http://www.iiacf.org/index.php en wgriffioen@mercazz.com Copyright 2010 2010-06-24T20:34:55+00:00 http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/congressional_israel_allies_caucus_holds_press_conference_on_flotilla_issue/ http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/congressional_israel_allies_caucus_holds_press_conference_on_flotilla_issue/#When:20:34:55Z The Congressional Israel Allies Caucus held a press conference on Wednesday, June 16th to respond to calls for an international investigation of Israel and to hold Turkey accountable for their involvement in the flotilla incident.  Representing the caucus were co-chairmen, Congressmen Elliot Engel (D-NY) and Mike Pence (R-IN) who were also joined by Congressmen Ted Poe (R-TX), Minority Whip Eric Cantor (VA), Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and Pete King (R-NY). The Congressional Israel Allies Caucus held a press conference on Wednesday, June 16th to respond to calls for an international investigation of Israel and to hold Turkey accountable for their involvement in the flotilla incident.   Representing the caucus were co-chairmen, Congressmen Elliot Engel (D-NY) and Mike Pence (R-IN) who were also joined by Congressmen Ted Poe (R-TX), Minority Whip Eric Cantor (VA), Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and Pete King (R-NY).    Here are a few quotes from the Congressmen:Mike Pence - "I am here today in my capacity as co-chairman of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus...with regard to Capitol Hill, with regard to the Congress of the United States, there will be a cost if Turkey stays on its present heading of growing closer to Iran and more antagonistic to the state of Israel."Elliot Engel - "Support for Israel in this Congress and in this nation, is bipartisan, and we are here simply to speak with one voice to support Israel’s right to protect themselves as a sovereign democratic nation...Because Turkey is a NATO ally, it's even more disgraceful, their actions...If we look at what the Turkish government has done in the past couple of years: they certainly have a very strong Islamic bent, but a bent in terms of looking towards Iran, and looking towards the Middle East, and not looking at the West and NATO anymore,”Eric Cantor - "Any reports that I have heard over the last 24 hours that indicate that our administration is somehow complicit in an effort to push out a UN resolution calling for and international investigation of the flotilla headed for Gaza is an outrage.  We're here not only to urge this administration to veto any such resolution [from the UN directed towards Israel] but to stand up, speak out in opposition to such right now."  Shelley Berkley - "As far as I'm concerned, Turkey is responsible for the nine deaths aboard that ship, it is not Israel's troops that are responsible...They don't deserve to be a part of the EU until they start behaving more like the European nations and a whole lot less like Iran,"   The following are a list of links to various news outlets who attended the press conference and published stories: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/16/us.turkey.armenia/ http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65F77O20100616?type=politicsNews http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=178687 http://congress.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/06/16/lawmakers-threaten-turkey-with-reprisals-over-israel/ http://thehill.com/homenews/house/103571-lawmakers-there-will-be-a-cost- http://republicanwhip.house.gov/newsroom/2010/06/republican-whip-eric-cantor-urges-obama-administration-to-defend-israel-veto-un-resolution.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85rFmRA2A9Y http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5irfo_3pYFmu37DVEPoKcCPhYcAfg http://talkradionews.com/2010/06/bipartisan-lawmakers-demand-long-lasting-support-for-isreal/ http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3906512,00.html http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/138125 Featured, News 2010-06-24T20:34:55+00:00 http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/iiacf_launches_latin_american_office/ http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/iiacf_launches_latin_american_office/#When:15:03:19Z The International Israel Allies Caucus Foundation (IIACF) is pleased to announce the launch of the new Latin America office and the hiring of Paul Phillips as Latin American Regional Director.  Paul will be based in Brazil, from where he will develop and manage Israel Allies Caucuses throughout the region. (Washington, DC) The International Israel Allies Caucus Foundation (IIACF) is pleased to announce the launch of the new Latin America office and the hiring of Paul Phillips as Latin American Regional Director.   Paul will be based in Brazil, from where he will develop and manage Israel Allies Caucuses throughout the region.“We are excited to have someone with Paul’s contacts, knowledge and background in the region on our team,” said Willem Griffioen, Chief of Operations.  “His experience working in the Israeli Embassy will be a great asset as we work to expand the number of caucuses in Latin America and create an active parliamentary community involved in the issues relating to Israel.”  Paul worked in the public relations department of the Israeli Embassy in Brasilia for the last 6 years, developing close contacts and managing a variety of projects in the region.  The IIACF looks forward to growing in Latin America, working with many local partners to provide the caucus community with an array of resources and activities. The IIACF expansion into the region comes on the heels of Brazilian President Lula’s historic first visit to Israel and in a crucial time of enhanced activity in Latin America relating to Israel. Currently there are member caucuses in 15 nations with 5 more under development.   Featured, News 2010-03-28T15:03:19+00:00 http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/jerusalem_post_article_-_a_world_of_difference/ http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/jerusalem_post_article_-_a_world_of_difference/#When:21:14:00Z Jan. 13, 2010 - Gil Hoffman Following a week in which the top stories in the Hebrew press were about the deterioration of relations with key allies, a surprising anniversary will be marked in Budapest on Friday. The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus will mark six years since its founding by the late MK Yuri Shtern by inaugurating its 16th sister caucus in Hungary. An expansion to 30 sister caucuses is expected by the end of the year.   Jan. 13, 2010 - Gil Hoffman , THE JERUSALEM POST Following a week in which the top stories in the Hebrew press were about the deterioration of relations with key allies, a surprising anniversary will be marked in Budapest on Friday. The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus will mark six years since its founding by the late MK Yuri Shtern by inaugurating its 16th sister caucus in Hungary. An expansion to 30 sister caucuses is expected by the end of the year. The parliament members in the caucuses, who come from all faiths, lobby their governments and constituencies to support Israel and Judeo-Christian values, providing a powerful army of allies that can be deployed for public diplomacy when push comes to shove. This year, they will mobilize their governments to back keeping Jerusalem united under Israeli rule and to understand the threat that Iran poses to the Western world. As the number of sister caucuses increases worldwide, members of the original caucus at the Knesset hope their allies abroad can make a difference in the UN and other top international forums. "Every country has a finger at the UN," said Israel Beiteinu MK David Rotem, who chairs the caucus. "I hope we will persuade more and more countries to support us. If there are nearly 200 countries, I hope we will eventually form nearly that many sister caucuses. Iran obviously won't start supporting us tomorrow, but we can definitely make inroads all over the world." Caucus director Josh Reinstein said that when the caucus was first established, its founders were not sure what shape it would take. But now they are shocked at how far it has come and how successful it has been at instituting cooperation in the political arena with Christian leadership around the world. The most obvious sister caucus is the one in Congress, led by Jewish Democrat Elliot Engel of New York and Republican Mike Pence of Indiana, which has 15 Democrats and 30 Republicans. It is also unsurprising that there are caucuses in Britain and Canada, which are both led by Conservative MPs, and one in the European Union's parliament, which is chaired by Hannu Takkula of Finland. But there are also caucuses in Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay in South America; Japan, South Korea and the Philippines in Asia; and South Africa, Malawi and Sierra Leone in Africa. The list of countries set to form a caucus in 2010 includes Nigeria, which has a Muslim majority and Muslim president, and Sweden, whose government has been condemned by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman for its anti-Israel agenda. When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to Switzerland in April, it was the head of the Christian Allies Caucus in that country, then-MP Christian Waber, who led the protests against him. Waber is an Evangelical Christian, but many MPs in the Christian Allied Caucuses come from other streams of Christianity or other religions. A caucus will be formed in Italy in April in which the overwhelming majority of its members are expected to be Catholic. When a pro-Israel rally was held in Sierra Leone in June 2008, it was organized by Christians who formed the caucus in the poor, West African country, but 70 percent of the crowd was made up of Muslim friends of Israel. The Israeli caucus includes Likud MKs Gila Gamliel, Danny Danon, Ayoub Kara, Yariv Levin and Carmel Shama; Anastasia Michaeli, Faina Kirschenbaum, Robert Ilatov and Alex Miller of Israel Beiteinu; Arye Eldad of the National Union; Orit Noked of Labor; and Nachman Shai, Shlomo Mula, Shai Hermesh, Arieh Bibi and Yoel Hasson of Kadima. Although there are currently no haredi members, former Shas faction chairman Yair Peretz was one of the founders. A United Torah Judaism MK said he decided not to join the caucus because he was concerned about the motives of the Christians, some of whom support Israel because they think it could help return the Christian messiah, but Rotem, who is Orthodox, does not see it as a problem. "When you appreciate their faith in the Bible, you understand their love of Israel," he said. "And eventually, as Jeremiah prophesied, everyone will understand and will support Israel." Rotem succeeded Benny Elon as head of the caucus when Elon quit politics ahead of the February election. But Elon has stayed active in the organization, chairing the International Israel-Allied Caucus Foundation, a nonprofit organization in the US that coordinates the many caucuses and raises money for them. Elon will be the keynote speaker at a January 26 rally in India that is expected to be attended by 5,000 Christian pastors from across the country. He said the Christian caucuses provide an important infrastructure of friends of the Jewish state and that Israel should utilize such important human resources. "Everyone knows there are anti-Semites, but people don't realize how many friends we have around the world," Elon said. "When the prime minister is facing difficult governments in the US and Europe, it's important that he knows there are international supporters who have his back." Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is considered a pioneer in reaching out to Christian supporters, going back to his time as ambassador to the UN. As mayor of Jerusalem and then prime minister, Ehud Olmert also furthered the relationship. Elon became close to the Evangelical Christian community when he was tourism minister and shifted the focus of marketing of tourism from the sandy beaches in Tel Aviv to the holy sites in the Bible. MANY MKS who joined the caucus said they were impressed by how many Christian tourists kept coming during the Palestinian wave of violence at the beginning of the last decade when Jewish tourism declined. Reinstein said that half of the current ministers were once members of the caucus, making this the most friendly government to the international Christian community the country has had. Malcolm Hedding, head of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, said the most important contribution of the caucus has been that it helped bring to the Knesset in general and the wider Israeli establishment the understanding that Christians have made to a positive impact on the country's welfare. He said that his own organization and others have been involved in that effort for 30 years, but the caucus played a key role in improving the image of Christians among Israelis. "The caucus is the consequence a long, hard and controversial journey," Hedding said. "The establishment of a caucus in the Knesset was proof that Christian support has caught the attention of the highest offices in Israel. We have stood the test of time, weathered the storms and proved our credentials." Elon said the caucus still had a long way to go to prove its worth. He said he was aware that there were many anti-Israel Christian groups, but the positive impact of the pro-Israel Christians could not be understated. "The caucuses still have to prove themselves," Elon said. "Right now, they are mostly infrastructure. We are locating Israel supporters and the communities and congregations locally who encourage them. Then we will test their effectiveness on issues like Jerusalem and Iran. The struggles are still before us. But if we get to all the Christians, that's more than a billion people who can counter the influence of Muslims against Israel." One example Reinstein gave of the impact the caucuses have had is that Saviour Chishimba, a candidate in Zambia's 2011 presidential elections, cited the caucuses as one of the organizations that influenced him. On a visit here last month, he said the first thing he would do if elected is to move his country's embassy to Jerusalem. "In some countries we are the only voice within the government and one of the few pro-Israeli voices in the country, along with the Christian grass roots who are the MPs' constituencies," Reinstein said. "By reaching out to Christian friends of Israel who act as bridge builders, we have vibrant, independent, energetic streams of support Israel never had before. The bigger we are, the more influential we will be, and we are just getting rolling. There is no limit to what we can accomplish focusing on the spiritual narrative not the political one." This article can also be read at:  http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1263147884533&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull Featured, News 2010-01-14T21:14:00+00:00 http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/iiacf_hosts_2009_independence_gala_event_-_washington_dc/ http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/iiacf_hosts_2009_independence_gala_event_-_washington_dc/#When:15:13:57Z More than 400 governmental and organizational leaders gathered in Washington to show their support for the International Israel Allies Caucus Foundation at the 2009 Independence Gala On May 3-4, the IIACF hosted the 2009 Independence Gala event in Washington, DC.  This event, celebrating Israel's Independence Day, marked the 2nd conference the IIACF has held in Washington, DC.  Speakers included Gabriela Shalev, Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Congressional Israel Allies Caucus Co-Chairs, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) and Rep. Elliot Engel (D-NY), IIACF Chairman and former MK Benny Elon,  MK David Rotem, Chairman of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, Susan Michael, US Director of the ICEJ, and Michael Little, CEO of Christian Broadcasting Network.  The Independence Gala event and conference highlighted the work the IIACF is doing in establishing, coordinating and resourcing Israel Allies Caucuses in governments around the globe.  These caucuses are being developed to provide parliamentarians around the world with the platform to influence actions their home governments are taking in regards to Israel as well as provide a much need voice of support for Israel in a coordinated way on an international governmental level.  The Gala event was a successful key step for the IIACF in building new partnerships and relationships with leaders and organizations in the foundation’s work to interact these leaders with the parliamentarians in IIACF caucuses.  Key issues such as UNRWA were discussed in symposiums held on the second day of the event to highlight areas the IIACF is focused on in the coming year.  In the wake of the event the IIACF has stepped up development of new caucuses in several nations across the globe. Featured, News 2009-06-26T15:13:57+00:00 http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/christian_supporters_of_israel_gather_in_washington/ http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/christian_supporters_of_israel_gather_in_washington/#When:02:10:04Z Hundreds of Christian supporters of Israel were to gather Sunday evening in Washington with a group of international lawmakers seeking to further Israel-US ties based on shared Judeo-Christian values, amid growing concerns of a nuclear armed Iran. May 3, 2009 Etgar Lefkovits , THE JERUSALEM POST Hundreds of Christian supporters of Israel were to gather Sunday evening in Washington with a group of international lawmakers seeking to further Israel-US ties based on shared Judeo-Christian values, amid growing concerns of a nuclear armed Iran. The conference, which is being hosted by the Israel Allies Caucus Foundation, the international arm of the Knesset's Christian Allies Caucus, on the same day as the opening of the separate AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) conference in the US capital, will be attended by Chairmen of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus Mike Pence (R-Indiana), Congressman Eliot Engel (D-New York), House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Virginia), as well as the newly appointed Chairman of the Knesset's Christian Allies Caucus MK David Rotem and former minister Benny Elon, who has been named president of the international organization. The second annual gathering, being held in honor of Israel's 61st anniversary, comes amid burgeoning ties between Israel and the largely supportive evangelical Christian community around the world, and follows the formation by the increasingly influential Israeli cross-party parliamentary lobby of pro-Israel sister caucuses in 15 parliaments, including the US. The event, which will include a large contingent of evangelical leaders, including the president of CBN Michael Little as well as the US director of the Jerusalem-based International Christian Embassy, Susan Michael, will include a keynote address by Ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev. "The Christian communities and their representatives are the real allies that we can rely on in the US and around the world," Elon said Sunday. "I hope that the new leadership in Israel will understand this reality better than the last administration and recognize how to translate this support into action." The former tourism minister and previous caucus chairman, who is taking a break from politics, was a leading force in furthering Israel's ties with the evangelical Christian world. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who had been invited to the gathering but stayed in Jerusalem in preparation for his May 18 inaugural meeting with US President Barack Obama, sent a written letter to the gathering. In the past, Netanyahu has called the evangelical Christian community Israel's best friends. The parliamentary lobby's director Josh Reinstein said that convincing governments around the world to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons "at all costs" was at the forefront of the Caucus's agenda. This article can also be read at: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710851402&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull 2009-06-18T02:10:04+00:00 http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/november_2008_-_iiacf_hosts_unrwa_luncheon_at_efi_policy_conference_-_paris/ http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/november_2008_-_iiacf_hosts_unrwa_luncheon_at_efi_policy_conference_-_paris/#When:18:08:45Z Members of the IIACF gathered with over 250 European and European Union parliamentarians at a special IIACF hosted luncheon during the European Friends of Israel Policy Conference in Paris, France, on November 7, 2008… Members of the IIACF gathered with over 250 European and European Union parliamentarians at a special IIACF-held luncheon of the European Friends of Israel Policy Conference in Paris, France, on November 7, 2008. MK Benny Elon, MP Paulo Casaca and MP Hannu Takkula, along with experts on the issue presented reports on UNRWA to the assembly. Speakers highlighted the fact that the international community continues to direct billions of dollars to the United Nations for aid to Palestinian refugees, yet the refugee crisis continues to grow in severity and size. Speakers suggested that a NEW humanitarian solution to the Palestinian refugee crisis is the best approach to resolving an intolerable situation not only for the refugees themselves, but for the bordering nations and the international community. For an outline of this approach see: Featured 2009-02-17T18:08:45+00:00 http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/eu_mps_urged_to_rethink_refugee_issue/ http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/eu_mps_urged_to_rethink_refugee_issue/#When:18:07:51Z A gathering of hundreds of European parliamentarians who support Israel concluded over the weekend in Paris with a politically loaded discussion on the rehabilitation of Palestinian refugees - one of the most sensitive issues facing Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. November 10, 2008 ETGAR LEFKOVITS, Paris , THE JERUSALEM POST A gathering of hundreds of European parliamentarians who support Israel concluded over the weekend in Paris with a politically loaded discussion on the rehabilitation of Palestinian refugees - one of the most sensitive issues facing Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.The debate, part of a conference sponsored by the Brussels-based European Friends of Israel, came amid a groundswell of parliamentary activity around the world, including in the US and Canada, to reroute funding from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the mammoth UN body that deals with Palestinian refugees and their descendants, towards the resettlement of some of the refugees and their descendants in third countries.The session, which was hosted by the Israel Allies Caucus Foundation, the international arm of the Knesset's Christian Allies Caucus, included addresses by European parliamentarians as well as by MK Benny Elon of the National Union-National Religious Party and MK Amira Dotan of Kadima. The two co-chair a new Knesset caucus on the rehabilitation of Palestinian refugees.Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians - estimates range from 400,000 to 750,000 - left their homes during the War of Independence in 1948 and 1949. They, along with their millions of descendants, constitute one of the prickliest issues that must be dealt with as part of any resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Israel flatly rejects the Palestinian demand that these refugees be allowed to return to their ancestral homes within Israel, saying that such a move would indelibly alter the character of the country.Israel has also pointed to the 850,000 Jews who fled Arab countries after Israel's founding in 1948 and were integrated and absorbed in Israeli society as counterweight to the issue of Palestinian refugees.Recently, some Israeli parliamentarians have begun to openly advocate dealing tackling the Palestinian refugee issue after decades of avoiding it as a non-starter.Much of the focus at Friday's discussion centered on the difference between UNRWA and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR), the main UN body that handles all other refugees around the world.While UNRWA's 25,000-strong almost exclusively Palestinian staff care for 4.5 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants, the UNHCR employs a staff of around 6,300 people to help nearly 33 million people in more than 110 countries.The event also dwelt on UNRWA's definition of Palestinian refugees, which includes not only the refugees themselves, but also their descendants, which critics say only serves to perpetuate the refugee crisis."We are asking why the UNHCR has the mandate to solve the problem of refugees and UNRWA does not," Elon said. "There are cynical political reasons to maintain the status of the refugees." UNRWA has repeatedly said that the issue of Palestinian refugees can only be resolved in the context of a future peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.UNRWA concedes that the size of the refugee problem is made bigger - but not prolonged - by the UN's inclusion of the descendants of the Palestinian refugees, but insists that this is how the UN deals with refugees all over the world."We can learn from the UNHCR how to shift power energies and money to find tools that are already there," said Dotan, who praised UNRWA's humanitarian and educational work for the Palestinians in her address, but suggested following the success of UNHCR.She noted that UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen AbuZayd is slated to address the Knesset caucus, after a summer event was postponed due to scheduling conflicts."The root of the problem is that these people are refugees because those who are dealing in the industry of hate are misusing them," said Paulo Casaca, a member of the European Parliament from Portugal."They are kept on a hate-machine," he said. "Instead of helping the refugees we are helping those who want to [use] the refugees against the State of Israel," he said."The EU has a moral obligation to examine the root of the problem instead of throwing money at the problem, as we have in the past," said Hannu Takkula, a member of the European Parliament from Finland."We have to start this discussion, because the system is not working," he added. "The problem for many is a lack of information." This article can also be read at: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1225910077853&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter News 2009-02-17T18:07:51+00:00 http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/unrwa_and_the_palestinian_refugee_problem/ http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/unrwa_and_the_palestinian_refugee_problem/#When:17:58:41Z There is a tragedy taking place in Middle East today.  There are millions of Palestianian’s living as “refugees” for over 60 years. 2009-02-17T17:58:41+00:00 http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/a_nuclear_iran/ http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/a_nuclear_iran/#When:17:56:04Z 2009-02-17T17:56:04+00:00 http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/may_2008_chairmens_conference_-_washington_dc/ http://www.iiacf.org/index.php/site/may_2008_chairmens_conference_-_washington_dc/#When:16:20:09Z The Inaugural IIACF Chairmen’s Conference took place May 20 - 23, 2008, with 12 international parliamentary delegates representing 8 nations in attendance. The delegates were joined by Jewish and Christian leaders for sessions in the United States Capitol and various other historical sites in Washington, DC. "Israel at 60 and Looking Forward" The Inaugural IIACF Chairmen's Conference took place May 20 - 23, 2008, with 12 international parliamentary delegates representing 8 nations in attendance. The nations included the United States, Brazil, Uruguay, South Africa, Canada, Israel, Japan and Switzerland. The delegates were joined by Jewish and Christian leaders for sessions in the United States Capitol, Library of Congress and various other historical sites in Washington, DC. The Caucus Chairmen gave in-depth reports of pro-Israel activities in their home parliaments, strategized about future partnership and presented a formal Declaration of Support for Israel to be signed in the presence of the Israeli Ambassador, Members of the Knesset and US Congress as well as State Department officials and other leaders. The document was signed in a closing ceremony and press conference hosted at the Capitol Hill Club. The conference was a definitive success in building international support for Israel. Delegates returned home with new ideas for pro-Israel legislation and greater international cooperation. In the wake of the conference, three new caucuses were launched and continue to grow rapidly. Click Here to download a copy of the IIACF Declaration of Purpose. Featured 2009-02-17T16:20:09+00:00