Local congressmen stress concern for Israel

WASHINGTON ““ Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9), a member of the House Appropriations Foreign Operations Subcommittee, said in a statement on Monday that “[t]he United States and our allies are all monitoring the situation on a minute by minute basis and encourage a peaceful and democratic resolution to the current Egyptian unrest. My heart goes out to all of those who have been killed or injured during the mass demonstrations in the Egyptian streets.

“For the past 30 years,” Rothman pointed out, “as the most populous of the Arab states, with the largest standing army in the region, Egypt has played a critically important role in protecting America’s interests in North Africa and the Middle East. This includes Egypt’s cooperation in military, intelligence, and economic matters with our country and its continuing to preserve the peace with America’s most important friend and strategic ally in the region, the Jewish state of Israel. Egypt has also partnered with the U.S., Israel, and our other allies in fighting terrorism.

“In the end,” he said, “we seek an Egypt that remains a strong ally, working with the U.S. in our common fight against terrorism, living at peace with Israel, and creating an increasingly open society to meet the needs of its young and growing population.

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-8) noted, in a statement, that “the demonstrations in Egypt of the past few days clearly indicate that the nation is on the verge of great change. It is my hope that they lead to a peaceful transition towards a democratically elected, transparent, and accountable government that responds to the will of the people. Any new government must continue to uphold Egypt’s commitments to peace and security in the region and with Israel.”

A request for a statement from Rep. Scott Garrett (R-5) was not returned by press time.

Jewish Standard Staff

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