Obama signs U.S.-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act at the White House

By Lauren Appelbaum, Political Director

President Obama after signing the U.S.-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act July 27, 2012 - Photo by Natasha Mozgovaya

President Obama after signing the U.S.-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act, July 27, 2012 – Photo by Natasha Mozgovaya

Washington, July 27 – President Obama reaffirmed support for Israel’s security as he signed the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act today at the White House.

“I hope that, as I sign this bill, once again everybody understands how committed all of us are – Republicans and Democrats – as Americans, to our friends, in making sure that Israel is safe and secure,” Obama said.

This act, which passed Congress with broad bipartisan support on July 17, expands military and intelligence cooperation with Israel.

The president also discussed the July 18 terror attack on a bus carrying Israeli tourists in Burgas, Bulgaria that killed five Israelis and a Bulgarian on board.

“The tragic events that we saw in Bulgaria emphasize the degree to which this continues to be a challenge not just for Israel but for the entire world – preventing terrorist attacks and making sure that the people of Israel are not targeted,” he said.

Obama signed the bill using five pens, at his desk, flanked by Sen. Barbara Boxer, sponsor of the Senate version of the bill, Rep. Howard Berman, the House version author, Lee Rosenberg, chairman of the board of AIPAC and Howard Friedman, the former Chair, as well as Richard Stone, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Obama also emphasized his administration’s support for Iron Dome. In the last decade, Israelis in the north and south have suffered bombardments by Iran-backed terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas. In response, Israel developed the Iron Dome system in 2007 to defend against short-range rocket and artillery attacks. The system integrates vertically launched interceptor missiles with a mobile control center as well as an advanced radar component.

The president said U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta – scheduled to travel to Israel next week – will further consult and find additional roles where the U.S. and Israel can cooperate in defense of both nations.

Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren said in a statement, “The government and the people of Israel express profound gratitude to President Barack Obama on his signing of the U.S.-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act.”

About TIP on the Trail
TIP on the Trail is a nonpartisan political commentary on the 2012 U.S. elections, with a view toward the Middle East. TIP on the Trail is not affiliated with any government, is nonpartisan and neither rates nor endorses candidates. Chief political writers for TIP on the Trail include Alan Elsner, former chief political correspondent for Reuters, and Lauren Appelbaum, former political researcher for NBC News.

3 Responses to Obama signs U.S.-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act at the White House

  1. david says:

    NEVER IS THERE A BIGGER FRAUD IN THE COOPERATION BY THIS BLACK APE TO GET JEWISH VOTES – ONCE YOU _JEWS CAST YOUR VITES FOR THIS MONKEY” YOU WILL BE SENT TO THE GAS CHAMBERS AGAIN
    ISRAEL WAKE UP _ DID HE VISIT ISRAEL ??? WHEN HE VISITED SAUDI ARABIA OR AFTER EGYPT??

  2. Paul Tenenbaum says:

    David: You remind me of the Arabs who cover their face so as not to be recognized. Behinf the scenes you are big mouth. The next time you describe our President in such vile words, your mother should take you over her knees and give you a good shellacking. What do you know about gas chambers, maybe if you had been in a camp you would watch your mouth. If you are a Jew, you are a disgrace. Visits are for photo op as Romney did- now he wants money. It is far more important that our country support Israel with weapons to defend herself. Actions speak louder than words. But in your case, swallow yours so that you do not insult Israel.

  3. Pingback: Wasserman Schultz: Israel deserves to continue as a Jewish and democratic state « TIP on the Trail

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out / Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out / Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 30 other followers

%d bloggers like this: