On September 20, 2023, Israel’s Defense and Security Forum felt compelled to send U.S. President, Joe Biden, a personal letter in light of the politicized climate generated by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, visit to the United States and his meeting with the President. This comes alongside attempts to smear Israel’s reputation as the spillover of the internal divide in Israel reached across the Atlantic.
We clarified that while strictly a-political, our movement is committed to Israel’s national security, which means prioritizing it above all other personal or political disagreements.
We also underscored that as the peace initiative with Saudi Arabia can herald unlimited opportunities, any financial aid to the Palestinian Authority must be conditioned upon its formal rejection of the notorious “Pay for Slay” law that provides state-sponsored terror financing.
Our two nations are also committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, thereby work alongside regional partners to harness them toward regional security, stability, and prosperity.
We encourage you to read our letter that was sent to the President and members of the Senate and House’s Foreign Affairs Committees, or download the PDF version.
National Security to remain Front and Center of US-Israeli relations
As a lifelong and true friend of the State of Israel, who has proven his words of love and support for the Jewish State with deeds over decades, we humbly ask you to preserve the national security interests of our two great nations as the top priority as you meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York.
We represent the largest NGO of defense veterans in Israel, and focus on one thing only: the national security of the State of Israel. We do not dabble in politics and do not presume to be legal, financial, or academic experts. That is why we see it fit to address the leader of Israel’s closest ally in the world and advise you not to be sidetracked by the spillover of Israeli domestic politics across the Atlantic, and allow our democratic process to run its course without external influences, including those of well-intended friends. It would be a shame for the US and for Israel if strategic opportunities to advance our interests in the region were to be squandered as a result of political diversions and provocations.
We admire your visionary leadership in the efforts to forge peace between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and to propel the Middle East towards enhanced development and prosperity by linking Asia and Europe by means of infrastructure and energy. In that vein, we underscore that any financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority be conditioned upon its formal rejection of the “Pay for Slay” law that provides state-funded stipends to terrorists, thereby incentivizing terrorism and is paradoxical to the prospects of achieving genuine peace. The possibilities surrounding Israeli-Arab normalization are endless and we welcome and support any effort led by the US that strengthens Israel’s national security.
However, we are all too aware of the many common threats we face and the urgent need to address them in a united effort. Iran must be deterred from acquiring nuclear weapons, and the only way of accomplishing that is a credible threat to use force, combined with crippling economic and military sanctions. Once achieved, the US, Israel, and other forces of good in the region can begin to scale back Iranian malign influence for the sake of regional security, stability, and prosperity.
The political views of our eighteen thousand members are diverse across both sides of the political divide in Israel, but it is our duty to support overseas missions of any democratically-elected Israeli prime minister when promoting our national security interests, regardless of their identity. We stand firm in our belief that the national security of Israel is ill-served by the undue de-legitimization of our elected officials, and are concerned that political fervor is getting the best of many of our esteemed colleagues from the security services.
We trust your sound judgment and are confident that the outcome of your upcoming meeting with the Prime Minister will promote the national security and interests of our two countries to even higher levels.
Respectfully,
Brigadier General (res) Amir Avivi | Chairman and Founder, IDSF
Lieutenant Colonel (res) Yaron Buskila | Executive Director, IDSF
Major General (res) Yizhak Jerry Gershon
Major General (res) Gershon Hacohen
Major General (res) Yossi Bachar
Major General (res) Kamil Abu Rokon
Vice Admiral (res) Eliezer (Eli) Marum
Major General (ret) Shalom Katabi
Major General (ret) Aaron Axol
Major General (ret) Daniel Hen
Major General (res) Meir Klifi
Major General (res) Yosef Mishleb
Major General (res) Yiftah Ron-Tal
Major General (res) Dan Biton
I., former senior Mossad official
I., former senior Mossad official
M., former senior ISA official
Brigadier General (res) Oren Solomon, National Security Council
Brigadier General (res) Haim Ronen
Brigadier General (res) Yossi Kuperwasser
Brigadier General (res) Nehemia Sokel
Brigadier General (res) Mofid Ganam
Brigadier General (res) Eli Aharoni
Brigadier General (res) Efi Eitam
Brigadier General (res) Sami Holtzken
Brigadier General (res) Zvika Haimovitz
Brigadier General (res) Chen Amatzia
Brigadier General (res) Hasson Hasson
Brigadier General (res) Oded Tira
Brigadier General (res) Netanel Cohen
Brigadier General (res) Harel Cnafo
Brigadier General (res) Imad Fares
Brigadier General (res) Eli Peretz
Brigadier General (res) Yossi Peretz
Brigadier General (res) Avigdor Kahalani
Brigadier General (res) Zvika Kraus
Brigadier General (res) Moshe Sheli
Brigadier General (res) Avi Gur
Brigadier General (res) Alex Eyal
Brigadier General (res) Eliezer Erez
Brigadier General (res) Moshe Nidam
Brigadier General (res) Ari Singer
Brigadier General (res) Abraham Assael
Brigadier General (res) Ofer Zafrir
Brigadier General (res) Dedy Simchi
Brigadier General (res) Pini Badash
Brigadier General (res) Avigdor Klein
Brigadier General (res) Yossi Adiri
Brigadier General (res) Aryeh Eldad
Brigadier General (res) Erez Winner
Brigadier General (res) Avraham Ben-David
Brigadier General (res) Giora Martinovich
Brigadier General (res) Arnon Ben Ami
Brigadier General (res) Rom Tzuk
Brigadier General (ret) Suzy Ben Baruch
Brigadier General (ret) Dorit Ben Meir
Brigadier General (ret) Haim Afargan
Brigadier General (ret) Yehuda Solomon
Brigadier General (ret) Uri Engelhard
Brigadier General (ret) Rafi Peled
Brigadier General (ret) Nehamia Yaakov
Colonel (res) Tal Braun
Colonel (res) Itzik Ronen
Colonel (res) Oren Zini
Colonel (res) Ilan Dikshtein
Colonel (res) Moti Yogev
Colonel (res) Efraim Laor
Colonel (res) Sammy Tzemah
Colonel (res) Moshe Peled
Colonel (res) Ezra Mena
Former Ambassador Eli Yerushalmi
Former Ambassador Yoram Ettinger
Former Ambassador Danny Ayalon
Former Ambassador Daniel Saban
On behalf of the IDSF’s 18,000 members
CC:
Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Senator James Risch, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Representative Michael McCaul, Chairman House Foreign Relations Committee
Representative Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member House Foreign Relations Committee
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog
Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy to Israel Stephanie Hallett