The newest senator from New York, Kirstin Gillibrand (D) said not long after she was appointed that she would advocate the "best policy" and "most effective" solutions for Israel, regardless of what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to do. And she wasn’t entirely against the idea of pressure on Israel, saying that "positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement" would be "a strategic decision for the administration and our secretary of state."
Those comments may not have been popular with some of her constituents, and this week Gillibrand met with an AIPAC leader — and put out a press release announcing it and detailing their conversation.
According to the release, Gillibrand met with AIPAC national board member Robert Cohen "to hear his thoughts and ideas for how to support AIPAC’s efforts and ensure security for Israel" as well as discuss the failure of the Durban II conference.
"I share AIPAC’s vision for a secure, prospering Israel, and I pledge to use my seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to continue building on the strong friendship America and Israel share," said Gillibrand in the release.
The full release is after the jump: [[READMORE]]
GILLIBRAND MEETS WITH AIPAC NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER IN WASHINGTON
Discussed Failure of Durban II, Outrageous Comments From Iranian President
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today met with American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) National Board Member Robert Cohen to hear his thoughts and ideas for how to support AIPAC’s efforts and ensure security for Israel. The two also discussed the failure of this week’s World Conference Against Racism, known as Durban II, and the outrageous comments from the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In February, Senator Gillibrand and Senator Charles Schumer sent a letter to UN Ambassador Susan Rice registering their concern about anti-Semitism at Durban II. Senator Gillibrand later praised the Administration for electing to withdraw from the conference and condemned the Iranian President for his abhorrent comments about Israel.
"For more than 60 years, Israel has been a beacon of democracy and freedom in the Middle East," Senator Gillibrand said. "For the last half century, AIPAC has been a driving force behind America’s support for Israel. I share AIPAC’s vision for a secure, prospering Israel, and I pledge to use my seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to continue building on the strong friendship America and Israel share."
Senator Gillibrand discussed with Cohen their shared concerns about the continuing security threats facing Israel and ways to work together to help ensure Israel’s prosperity.
Senator Gillibrand has consistently been a strong voice advocating for support for Israel. While in the House of Representatives, Senator Gillibrand cosponsored critical legislation to recognize Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza and reaffirm America’s strong support for Israel.
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