit Segal warned this morning: "if an old rocket from Gaza can paralyze Ben Gurion Airport or Tel Aviv, think about what it could do from Judea and Samaria, which overlooks Israel’s major population centers."
Israeli journalist Lahav Harkov
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reports on how residents of central Israel increasingly fear an October 7-like attack from the West Bank.
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U.S., Israeli leaders meet in D.C. and Jerusalem
Top American and Israeli officials met this week to strengthen the U.S.-Israel partnership and coordinate on shared challenges.
In D.C., Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar
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met today with Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as Republican and Democratic members of Congress.
Sa'ar and Rubio "had a good discussion on our mutual opportunities and challenges in the Middle East, Latin America, Africa and beyond," Sa'ar
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said in a statement marking their fourth meeting this year. "I thanked the Secretary for his support for Israel and longstanding friendship."
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Also in D.C., Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana
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met on Capitol Hill yesterday with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders. Opposition member of Knesset Eitan Ginzburg of the Blue and White—National Unity Party also joined Ohana's delegation.
Ohana met with House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Leader John Thune, Senator John Fetterman, and bipartisan members of the House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group.
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Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz continued his trip to Israel today, meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, on his first trip to the Jewish state in his current position.
Waltz's meeting with Herzog followed meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon, as well as the family of Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage in Gaza.
Danon said, "We discussed the developments at the U.N. and the key challenges in the international arena. Israel and the U.S. will continue to act shoulder to shoulder to promote the shared values of the two countries on every platform."
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The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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