Rand Paul, Paul Broun, other members of Congress address Zionist Organization of America activists
During the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) Congressional Luncheon Wednesday, held prior to the congressional meetings in a magnificent room in the Russell Senate Office Building, ZOA activists were joined at the luncheon by both Democratic and Republican U.S. Senators and House Members, to include Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffreys (D-NY) among several others who delivered speeches to the packed audience.
Here is what Sen. Paul and Rep. Broun had to say:
photo Ron Almo
Paul: “I was asked before coming here today, ‘Why are you going to ZOA?’ I answered, ‘Why? Because ZOA was the only organization that supported my amendment saying no more money and arms to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt … Giving F-16 planes and M-1 tanks to them? One day we’re going to regret this.” Turning to Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood leadership in Egypt, he said, “You now have a president in Egypt who says Jews are sons of pigs and apes and a president who stands next to a preacher saying ‘Death to Jews and all their supporters,’ which includes America. If they want our funding, why don’t they affirm their support for the Camp David accord? Why don’t they reaffirm that Israel has a right to exist?” Turning to another deeply problematic recipient of U.S. aid, Pakistan, Paul said, “They have put a man, Shakil Afridi, in jail for the rest of his life because he helped us find Bin Laden, which was a big thing, that makes him a big friend of America, so I say – No more money to Pakistan unless you free Shakil Afridi. If you want to be a friend of America, act like one.” Speaking of Israel, he observed, “There one thing I know I can say: You will never see anyone in Israel burning the American flag … the U.S. and Israel have a great shared religious and cultural history.”
Broun: “I am a Bible believing Evangelical Christian and I have been described as – and I have embraced the term – a Zionist Christian. The reason I do this is because I believe what my Bible said – we have the same Bible, we just have a few extra books – and I am an ardent supporter of the nation of Israel. In fact, the modern state of Israel was born on my birthday on May 14 1948; so we’re the same age. Because of all the geopolitical and scientific issues and all the things my colleagues have said, we should support Israel and I’m going to add one additional reason: you see, our father Abraham – I consider myself an adopted Jew – Abraham got a visit from G-d and was told: ‘Pack up and move to a land that going to belong to you for all eternity. I’m going to make your seed as numerous as the stars in the sky’ … G-d gave the land title to the Jewish people and it should never ever be taken away. And G-d gave us the boundaries of that land of Canaan, in the Torah, saying that ‘I will bless those who bless you and curse those that curse you’ … Some of our opponents say that they’re going to get rid of all the Judeo-Christian values that got into the Constitution, all those values that have made this country so great. G-d’s blessings on this country today are because we bless Israel, and it must never cease. I believe very firmly, our country pressured Israel to give up Gaza. I was totally against that. We have a President who says we must go back to pre-war borders; I think Israel should go all the way to the Jordan River. I don’t say so – G-d says so. The capital should be in Jerusalem and our U.S. embassy should be in Jerusalem … We should also give Jerusalem every single bunker-busting bomb they need … Recently we saw three very critical people [Chuck Hagel, John Brennan & John Kerry] nominated to critical positions in the Administration. If I had been in the Senate, I would have voted no to Chuck Hagel, and no to John Brennan and no to John Kerry … We’ve not done enough in the sanctions on Iran, nor have we done enough to support the freedom–seeking people in that country … We should never give money to a nation in my opinion that goes around burning the American and Israeli flags and saying ‘Death to America.’ It must stop. As long as I’m here in Washington, I’ll do everything I can to make sure that the United States is supporting Israel.”
The ZOA met with the members and their staffs to urge them to:
1). Support Israel’s right to military self-defense against Iran’s illegal, threatening nuclear weapons program and impose new comprehensive, robustly-enforced sanctions on Tehran and close loopholes in existing sanctions; and
2). Oppose $650 million in U.S. aid to Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) until it fulfills its signed agreements under Oslo to arrest and imprison terrorists, dismantle terrorist groups and end the incitement to hatred and murder within the PA-controlled media, mosques, schools and youth camps, and to recognize Israel as a Jewish state; and
3). Support making $2 billion U.S. aid to Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood-supported regime in Egypt conditional on Cairo observing its 1979 peace treaty with Israel (which it is not), restricting and even banning further weapons sales to Egypt, and stopping incitement against Jews and Israel, affording full rights for women and Christians and ending Muslim Brotherhood rhetoric that the U.S. will collapse.
