New Pro-Israel Group Seeks to Maintain U.S.-Israel Alliance in Congress

A new pro-Israel organization was launched on March 19 with the goal of upholding the alliance between the United States and Israel in Congress.

The Washington, D.C.-based organization, Pro-Israel America, is a bipartisan organization that was founded by former AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) national outreach director Jeff Mendelsohn and former AIPAC managing director for national affairs Jonathan Missner; the organization aims to elect pro-Israel congressional candidates. They have already endorsed 27 candidates – 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats – for the 2020 elections; these candidates include Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) and Brian Mast (R-Fla.).

“This is a critical moment for the U.S.-Israel relationship,” Mendelsohn, the executive director of Pro-Israel America, told the Journal in a phone interview. “We can’t take the relationship for granted, nor can we take congressional support for the U.S.-Israel relationship for granted. Congress changes rapidly, and more than 20 percent of the current U.S. House are new members… so it’s critical for those of us who care about the relationship to engage members of Congress and to support candidates for Congress who are pro-Israel and share our values.”

Mendelsohn said that the reason he and Missner, who is chairing Pro-Israel America, started the organization is to create a “one-stop shop” for pro-Israel Americans to be able to easily determine pro-Israel candidates that are winning; members of the organization can support those candidates through Pro-Israel America’s online action portal.

According to the Pro-Israel America website, the organization “will forward 100 percent of your contributions to your chosen candidates’ campaign committee within 10 days.”

“I think that’s different than most other pro-Israel organizations,” Mendelsohn said.

Mendelsohn added that Pro-Israel America could get involved in congressional primaries if there is “a strong political candidate in the race” against a candidate who is not a supporter of the U.S.-Israeli alliance; when asked by the Journal if Pro-Israel America would get involved in any potential primary efforts against Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) – both of whom are open supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, Mendelsohn said, “We’ll have to wait and see how those races develop.”

Pro-Israel America has already received praise from prominent members on both sides of the political aisle, including former Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.).

“We’re very excited to bring together the voices of political activism of pro-Israel Americans across the country and to help strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship,” Mendelsohn said.