In This Edition:

Editorial—Direct Talks, Not Imposed Solutions…………………….……………….....…....1 United States Looks to Israeli Defense Technology and Tactics.….…………………....…..3 The Threat of Hamas’ Terror Tunnels…………………………………………………...…...6 Washington Brief—A Recap of News from the Hill and Beyond…..….……….................8

E-ISSN 1947-4458

Published by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Funded in part by The American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), the charitable organization affiliated with AIPAC. I.L. Kenen Founder, 1905–1988

M A Y 2 0 1 6 • W W W . A I P A C . O R G / N E R

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Editorial—Direct Talks, Not Imposed Solutions

In late May, France intends to host a conference to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—but Israeli and

Palestinian representatives are not invited to attend. The French initiative comes on the heels of an

unsuccessful Palestinian effort to present a one-sided anti-Israel resolution at the United Nations Security

Council (UNSC). These steps are harmful distractions that undermine efforts to resume serious Israeli-

Palestinian diplomacy.

The French-proposed conference may undermine prospects for peace.

France has invited dozens of foreign ministers to its conference, but chose to exclude the two most

important parties to the conflict—the Israelis and the Palestinians. Reportedly, the French idea is to reach

at this conference an international consensus on a set of parameters for a permanent solution to the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which would then be presented to the parties in a second international

conference to which they will be invited. The Palestinians readily accepted the French proposal because

they hope it will lead the international community to impose Palestinian terms on Israel. But any

conference preparing parameters for resolving differences between Israelis and Palestinians without their

participation will lack the legitimacy to facilitate a meaningful solution.

Any effort to impose solutions emerging from the conference would also violate the fundamental

principle of the Israeli-Palestinian Oslo Accords, in which both sides agreed to resolve all final-status

issues through direct negotiations.

Efforts to impose solutions at the U.N. are counterproductive.

Efforts at the UNSC and other international bodies to impose a solution only further divide the parties

and exacerbate distrust. And, given its deep, institutional anti-Israel bias, the U.N. is not the proper forum

for addressing the conflict.

Just in the past year alone: the U.N. General Assembly passed 20 resolutions singling out and criticizing

Israel—more than the total number of resolutions naming any other country in the world combined; the

U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution calling for a blacklist of companies operating in the

West Bank and East Jerusalem; the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization passed

resolutions that ignored the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount and accused Israel of “planting

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Jewish fake graves” in Muslim cemeteries in order to wrest control of land from Muslims; and the U.N.

Commission on the Status of Women approved resolutions singling out Israel for condemnation.

Direct, bilateral talks are the only viable path to achieving an enduring solution.

The Palestinians know full well that no peace

agreement can be realized without Israel’s support,

and that external efforts allow them to avoid difficult

decisions necessary to achieve peace. A deal can

only work if both parties enter negotiations willingly,

feel vested in the talks, and intend to implement the

outcome. Outside of a directly negotiated

settlement, international acceptance of Palestinian

demands at Israel’s expense only encourages

Palestinian refusal to return to the negotiating table.

As President Barack Obama said during his March

2013 trip to Israel, “There is no question that the only

path to peace is through negotiations—which is

why…the United States will opposed unilateral efforts to bypass negotiations…It has to be done by the

parties.” On Dec. 30, 2014, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power reiterated this message saying

that “Peace will come from hard choices and compromises that must be made at the negotiating table.”

The United States must also press the Palestinians to accept Prime Minister Netanyahu’s offer to return to

negotiations with Israel without preconditions. It should reinforce its long-standing policy of opposing

imposed solutions on Israel and to veto any one-sided U.N. Security Council resolution that seeks to

bypass direct negotiations.

AIPAC has continuously supported specific guidelines to achieve peace.

Talks must be direct and bilateral.

A solution cannot be imposed on the parties.

Any effort to impose solutions emerging from the conference would also violate the fundamental principle of the Israeli-Palestinian Oslo Accords, in which both sides agreed to resolve all final status issues through direct negotiations.

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Both sides must be willing to make key compromises.

Disagreements should be resolved privately.

The United States must support and work closely with Israel.

United States Looks to Israeli Defense Technology and Tactics

The United States military is examining additional Israeli defense technologies and tactics to augment and

strengthen its capabilities. The United States already utilizes Israeli-origin systems such as the Helmet

Mounted Display System (HMDS) for F-35 fighter pilots, Reactive Armor tiles for Bradley Fighting Vehicles

and Litening Targeting Pods for fighter jets. Through bilateral military cooperation, Israeli innovation plays

a vital role in helping America meet its growing security challenges.

In the past few weeks alone, the United States tested Israel’s Iron Dome short-range anti-rocket system,

observed major breakthroughs in joint anti-tunneling technology, applied Israeli military techniques in

combat, and took the first steps toward bringing an Israeli-developed active protective system to defend

U.S. tanks.

Iron Dome

In April, the U.S. Army concluded its first successful test in the United States of the Iron Dome system

against target drones at a New Mexico test site. The Tamir interceptor was tested in coordination with

the Israeli defense company that created the Iron Dome, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and

Raytheon, the American defense contractor and world’s largest producer of guided missiles.

According to Rafael, the Tamir, a multi-mission interceptor, struck and destroyed its target.

While testifying on Capitol Hill on April 13, Director of the Missile Defense Agency Vice Adm. James

Syring said “we continue to have a very strong cooperative missile defense partnership with Israel… The

Department continues to support the critical Iron Dome Program to defeat short-range rockets and

artillery through co-production effort.”

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In March 2014, the United States and Israeli governments signed a co-production agreement, requiring a

proportion of Iron Dome components to be manufactured in America.

“We get tremendous benefit, in terms of the Iron Dome procurement dollars that we and you have

appropriated, we have asked for and you have appropriated and then added to even, have resulted in

significant work share for U.S. companies, 35 percent of the -- of the procurement in '14, 55 percent of

the procurement dollars in '15 go to U.S. companies,” said Syring. “To me that's a great value to them.

We also learn a lot from what they've done in terms of choosing components in the engineering they've

done on their interceptors. They've done a fantastic job of achieving good performance.”

On April 28, the House Armed Services Committee passed the National Defense Authorization Act

(NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017. The bill (H.R. 4909) contains $600.8 million for U.S.-Israel cooperative

missile defense programs, including $62 million for Iron Dome procurement. The authorization is part of

a two-step process. The actual funding will be allocated through an appropriations bill later in the year.

Trophy

On April 13, the U.S. Marine Corps announced plans to buy or lease an Israeli-developed Active

Protection System (APS) for its M1A1 Abrams tanks to better defend against anti-tank missiles. The

service intends to test the Trophy APS, along with a number of other programs, in head-to-head

exercises. Developed by Rafael, Trophy is designed to neutralize incoming threats in flight. In 2014,

throughout Operation Protective Edge, Israeli tanks fitted with the Trophy system were able to

successfully neutralize incoming projectile

threats in urban settings.

Marine Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, deputy

commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps for

combat development and integration, told

members of the Senate Armed Services

Subcommittee on Seapower, “[We are]

working very closely with the Army to

develop active protection systems, we’re

going to go out and try to buy or lease

some Trophy systems that are out U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter (left) and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon (right) participate in a joint news conference at Israel's Defense Force headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, July 20, 2015.

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there…and we’re going to put those on our M1A1 tanks, take that, use it, see how it works.”

Tunnel Detection

Terrorist organizations on Israel’s borders are continuing to construct subterranean passages to attack

and kidnap soldiers and civilians. During the 2014 Gaza conflict, Hamas used underground tunnels to

terrorize Israel’s civilian population.

On April 16, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) discovered a new two-kilometers-long, concrete tunnel from

the southern part of the Gaza Strip into Israel, near the border between Israel and Egypt. The discovery

was made possible through the use of a new tunnel detection technology.

Given the similar threats facing the United States, including on the Korean Peninsula, the U.S.-Mexico

border and in various locations in the Middle East, this breakthrough technology holds significant

potential for the United States.

In the Omnibus Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2016, Congress appropriated $40 million in funding for

a new U.S.-Israel tunnel detection program that could be used to protect Israel and U.S. forces from

terrorist attacks. When deployed, these tools will provide a means of dealing with the complex challenge

of locating, mapping and destroying terrorist tunnel networks.

Several defense officials have praised the cooperative anti-tunneling program and encouraged increased

funding.

U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Votel, the commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, commended

U.S.-Israel anti-tunnel cooperation at a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing in March, stating

“we’re the beneficiaries of the great work.”

At the hearing, Theresa Whelan, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special

Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict, concurred. “Seven of the (15) projects we agreed to are for detecting

tunnels. Six are for mapping them. And then we have some other projects based on, focused on

developing new tunnel detection and mapping technologies. We have one related to intelligence

collections. So there's a very robust agenda that we have set, we and the Israelis, have set out for

ourselves. So I think we feel that we're in a pretty good position to move forward with them in

partnership.”

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Roof Knocking

In addition to utilizing anti-tunneling technology, the Pentagon has begun applying an Israeli battlefield

technique to protect civilians in the battle against the Islamic State (ISIS). During the 2014 Gaza conflict,

the Israeli air force utilized a “roof knocking” technique to warn civilians an attack was imminent. The

technique involves dropping a small, nonlethal device on a target to warn civilians and encourage them

to leave the area before an actual attack.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Peter Gersten, the deputy commander for operations and intelligence for the

anti-ISIS Operation Inherent Resolve, revealed in an April 26 press briefing that the United States has

begun using the “knock operation” before striking ISIS targets.

Previously, in 2014, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey praised

the IDF for going to “extraordinary lengths” to protect civilian lives during the conflict in Gaza.

“I actually do think that Israel went to extraordinary lengths to limit collateral damage and civilian

casualties,” said Dempsey, hailing measures and precautions taken by the IDF to warn civilians including

“roof-knocking” and dropping warning leaflets.

“They did some extraordinary things to try to limit civilian casualties, to include… making it known that

they were going to destroy a particular structure.”

The Threat of Hamas’ Terror Tunnels

Hamas’ network of tunnels—commonly referred to as “terror tunnels”—from Gaza into Israel has

concerned the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for years. Israel has spent considerable effort to address this

threat, but technological barriers have stood in the way of success. The IDF deployed its forces to protect

civilians in the south before the 2014 Gaza conflict. During those clashes, several Israeli soldiers were

ambushed and killed by Hamas fighters who emerged from the tunnels, and the IDF discovered and

destroyed 32 of them.

Since the cessation of hostilities, Hamas claims to have employed 1,000 diggers and to have completed

50 new tunnels. In mid-April and early May of this year, the IDF uncovered two tunnels that crossed into

Israeli territory from Gaza, one of which was dug nearly 100 feet below ground. In an attempt to block

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further efforts to detect its tunnels, Hamas reacted to the latest discovery by firing 12 mortars into Israel

over a three-day period.

Despite recent successes in locating and

destroying tunnels, detection technology is

still in development. Israel is currently working

on “The Obstacle,” a defense system that will

use acoustic sensors to detect tunneling

activity; in December 2015 the United States

Congress appropriated $40 million to help

fund the project. According to IDF Chief of

Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, Israel is

“concentrating considerable engineering and

intelligence efforts to combat” the tunneling

threat.

Of note, technology is only one element of Israel’s approach to tunnel detection. Following the most

recent discovery, Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said, “The combination of technology,

intelligence and boots on the ground have resulted in the success of this mission.” Accordingly, Israel is

also investing heavily in subterranean combat training for its soldiers, but details are being kept

confidential.

Hamas has made painstaking efforts—regardless of loss of life—to replenish its offensive capabilities

since the last round of hostilities. Since the beginning of 2016, 12 tunnel collapses have left at least 16

Hamas operatives dead. A combination of heavy rains, Hamas’ inability to secure sufficient building

materials—despite its illegal diversion for tunnel construction of cement that Israel has allowed to go to

Gaza for the rebuilding of damaged or destroyed homes—and Egyptian and Israeli efforts have been

credited with the collapses. Since Hamas has been unable to acquire enough cement to restore its

original tunnel infrastructure, it is believed to be building tunnels that are un-buttressed or inadequately

reinforced with fiberglass.

Even with all of these issues, Hamas continues to invest heavily in re-building and expanding its tunnel

network, indicating an intent to fight another war with Israel. With the help of the United States, Israel is

working to address this ongoing threat.

During the 2014 Gaza conflict, several Israeli soldiers were ambushed and killed by Hamas fighters who emerged from the tunnels.

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Washington Brief: A Recap of News from the Hill and Beyond

House Armed Services Committee Authorizes U.S.-Israel Missile Defense Funds

On April 28, the House Armed Services

Committee passed the National Defense

Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year

2017 (H.R. 4909), in a 60-2 bipartisan vote.

The defense bill, which contains key pro-Israel

provisions, now heads to the House of

Representatives floor.

The authorization is part of a two-step process. The actual funding will be allocated through an

appropriations bill.

The NDAA includes $600.8 million for U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense programs. The funds will

help Israel defend its citizens against rocket and missile threats, while also helping advance the

capabilities of America’s armed forces.

The committee approved a proposal sponsored by Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) that authorizes $25

million in directed energy research and development activities between the United States and Israel.

An amendment submitted by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) that authorizes $10 million in funding for U.S.-

Israel tunnel cooperation efforts was approved by the committee. The committee also unanimously

accepted a bipartisan proposal by Reps. Lamborn and Gwen Graham (D-FL) that directs the secretary of

defense to provide a briefing on the status of anti-tunnel cooperation between the United States and

Israel.

Two Iran-related amendments were approved. The first requires a briefing on the Department of

Defense’s investigation of the Iranian seizure of American sailors. The second amends the annual report

on the military power of Iran to include Tehran’s cyber capabilities and information on Iranian military

and security organizations responsible for detaining members of the United States Armed Forces or

interfering with military operations.

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Missile Defense Agency Director Praises U.S.-Israel Defense Cooperation

On April 13, Director of the Missile Defense Agency Vice Adm. James Syring testified before the Senate

Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic

Forces on the fiscal year 2017 missile defense budget, emphasizing the importance of U.S.-Israel military

cooperation.

In his testimonies, Adm. Syring discussed how bilateral defense ties “most notably with Israel” has

helped “strengthen and expand our national missile defense capabilities.” He also highlighted how

military collaboration with Israel has played a role in generating American jobs.

Regarding the successful December 2015 test of the short-to-medium range ballistic missile interceptor

David’s Sling, the MDA Director stated that he is “very confident in the testing that we did, specifically

with David Sling last year and the successes that they had with four successful intercepts late last year

that the program is ready for production.”

“We absolutely are in the regional -- in the regional area and have learned a lot from the performance

and the design of their interceptors, which is critically important for why you hear us say, we need the

technical data package, for example, for David's Sling, so we can take that information and use it to our

advantage for our systems and our interceptors,” said Syring.

The subcommittee missile defense budget hearings come in the wake of calls from members of Congress

from both parties to increase missile defense funding in the 2017 budget.

According to Defense News, lawmakers are pushing for additional security assistance for joint U.S.-Israel

ventures, including the Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system, the mid-range David’s Sling Weapon

System and the long-range Arrow missile defense system.

“Missile defense is crucially important, and coming out of the Iran deal, we want to make clear our

commitment to their security has not wavered,” said House Armed Services Ranking Member Adam

Smith (D-WA). “Any threats Israel faces from missiles from the south — from the Gaza Strip, Islamic jihad

and Hamas — and from the north and Hezbollah, we want to put them in the position to have a very

strong deterrent to that.”

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Following an April trip to Israel, Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) stated that “we now have to increase our

defensive technologies for Gulf Cooperation Council countries and others, which means in the long run

we will have to increase our investment in Israel."

Bipartisan Letter Urges United States to Denounce Anti-Israel U.N. Resolution

In a May 9 bipartisan, bicameral letter, four members of Congress urged Secretary of State John Kerry

and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman not to comply with a U.N. Human Rights Council

resolution calling for foreign divestment from Israel.

Spearheaded by Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) in the Senate and Reps. Peter Roskam

(R-IL) and Juan Vargas (D-CA) in the House, the letter highlights a March 24 resolution that calls for the

‘blacklist’ of several companies in areas of Israel.

The letter called the resolution “unprecedented in scope,” stating that it “threatens significant damage

to both Israel and the United States, thus warranting a vigorous response.”

“Congress has long combatted boycotts and other discriminatory treatment of Israel. ‘Blacklists’ are

among the most nefarious, as they serve only to isolate and stigmatize,” wrote the members of

Congress. “This new ‘blacklist’ is reminiscent of the Arab League boycott against Israel, and companies

dealing with Israel, which for decades was used to strangle Israel’s economy and coerce Israel into

unilateral concessions. Any foreign company, including American ones, could be targeted by this effort

even if they are conducting completely legal activities under U.S. and international law.”

In 2015, Portman, Cardin, Roskam and Vargas authored language in the Trade Promotion Authority

(TPA) law that discourages prospective U.S. trade partners from engaging in economic discrimination

against Israel.

“We urge you to quickly, publicly and forcefully commit that the United States will not comply with the

UNHRC resolution,” wrote the members of congress. “Great Britain has already taken this step. The

United States must send the same signal, and should work with our other European allies to do the same

– particularly the members of the European Union who desire free trade with the United States and are

impacted by the TPA guidelines.”

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Senate Democratic Leader Opposes Palestinian Efforts at the United Nations

On April 14, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) voiced his opposition to Palestinian attempts to

gain recognition through a U.N. Security Council resolution.

“I have always been a strong supporter of a peaceful and negotiated solution between Israel and the

Palestinians, which is why I am deeply concerned about reports that the Palestinians are trying to use the

United Nations to gain recognition through a biased Security Council Resolution,” said Sen. Reid. “The

United States has previously opposed these types of biased resolutions, and I urge the Obama

Administration to oppose and veto any attempt to pass such a resolution at the United Nations Security

Council.”

In his statement, Reid also highlighted the U.N. Human Rights Council's "biased and singular focus" on

Israel.

"In addition, the United Nations has a long history of bias against Israel most recently demonstrated by

the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution to create a ‘blacklist’ of companies that operate beyond

Israel’s 1949 Armistice line, which not only unfairly targets Israeli companies but could also hurt

American companies. The Human Rights Council has had a biased and singular focus on Israel for many

years, and this recent outrageous example is reminiscent of other attempts to boycott Jewish business

around the world."

Click here to read Sen. Reid’s full statement.

U.S. Supreme Court: $2B to Families of Iranian-backed Terror Victims

On April 20, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that nearly $2 billion in frozen assets held by Iran’s Central

Bank—located in a Citibank trust account in New York—must be turned over to the families of American

victims of Iranian terrorism, including terrorist attacks conducted by Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

The 6-2 ruling upheld a key provision in the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012,

which stated that the funds should go toward satisfying a $2.65 billion judgment won by the families

against Iran in U.S. federal court in 2007. These families include relatives of the 241 Marines murdered

by Hezbollah in 1983.

"[The law] provides a new standard clarifying that, if Iran owns certain assets, the victims of Iran-

sponsored terrorist attacks will be permitted to execute against those assets," wrote Supreme Court

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the ruling. "Applying laws implementing Congress' policy judgments,

with fidelity to those judgments, is commonplace for the Judiciary."

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa

and co-author of the 2012 provision, praised the decision.

“Today is a huge victory for the victims or Iranian terror, for their families and for justice. Iran has long

evaded justice for its role in some of the most horrific terror attacks perpetrated against America, but

today that has changed,” said Rep. Ros-Lehtinen. “The same post-revolutionary regime that ordered the

attacks against American service members in the past is the very same regime still sitting in power in

Tehran. It’s the same regime that’s responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of U.S. service member

deaths in Iraq, the same regime that was responsible for terror attacks like the AMIA bombing in Buenos

Aires, and the same regime that has stated on countless occasions it seeks to wipe the democratic Jewish

State of Israel off the map.”

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who spearheaded the Senate legislation, also released a statement on the

Supreme Court ruling.

“By confirming Congress’ prerogative to enact legislation that provides for appropriate and fair

compensation to victims of Iranian terrorism, the Supreme Court has also delivered a clear warning to

Iran: So long as Iran continues its support for terrorism, its regime will be held liable for its actions,” said

Sen. Menendez. “This should give the regime pause – its potential windfalls from sanctions relief under

the Iran nuclear deal may now be steered to a much greater cause, compensation to American victims of

Iran’s predatory foreign policies, something I’ve advocated all along.”

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) said that the Supreme Court made the “right decision” to provide

financial assets to the victims’ families.

“Families of Iranian terror victims have had to wait far too long to recoup these payments. While we can

only provide so much comfort to those who grieve, I hope this ruling will help bring justice,” said

Speaker Ryan.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), the ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, welcomed

“…the Court’s decision that victims of Iranian terrorism are entitled to justice. As I’ve said, now that the

Iran nuclear agreement is in place, we cannot let up the pressure when it comes to Iran’s other

destructive actions. While I’m not holding my breath for the Ayatollah to write a check, this judgment

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sends a clear message that we will not forget about American lives lost at Iranian hands and that we will

continue to hold Iran’s feet to the fire.”

Deputy Secretary Highlights U.S.-Israel Cyber Cooperation

On April 3, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas addressed the George

Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security. His remarks highlight the importance of

U.S.-Israel cooperation in this rapidly evolving realm.

"Dr. Eviatar Matania, head of Israel's Cyber Bureau described the cyber space as the 3rd revolution.

There was the agricultural revolution, industrial revolution, and now there's the cyber revolution," said

Mayorkas.

"Our office of Science and Technology has just entered into an agreement with the Government of Israel

to pool funding for R&D in the cybersecurity realm. This is a matter where the community is not only a

public-private partnership domestically, but a public to public and private to private around the world."

The partnership between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Israeli Ministry of Public

Security will fund projects that will improve the preparedness and capabilities of national rescue forces —

including fire, police and first-aid units.

Senators Urge Designation of U.S.-Israel Center of Excellence

The Energy Department should work to establish a U.S.-Israel Energy Center, as suggested by law, Sens.

Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) wrote in a May 6 letter to Energy Secretary Ernest

Moniz.

The U.S.-Israel Center of Excellence in Energy and Water was authorized under the U.S-Israel Strategic

Partnership Act, signed by President Obama in December 2014. The law calls for greater defense and

energy cooperation between the two countries, including the possibility of creating a center that would

foster innovation.

Following Secretary Moniz's recent trip to Israel, Sens. Murkowski and Cantwell, the chairman and

ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, respectively, are pushing the

department to move forward in authorizing the center.

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"As we noted last year, such a center has potential to be a leading hub for innovation and research and

development for global energy and water issues," the senators wrote, adding later that they

"respectfully request that you commence work on the center."