Last week, Acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Mills announced that the Biden administration will resume providing $200 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority $350 million annual funding to The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), both of which had been halted by the Trump administration. Mills also said that the Biden administration would “take steps to reopen diplomatic missions that were closed by the last U.S. administration.”
The Trump administration had taken the above steps to combat terrorism. American taxpayer money was being used by both the P.A. and UNRWA to foment, encourage and commit terrorist acts against Israel. Former U.S. President Donald Trump opposed rewarding terrorism. And his efforts actually brought the world closer than ever before to peace in the Middle East.
Although the Biden administration is reverting to pre-Trump Middle East dynamics, new friends in the U.S. Congress are holding down the fort of support for Israel. Take Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), for example. The freshman lawmaker is doing her part to make sure that the U.S.-Israel alliance remains forever strong. She was recently appointed to serve as a ranking member on the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery. The youngest Republican in the House of Representatives, she represents a bold new wave.
One of her first acts was to pledge to place an Israeli flag alongside an American one outside her office in Washington, D.C.—a move with particular significance, as Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), a BDS supporter who wrapped herself in a Palestinian flag at her victory party in 2018 has an office right next door.
This is how Cammack described it in a tweet: “Rep Tlaib who has an office right next to mine in DC has some strong opinions about Israel that 100% I disagree with, so I’ve made a pledge to plant Israel’s flag outside my door right next to the American flag. I think it’ll be very helpful as she walks past both every day.”
Cammack should commended for her efforts on behalf of America’s most reliable ally in the Middle East. Every Jewish organization owes her a debt of gratitude for having stood tall and proud for Israel. She is courageous for doing so.
She should also be praised for her remarks on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, when she said, “Today, we remember the 76th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the largest Nazi concentration camp. We must remember to protect this history, defending truth of what happened almost eight decades ago.”
Cammack is someone who gives much-needed hope for the future. May she be blessed for her efforts and endeavors.
Dr. Joseph Frager is first vice president of the National Council of Young Israel.