Senator Jim DeMint: “Time to Expand Abraham Accords — Strengthen US-Israel Partnership” | Fourth Jerusalem Leaders Summit, Israel
“Our gathering affirms America’s strong bonds of partnership with the Jewish state of Israel, and a commitment to advance our shared values and timeless principles.” — Senator Jim DeMint
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January 9, 2023 | Washington, DC | Jerusalem — Senator Jim DeMint, chairman, Conservative Partnership Institute based in Washington, DC delivered a video message to business, media and government leaders attending the Fourth Jerusalem Leaders Summit in Israel on December 28, 2022. The summit event in Jerusalem was co-hosted by The International Leaders Summit and The Menachem Begin Heritage Center and in partnership with The Washington Times.
Senator Jim DeMint clearly articulated the significance of strengthening America’s partnership with Israel and to advance the principled recommendation of expanding the Abraham Accords.
Video | Senator Jim DeMint
Message from Senator Jim Demint
Shalom!
It is an honor to address the Fourth Jerusalem Leaders Summit.
From Washington, DC, America’s capital city — to Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, I greet leaders participating in Jerusalem, and those joining virtually.
Our gathering affirms America’s strong bonds of partnership with the Jewish state of Israel, and a commitment to advance our shared values and timeless principles.
I recall how America’s founding fathers demonstrated strong support for the Jewish community including Presidents George Washington, John Adams and Abraham Lincoln.
After President George Washington was received by the congregants of the Touro Synagogue Newport, Rhode Island on August 18, 1790, America’s first president expressed these words in writing:
“May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.”
John Adams made the first pro-Zionist declaration by an American head of state, active or retired upon receiving a book from Mordecai Noah, a Jewish American Jewish newspaper editor, politician and diplomat. In a letter sent in to Noah in 1819, Adams wrote,
“For I really wish the Jews again in Judea an independent nation.”
That dream and vision of Jews around the world became a reality when at midnight on May 14, 1948, the Provisional Government of Israel proclaimed a new State of Israel. History recorded that on that very same date, the United States recognized the authority of the Jewish State.
In just some four months, Israel’s will be celebrating its 75th anniversary as an independent nation. We celebrate this extraordinary achievement.
The Jewish state of Israel is a beacon of freedom in the Middle East and the world, with its foundation based on the rule of law.
As we gather today, and look to the future, we are also reminded of the importance of advancing strategic initiatives that are beginning to make difference in the region.
The Abraham Accords led by the Trump Administration and with our partner Israel have brought together nations including the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in normalizing relations with the Jewish State.
The historic Abraham Accords may be one of the most under-reported success stories of our time. According to Israel’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, “…trade between Israel and the Gulf states reached $1.4 billion in the last half year alone.”
Almost half a million Israelis visited the UAE over the past two years.
We believe that more can be done — and should be done — through the encouragement and positive engagement of American leadership and America’s allies around the world.
You can count on America’s leaders who are committed to strengthening US-Israel ties to join with you all in — “pursuing a vision of peace, security, and prosperity in the Middle East and around the world.”
I close by sharing these words from President Ronald Reagan delivered at a White House meeting with Jewish leaders in 1983:
“Since the foundation of the State of Israel, the United States has stood by her and helped her to pursue security, peace, and economic growth. Our friendship is based on historic moral and strategic ties, as well as our shared dedication to democracy.”
Friends — I look forward to being in Jerusalem and meeting with you all.
May God bless Israel, and may God bless the United States of America.
Shalom!
Photographs from The Fourth Jerusalem Leaders Summit co-hosted by The International Leaders Summit and The Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Israel. Credit | Yossi Zamir, Jerusalem.
trustee of the Holocaust Educational Trust. In the British Parliament, Sir Ivan Lawrence served as chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and chairman of the parliamentary group — Conservative Friends of Israel.
Co-Authored “Never Alone: Prison, Politics and My People” with Natan Sharansky.
chairman, Kohelet Policy Forum, Jerusalem, Israel
chairman, Kohelet Policy Forum, Jerusalem, Israel with Mayor Oded Revivi, City of Efrat seated on the left and Sir Ivan Lawrence on the right side.
