Thread by @AIPAC

NOW: @SenatorMenendez addresses #AIPAC2020.

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@SenatorMenendez "There may be one or two other things happening both here and in Israel making headlines today... but I think this is the most important event happening right now for the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

@SenatorMenendez ...Before I continue, I want to make something clear.

I stand before you today NOT ONLY as the Ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee…

NOT ONLY as a lifelong friend to Israel and the Jewish people…

@SenatorMenendez NOT ONLY as the highest-ranking Latino in the United States Congress…

I ALSO stand before you today as a fellow fighter in humanity’s unending struggle against hatred in all its forms.

@SenatorMenendez So make no mistake: You'll NEVER see @SenatorMenendez speaking to an organization that foments bigotry in ANY form.
I'm ALWAYS proud to address AIPAC Policy Conference.

I'm ALWAYS honored to stand on this stage. Because I know the people here today ALWAYS stand up against hate.

@SenatorMenendez This organization does not foment hatred or support bigotry... On the contrary, this organization has worked painstakingly for years to bring people together.

@SenatorMenendez This organization stands on the side of those advocating justice, dialogue, peace, and the right of all people to live with dignity.

And if anyone from any political party thinks otherwise they should take the time to come themselves instead of castigating from afar!

@SenatorMenendez Here’s what I know. You are the backbone of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship rooted in our shared values and common dreams.

And I stand with you against the many forces that seek to undermine the U.S.-Israel relationship and even Israel’s very right to exist.

@SenatorMenendez Now, many of you have heard this before, but I believe in three fundamental truths that bear repeating today:

ONE: The security of the United States is strong when Israel is strong.

@SenatorMenendez TWO: The Jewish people have a right to live in peace, security, and prosperity in the indisputable homeland of their ancestors.

@SenatorMenendez AND THREE: Israel has a right to defend herself, and the United States will always ensure she has the capabilities necessary to protect her people and her borders.

@SenatorMenendez Now, despite what some fringe elements of the right or left of American politics may say, there is simply no disputing the facts about the strength of America’s bond with Israel.

@SenatorMenendez The Congress has consistently voted to provide security assistance to Israel in an overwhelmingly bipartisan way.

Congress has consistently voted to impose tough sanctions against Iranian malign activity that threatens Israel’s existence and U.S. interests in the region.

@SenatorMenendez And Congress has consistently defended the right of the Israeli people to live in peace and security.

Now, I won’t pretend that from time to time, my colleagues and I may disagree on how to confront some of our challenges.

@SenatorMenendez But there is no disagreement on this: the bond between America and Israel is unbreakable and ironclad.

Unfortunately, every year we come together, we find no shortage of threats imperiling Israel.

@SenatorMenendez To its South, Palestinian Islamic Jihad continues to threaten innocent Israeli civilians.

No country on earth should be expected to stand idly by as a terrorist organization continues to attack its citizens.

@SenatorMenendez In Lebanon, Hezbollah has solidified its grip on the Cabinet and continues to threaten Israel’s security.

@SenatorMenendez And on its Northern border with Syria, Iran and its proxies enjoy the blessing of both Bashar al Assad’s murderous regime and the backing of Russian air support as they expand their footprint and inch ever closer to Israel.

@SenatorMenendez The Israeli people have witnessed the human cost of this conflict firsthand, from the brave IDF soldiers who defend Israel’s northern border to the health care workers who treat injured Syrian civilians in Israel’s hospitals.

@SenatorMenendez We must use the full weight of American diplomacy to bring an end to the strife in Syria, alleviate the unimaginable, devastating human suffering and ultimately create greater stability for Israel and the broader region.

@SenatorMenendez Here’s another undeniable fact. Despite the economic constraints placed on Iran, this regime refuses to abandon its campaign of terrorism and its sponsorship of proxies fixated on Israel’s destruction.

@SenatorMenendez Just as disturbing, today Iran’s breakout time to a nuclear weapon is shorter than it was when we gathered here together just one year ago.

@SenatorMenendez I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we must never, never, never, ever allow Iran to become a nuclear-armed power.

The question is, how do we achieve that goal?

@SenatorMenendez As the principal architect of so many of the U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran, I know they are among our most effective tools.

But here’s something I also know. Maximum sanctions pressure on its own is a tactic, not a strategy.

@SenatorMenendez We need a strategy -- one that uses diplomacy to ensure Iran has no pathway to nuclear weapons.

As some of you may have heard, I am working with @LindseyGrahamSC of South Carolina on a plan to signal bipartisan support for a concrete diplomatic strategy.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC We must find a way to get Iran back to the negotiating table.

We must be willing to use the right economic and diplomatic levers to engage Iran in a serious dialogue about its nuclear weapons program including its ballistic missiles.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC We must confront Iran about its support for terrorism in the region.

This challenge demands that we restore the power of diplomacy and harness America’s unique ability to unite nations in common cause.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC .@LindseyGrahamSC and I have been talking with our European partners about a multilateral strategy to get Iran back to the table and advance three clear goals: no nuclear weapons, no threatening intercontinental ballistic missiles, and no support for terrorism.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC We must engage Israel and our other Middle East partners to forge a new path. As everyone in this room is well aware, a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an unacceptable existential threat to Israel and set off a dangerous arms race in the region.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC .@LindseyGrahamSC and I believe there may be a path to a regional nuclear energy program that includes both Iran and its Gulf neighbors, and by design, is explicitly for peaceful purposes.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC A nuclear fuel bank administered by the International Atomic Energy Agency – with U.S. veto power – could prevent misuse and end any pathway to a nuclear weapon.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC It would end the risk of a nuclear arms race and stop nuclear proliferation not just by Iran but by its neighbors.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC And given that chance to have sanctions relief in exchange for verifiable progress in those key areas – no nuclear arms development, no intercontinental ballistic missiles, no money for terrorism – Iran would either have a real pathway to peace or expose its true intentions.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC and in doing so galvanize the rest of the world with us.

To those who argue we must press forward with sanctions alone, I only say this.

The threat of conflict is real. The stakes could not be higher. And we cannot just cross our fingers and hope Iran changes its behavior.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC We must find a tangible diplomatic path... away from escalatory attacks that threaten the United States, our assets, and our allies.

We cannot let heightened tensions and misunderstandings lead us into war, the costs of which the American and Israeli people know all too well.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC Sadly, Iran is but one of many threats facing Israel. Whether it is the demonization of Israel by certain entities at the UN… Or the isolation promoted by the grossly misguided BDS movement…It is up to all of us to STAND UP and SPEAK OUT against anti-Semitism in all its forms.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC That’s why I condemned the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for issuing a blacklist of organizations – including American companies – for doing business with Israel.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC It speaks volumes that they remain fixated on Israel while ignoring the atrocities committed by member states like Venezuela and Cameroon.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC Together we must ensure the letters B.D.S. are seen for what they are – Bias Directed Solely at one people and one country by those who should know better!

There’s no question we come together at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC ...In this climate, we must remember there have always been voices on the far right and the far left who seek to castigate Israel and divide those who stand with her.

Well, we cannot let THEM divide US.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC We cannot be hoodwinked into fighting with each other when we should be fighting in common cause – for security, for democracy, for our values and for human rights.

We must remember that diversity is our strength, and our capacity to build solidarity our greatest weapon.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC And we must remember why we are pro-Israel – a position I’ve always believed is derived from the better angels of our nature.

Hope over fear. Democracy over despotism. Human rights over hatred.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC These values keep the U.S.-Israel relationship strong. These values that bipartisan support for Israel alive.

And these values sustain a partnership between two democracies that has spanned multiple Presidents, Prime Ministers, congressional majorities and Knesset coalitions.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC These values do not belong to Democrats or Republicans. They belong to the American people. They belong to the Israeli people.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC And they belong to all people around the world who know what it’s like to be oppressed and who value a participatory political system rooted in justice, equality, and the rule of law.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC As usual, yesterday I was here, and I am most inspired by the young people gathered here today. So many of you have encountered the ugliness I mentioned earlier on your college campuses – and yet you continue to stand up for what’s right.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC When I was a young man, I drew inspiration from a great leader named Robert F. Kennedy, who once said, “Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence.”

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC To those students, I ask that you continue to display moral courage. Continue to lead by example. Continue to stand up for truth, justice, and equal rights.

Because, as Bobby Kennedy also once said,

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope,

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC So to all the young people here today… Never forget that each of you has the power to create a tiny ripple of hope...

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC And that together, those tiny ripples of hope can grow into waves of powerful change… Waves that can then form into a tsunami of hope that I know in my heart will carry the U.S.-Israel relationship forward for generations to come.

@SenatorMenendez @LindseyGrahamSC Thank you, god bless you, god bless the state of Israel and the United States of America."

@SenatorMenendez at #AIPAC2020

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