to therefore compete whether in that particular foreign country or around the world. and that's what is good about the usmca. it's really raising the standard in so many areas. things that labor unions and our manufacturers have long said have been unfair practices by other countries. host: let me add in the voice of richard trumka. he has spoken recently about this and he said that nafta isn't broken. it's done exactly what it was meant to do. it exploited workers in mexico, -- >> we believe this discussion at this point. you can see the rest of it on our website, c-span.org. we will go now live to a forum for a group called christians united for israel. among the speakers, secretary of state mike pompeo and john bolton, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu will also address the gathering via videoconference. this is live coverage on c-span.

[applause] >> with a brand-new shiny hasssy, this administration designated and stated its recognition of jerusalem as the undivided capital of the one and only jewish state. and we thank them for doing so, don't wait? -- we? [applause] indeed thank them for doing so. for we the jewish people, i say this to all of you here. we the jewish people recognize our sovereignty over jerusalem and the jewish state by way of the higher coordination, that is the god of abraham, isaac, jacob, rachel, and leah. [applause] now, it falls upon me to introduce to you the people who are engaged in the protection of that land, day and night.

there is a phrase that is attributed. -- in a place where there is no humanity, strive to be a man, strive to be that humanity. friends, when terrorists of hamas and hezbollah try to tunnel underneath the ground to murder our innocent citizens, when terrorists north and south launch rockets towards our children, our women, our elderly, and our infirm, when they seek to storm our borders in order to harm our people, there are those members of the israel defense forces who absolutely up in the minds the idea -- absolutely epitomize

the idea of having a place where if the terrorists had their way, they would be no humanity, only murder, only bloodshed, only the spilling of the blood of jewish people. introduce tothat i you today are the very embodiment of the humanity that our enemies seek to rid us of. and there is another phrase. wish to have you escorted by throughout your time listening to these great defenders. as the international community stands and seeks to defame and delegitimize the one and only jewish state and those who protect her, i'm reminded of the --ds of our sages who said

do not judge your fellow until you stand in his or her place. --friends [applause] >> let me leave you with this. when the soldiers of the israel defense forces stand fast on the border with the gaza strip or any other border, despite what anybody might ever tell you, make no mistake about it. those soldiers, and i know this because i have stood in their shoes and i have stayed in their place, those soldiers are precisely the right people in precisely the right place at precisely the right time doing precisely the right things for precisely the right reason. they are defending and protecting the state of israel on behalf of all of us, and they deserve your unreserved thanks.

[applause] >> please, please, in the way that only you can, join me in welcoming and listening to their names because they are the names of our heroes. the two individuals who will take to the stage, but who represent hundreds of thousands of other soldiers of our great defense forces. please welcome lieutenant colonel amil avid and lieutenant colonel solo of the israel defense forces here in washington, d.c. [applause]

>> it is an honor to be here tonight. colonelis lieutenant amil. i am 30 years old and the head of the underground water branch of the northern command. [applause] >> i am an officer in the israeli army, but i have a surprise for you. i was born in the great united states of america. [applause] >> doing a diplomatic service, it is always good to be back. my history with tunnels goes back several years. in 2014, i became the commander of the special unit in the ivf combat engineering whose main

task is to locate and destroy tunnels. 2014,weeks later, in july operation protective inside gaza begin. during the operation, we were able to locate and destroy 30 tunnels along the border with the gaza strip. [applause] unfortunately, during the operation, we lost one of our own, a soldier. may he rest in peace. he was killed in a clash with hamas terrorists in the northern gaza strip. i spent 18 days inside the gaza strip with the sole purpose of disabling ms's tunnels, threatening the lives of the citizens. [applause] after thetwo years operation protective edge, our

main focus was stopping hamas using toast to infiltrate israel and kill innocent people. during the two years, we made real progress. we have created a breakthrough in the ability to locate 20 more one, we haveone by destroyed the tunnels along the gaza border. all that. [applause] to a great thanks joint u.s. and israel technology. [applause] >> however, as it turns out, this was just the beginning of my experience with tunnels. four years later, in 2018, during my time in the ivf command, i was chosen to open a new position in the northern command. ivf decided to launch an operation to locate and destroy hezbollah tunnels on the northern border. the operation called operation

northern shield. hezbollah is a terror organization based in lebanon and funded by iran as a proxy in the middle east. is prepared by a terrorist organization in order to attack the communities and the idea position in the area. causing mass destruction and death inside israel. as part of the attack plan, hezbollah builds terror tunnels that cross into israel territory in order to transfer its forces quietly and quickly prior to the attack. areollah's terror tunnels in violation of the un security council resolution number 1701. after then 2006, second lebanon war, a resolution made with the primary goal of

banning the activities of the organization in the south of lebanon. course ended, i began to plan what can only be destroyed as the mission of my life, preparing and carrying out operation northern shield. the preparation was classified. only a limited number of officers in the army knew of our plans. the goal of the preparation was to make the necessary technology and operational adjustments using the methods from the south to adapt it to the northern soil and hezbollah tunnels. at the same time, we had to keep it all secret. keeps difficult for me to this mission a secret from my friends and family back home, and especially from my beloved wife, who during the entire preparation was pregnant. a month before the beginning of the operation, our first baby girl was born.

my wife had to go through the entire pregnancy time alone while i was preparing for the operation. in fact, i nearly missed the birth of my baby girl. the operation began during the festival of hanukkah 2018. on the day of december 4. the operation began with complete surprise for the entire for a unit andy the infantry forces and many other forces. our job was to win a clear victory. operation northern shield was an , whose solecusing purpose was to protect the residents against hezbollah. during the operation, we located and destroyed six terror tunnels, which crossed the border into the territory of the

state of israel. [applause] at the first night of the operation, we attacked the first tunnel. looking atle we were the cameras inside the tunnel, a light suddenly came on and we saw two hezbollah terrorists who came to work in the tunnel. they did not understand what the camera was. we decided to detonate a small explosive device that we installed inside the tunnel in order to alert the enemy not to try this kind of activity again. you may have seen that specific encounter on our twitter. destroyed days, we six -- [applause] >> be sure that we have well

prepared this. yeah. in just 42 days, we destroyed six tunnels on the northern before.s you see [applause] is a picture of hezbollah flagship tunnels as seen on cbn. this tunnel went 210 feet into israeli territory and begins almost a mile inside lebanon. its depth is 240 feet below ground. imagine the damage hezbollah terrorists would bring if they had used this tunnel. exactly i and my brothers and sisters in the beaeli defense forces will the watchmen on the wall,

standing guard and defending our country against all enemies. forever. [applause] much.nk you very [applause] i stand here today as a representative of idf and the state of israel, a state that is built on the principle of democracy and the freedom of religion, the only one in the middle east. the state of the jewish people in the promised land forever. [applause] >> despite the losses we have endured and the victories we have achieved, many threats remain against the state of israel. enemies from the north and from the south continue to seek the destruction of the state of israel. they try above.

they try on. they try below the ground. but we remain strong. always in the defense of israel. [applause] >> i want to thank you all, and may god bless the united states of america, and god bless the state of israel. thank you. [applause] >> today, i proudly stand before you as a representative of the idf, a representative of the state of israel, and a

representative of the bond between our two nations, israel and the united states of america. [applause] i want to show you -- to share something with you. commander make up any in the special counterterrorism unit deployed in somalia, leading an operation to capture a senior islamic jihad terrorist and his assistant in an area. we have been preparing this operation for weeks. and now the time has come. follows and the senior commander is killed. his assistant realized and decided to come out fighting. as we move forward, we noticed he is carrying something. we are shocked to see that he is holding his own baby as a human shield. of course, we did not open fire.

and eventually, we captured him alive. but this moment is carved in my enemy as a symbol of the i have been fighting all my adult life. honored guests, my name is lieutenant colonel --. i'm 37 years old, and i'm the commander of the 906th battalion of the idf. [applause] >> i have served in the israeli army for 19 years. today, i'm in charge of training the next generation in the idf forces. i started my career -- [applause] >> i started my career in 2000 as an operator in the counterterrorism unit. you made it.

-- you may know it. i thought in hundreds of operations, including ossified missions. i have captured terrorists who killed and threatened the citizens of the state of israel. i have seen achievements and victory as well as failures. most of all, i have lost friends and comrades. nevertheless, throughout my career and despite my natural attraction to the military profession, i never loved the concept of war. my lovely wife is sitting with you, with us today. please stand up. so that everyone can see you. [applause] >> i love you, and i thank you. she is a former combat paramedic, who today runs her own business. on our first date, instead of

talking about spring break like normal people our age, we changed notes about our military service. this is what happens in israel. we soon discovered that we had been stationed a few miles apart during an operation in gaza in 2008. myself as a commander of a reconnaissance unit, and she has a premedica on reserve duty. , we have children that are five and six years old. [applause] i havehe past 10 years, taken part in all major operations in gaza. to give you a little background, you should know that since the year 2000, hamas has fired tens of thousands of rockets at israeli civilians. an israeli child born after the year 2000 in a community next to

the gaza border does not know what peaceful life is. amas spends its resources on wars and weapon instead of education, medicine, or the welfare of its citizens. hamas has been digging into israel in order to kill as many israelis as possible. i fought in alleyways, buildings, underground tunnels. i have seen hamas and islamic jihadists use hospitals and committee centers to fire and launch attacks. i have seen them use their own people as a human shield. faces many challenges. hezbollah in lebanon, which is attempting to establish itself on the syrian border. bashar assad, the syrian dictator who killed over half a million of his own people in a 10 year civil war, has now

regained control of his country with xian militia. in somalia is trying to undermine the stability between israel and the palestinian authority on the borde. on the border, isis has occasionally tried to attack israel. and then there is iran with the massive army, the army intent on developing nuclear capability and long-range missiles. all while supporting and funding terrorist groups in the middle east to continue supporting the islamic revolution and destabilizing the region. israel is the only democracy in the middle east. a nation, country with cheerful people. it is exciting to walk down the street of tel aviv, swim in the jordan river, tour the old city of jerusalem, and watch the sunrise.

israel and america share the same worldview and values. i have had the privilege of training with troops from the united states armed forces such as the marines, green berets, and u.s. army rangers. this experience has taught me that we are both fighting the same. [applause] >> the same enemy. we are both shedding blood in the defense of those values. thankofficer, i want to the members of the united states military. and i want you to thank them with me. [applause]

>> thank you. foruld like to thank you the honor of addressing you today. your support and influence mean a lot to the people of israel and to the ability to defend ourselves. with a part to end of the vision of isaiah, chapter two. [speaking foreign language] but until the time will come, may god bless israel and the united states of america. thank you, guys. [applause] >> thank you. thank you.

[applause] ♪ >> we are reconciled. forever grateful. we pray for the peace of jerusalem. lives, we show truth -- where there are lies, we show truth. where there is hatred, we show love.

♪ >> we are peacemakers. we are the israel collective. ♪ [applause] >> it is truly my honor and my privilege to be here with jason, who this administration -- deserves a round of applause. [applause] >> thank you. thank you.

[applause] >> who president trump has entrusted the future of middle east peace alongside jared kushner. welcome, jared. welcome back. excuse me. welcome, jason. welcome back. jason: thank you so much. it is an honor to be here. i first encountered her during the campaign. cufifirst encountered during the campaign. at a luncheon. i was amazed at the passion in the room. all the speakers were great but what really amazed me was there was a young man, my guess was about 19 years old. i had six kids at the time. my triplets were a year or two behind. he spoke so eloquently about israel, so beautifully, and with such an quibble passion. i thought to myself, how do we harness that and get all of our young children to speak that way about the state of israel?

so i'm honored to be here. >> thank you. we are all very curious. having just returned from bahrain, what to you was the most encouraging development? two things.l answer what was most encouraging and what was discouraging. we had a great conference. jared kushner worked very hard with many of my colleagues in the u.s. government to put together a $50 million package for the palestinians, jordan, egypt, lebanon if we are able to achieve a peace agreement. what was amazing was if you walked through the room throughout the hotel, israelis, arabs, palestinians, whatever it is of whatever religion or no religion, walked around with ease. they spoke with ease. they spoke about business. they spoke about the future. they spoke about what that could be.

and that is really what i experienced over 2.5 years working with ordinary people. to me, that was extremely encouraging. discouraging, it is no secret that the palestinian authority chose to boycott the event. not only that, they chose to completely undermine the event by encouraging people not to show up. but everybody came. i think that is a very big positive as well. >> what are the next steps? >jason: two next steps. the obvious next step is how to unveil the political plan. despite what some people are saying, this is only part one. there is no economic plan without a political plan. similarly, there is no successful political plan without a very strong economic plan. president trump will decide the right time to do that. as far as the next step on the economic plans, this was billed as a workshop because we wanted to get feedback. we want feedback from the israelis, from the palestinians, from the region. so we will be spending the next

period of time getting feedback to this plan that was put together to fine-tune it to get it right and then couple it together with the political plan. >> in terms of feedback, do you get the sense the palestinian street is ready for a deal? jason: i prefer to speak in terms of ordinary palestinians. the street is the street. i don't really know what that means. there are posters out there that try to give us information, but i will tell you in a totally, every palestinian i have met over the last 2.5 years is anxious for this conflict to be gone. they asked for some of the same things you hear from the palestinian leadership, but they also have a different voice in private than they do in public. in the confines of my office or a suite in the king david hotel, where ever it is that i meet them, they speak about wanting to find creative solutions. they speak about wanting to get past the conflict in a way that

embraces israel. but unfortunately, the freedom of speech that they have once they leave those rooms is significantly curtailed. so it is a little bit hard to gauge the street. we also have to differentiate between palestinians in the west bank and palestinians in gaza. you have 2 million or so palestinians in gaza suffering under the iron fist of hamas. it is very hard to get information out of gaza, real information. it is a great question to ask, but i do nothing anybody really has an answer to the question. >> that actually dovetails into my next question. in terms of hamas's control of gaza, how much does this affect your plan for the palestinian prosperity? jason: let me zoom back a little bit because it affects the peace plan generally, which means it affects the peace prosperity idea. when i first started, some of my colleagues had asked me not to discuss hamas. they felt that if i would remains hamas's profile, it

would show hamas they have the ability to spoil a peace plan. i was new to government so i thought, ok. it took me a week or two to realize that is just not the case. hamas knows that without figuring out how to deal with gaza, it is an impediment to a peace effort. it is tragic for the palestinian people. it is amazing to me that until we started speaking up about hamas administration wide, nobody was really talking about hamas. we had our great former ambassador to the u.n. nikki haley tried to get a resolution condemning hamas at the united nations. and we failed, which is rather remarkable. when i gave a speech to the security council about two months ago, this was a few days after 700 rockets have been fired from gaza into israel, not one country spoke up to condemn those attacks. of course, after i spoke about it, other country started to do it. let's give them the benefit of

the doubt that these condemnations were in their prepared remarks. but it is remarkable how few people pay attention to hamas. let's not forget palestinian islamic jihad, the partner of hamas. they are terrible for the palestinian people. they cause tremendous suffering to the palestinians in gaza. they cost amended suffering to the israelis. nothing can happen until the world recognizes that they are among the biggest problems to creating peace. >> absolutely. [applause] so once the plan is unveiled and funds start flowing to the palestinians, how are we going to ensure that funds are not misdirected to be used for terror? jason: under this administration, under the leadership of president trump, not a penny will flow unless it is carefully earmarked to make sure the money only goes to the

intended projects, that the projects will be finished on time and on budget, and that it is not siphoned off. at least under this administration, gone are the days where money has been siphoned off not only for terrorism, but also for corruption. javert took the biggest role in this, to make sure that nothing will flow until there are two things, a comprehensive peace agreement number one, and number two the types of controls that you would expect any significant commercial transaction to ensure, that all of the money is used completely appropriately. shari: excellent. [applause] shari: we greatly appreciate you speaking about hamas and the real threats in the region. when the plan is underway, is a disarmament of hamas part of the precondition for peace in the region? jason: i don't want to get into

preconditions, but i would say that we cannot have a comprehensive peace agreement that obviously does not assure israel's security 100%. 'scut some of the v.p. remarks. thank you. [applause] jason: what the vice president had said about israel's security is known and believed through and through this entire administration. there is no peace agreement that does not make sure that israel's security is ironclad. and we know that makes people upset because we know that some people like to throw around slogans of the past and things that they can waive the magic wand, throw a few slogans, and all of a sudden you will have peace. that is not the way it works. it will only work if israel's security is guaranteed, and our plan takes that into account. shari: ok. [applause] back to theing palestinian authority for a minute, obviously there is an

issue with there not being a clear succession plan for a bus. how much of the plan is dependent on abbas for other palestinian elites? jason: it is hard to put it what happens in a post president abbas world. there are a lot different he was. we spent a lot of time with president abbas and his team in 2017. once president trump announced the bold and courageous decision to recognize jerusalem as its capital, as israel's capital, they cut off ties from us. that is no secret. we are hopeful president abbas will realize this is the best opportunity palestinians have for peace, for a brighter future. so our plan right now is with president abbas. we are not looking for any type of regime change. however, if president abbas were to depart the scene, retire, we will deal with whatever the government would be for the palestinians.

but it is important for everyone to recognize, and very few people talk about this, is you really have two governments. you have the palestinian authority and hamas. right now, the palestinian authority does not speak for the people in gaza. in theory, the plo does. we have to deal with everybody in order to make this work. just more and more people need to say that out loud. we cannot make peace unless we make sure to -- we cannot make a comprehensive peace unless we make sure that we are dealing with representatives of all of the palestinian people. shari: zooming out a little bit, talk about the elephant in the room, which is iran. ran throughout the middle east spreading terror worldwide. how does this plan, this conversation -- where does iran fit into this conversation? jason: i ran is very likely a significance boiler to our efforts if we are lucky enough to get traction on negotiations between the israelis and

palestinians. to what is going on with iran in general. there are other spoilers as well. we will have to do whatever we can to make sure they do not undermine our efforts, they don't mischief, significant trouble. we are watching it closely but it is not something i can discuss. shari: the thawing of relations between israel and other arab neighbors and states. can you speak a bit about where you see those relationships added? jason: yes. i will give you a bit of a long answer on this one because it is a fascinating unfolding of events over the last 2.5 years. going back to when i started in roughly march or april of 2017, there was an article in "the new york times" the spoke about something called the outside in approach. the writer made it seem essentially that it is very simple. the arab countries will gather around and force the

palestinians to sign a deal. i read the article for a moment and thought this is great. i will be home with my family for passover. it is just not that simple. however, we think that remarkable progress has been made in 2.5 years with the gulf region and israel. we do not take credit for that alone. prime minister netanyahu has done a great job. the leaders themselves in the arab countries have done a remarkable job. the is done now is over table ranging from the prime minister's visit to oman, the israeli national anthem being sung in the uae, participation in high-level meetings, various forms of sports tournaments. i think we will continue to see that. why? because it is important to the region. the region is tired of the conflict. the region recognizes if the conflict is not resolved, things have to continue moving. the region appreciates israel for what it is and wants to continue. as recently as last week in bahrain, i don't know those of you that follow the foreign

minister's -- bahraini foreign minister's remarks. it was remarkable. we will continue to see progress to be however, we may see a glass ceiling. there may be a point in time when the countries in the region want to take a breather. and then we will see what happens. maybe in another year or five, we will see some more progress. the region is not interested in leaving the palestinians behind. but i think the region is also tired of the palestinian leadership preventing progress in the region. shari: to those in the united states that may be tired of the united states leading an international relations, leading in the middle east, what do you say to them about the importance of the role of the unite that te united states plays in the process in the middle east and the world? jason: the first thing that comes to mind is iran. when we arrived on the scene, every arab leader that we met

with plus prime minister netanyahu were thrilled president trump was the president because he understood that iran was the real threat to the region. it is not the israeli-palestinian conflict. i know people like to say that is the core conflict of the region. that is a small conflict in the region. the real issue is iran, and every leader here believes that under president trump, we have a chance of potentially solving the iran issue. number one is iran. , a battleshiprael to the united states. a strong israel helps keep security in a very rough neighborhood. that is another important point we make to them. but we have other allies in the region. egypt, jordan, saudi arabia, the emirates, all of those countries rely on the united states for as much stability as can be achieved. this entire matrix is very intricately tied together. the israeli-palestinian conflict is one aspect of that. it can be handled without

solving that conflict, but we want to try to solve that conflict. shari: you are having to spend a lot of time in the region and israel. one of your meetings and israel attracted a lot of attention last week when you visited pilgrims road. the audience heard about both from the prime minister and from the city of david. can you speak a little bit about that experience and why it was important for you to be there? jason: first of all, the experience was remarkable. to be able to walk that road, see what it was from 2000 years ago wasn't could be spiritual, and could we moving -- was incredible spiritual, incredibly moving. i will say surprised, but nothing surprises me anymore, but the two things that sort of surprised me is, number one, we, david and i, got criticized so heavily for attending this event, and among many of the

criticisms came from the chief palestinians, the the prime minister of the palestinian authority, pretending as they often do that this tunnel was mythical, that it was fake. we were accused of judaizing the city. we will not tolerate that kind of language. i know that has been tolerated before, but under president trump, we will push back on every single -- [applause] jason: thank you. no matter the criticism leveled against us, we will push back on it time and time again. you cannot possibly build peace without a foundation of truth. and for somebody to suggest that this tunnel is not truth, they need to be corrected. so i call upon all of you, all of cufi and everybody who believes in this, stand up to

nonsense,ge, this these attacks that are not grounded in reality. and that's push back. no longer should we tolerate their myth and falsification of history. [applause] jason: the second thing that surprised me, if you want to be outraged about tunnels, where is the outrage about the tunnels coming from gaza? where is the outrage about the tunnels coming from lebanon? it is remarkable. [applause] jason: not a word from the palestinian authority about the terror tunnels. you want to talk about tunnels? i'm happy to talk about tunnels. let's talk about those tunnels. shari: i love that. anything else you want to say about the tunnels? jason: i would say, and again i call on all of you, let's get the truth out there about what is happening in gaza. yes, philistines are suffering, but israel is under threat from the rockets, from the tumor

tunnels, and we need to get the word out there to help the palestinians and of course to help the israelis. arei: lastly, say we sitting here in five years, what would you hope this administration would have achieved in the middle east? jason: well, obviously, i pray for our success. wisdom andthi the discernment to be able to do our job properly. but the reality is this is a very, very, very difficult trial. and honestly complex. if we fail, i pray for the safety and security of israel. i think we will focus on that both in president trump's current term and hopefully if he wins a second term. [applause] jason: we will not let up on that. i also hope and pray that we can help the palestinian people.

they deserve a better future. there are palestinians living in refugee camps. i don't people like to call them refugees. we want a better future for them. they should not be languishing in refugee camps. and we want a tighter connection between israel and the arab countries around them because a tighter connection will work for the benefit of the entire region. shari: jason, thank you for your time. thank you for your work. our prayers are with you. [applause] jason:

>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage congressman michael mccaul, interviewed by anchor and editor in chief of i24 news, michelle mccoury. [applause] >> [indiscernible] >> it's an honor to be here as well. thank you. >> [indiscernible]

rep. mccaul: i've been in congress for 16 years. i think one of the most intense conversations i engaged in. took metory major, it back to the cuban missile crisis, where we had options on the table, what would be the appropriate response to not just tankers being shot in the strait of hormuz, but rather, a united states military asset worth $150 million. it was very intense. lead to aculation can larger war. there were various options on the table. to breachl you -- not any confidentiality, but there were options to strike, particularly the surface-to-air that was used to

bring down the united states drone. that was one option. the intelligence community would tell you that if we kill iranians on iranian soil, it would only galvanize support for the ayatollah against the united states and israel. i think the president decided to, not unlike president kennedy, take a little bit of a step back, take a little bit of applause to not make -- a pause to not make a miscarriage relation and escalate the situation, but rather -- well, you could say it is reported that cybersecurity operations were used to cripple command-and-control. michelle: can you confirm that that cyberattacks relaunched? rep. mccaul: not if i want to not be prosecuted. [laughter] michelle: fair enough. rep. mccaul: but having said pompeo andtary ambassador bolton and i are very like-minded.

i think the response is appropriate here, but at the same time, it may have worked out in the end for the best because we are using tools we have that do not necessarily kill but does cripple. the president above all wants to use diplomacy first. secretary pompeo was dispatched to the region to get the coalition partners together, and we are seeing that now. theresa may, they intercepted a bound forn-- tanker syria. president macron in france has condemned their now violation of the jcpoa, which they effectively have done the last couple of days for they are now in violation. does europe want to continue to do business with iran when they are in violation of the jcpoa? i think not. what the president is trying to snapped thatdwhen he

the sanctions, mike pompeo and i never agreed with the jcpoa in congress. it would make certain a nuclearized iran. it did not address icbm capabilities, and he did not address the terror threat. what is said to happen is $150 billion, sometimes in cold hard cash on airplanes, being sent to these terror operations for the c, designated a terrorist organization, which i stood for for many years, spread throughout the sheer present in syria and lebanon and yemen. his redline, the president, was clear -- there will not be a nuclear iran, and if there is can we have 100,000 pounds of --100,000 tons of diplomacy called the uss lincoln in the persian gulf. [applause] yourlle: congressman, to

point, the jcpoa does not prevent from getting a nuclear weapon, only delayed it at best. we know the president's strategies to get iran back to the negotiating table and come up with a deal that prevents tehran from getting a nuclear in its that does rein sponsorship of terrorist proxies around the world, and the intercontinental ballistic missile program. at right now, do you see tehran coming back to the negotiating table? so far the ayatollah khamanei has ruled out any diplomacy with u.s. rep. mccaul: the idea of negotiating with the ayatollah is obviously a challenge at best. but i do think that they are being crippled with the sanctions. i think we are getting the world community rallying behind us now. if we are ever going to get a better deal with iran, now is

the time to do it, along with the threat of military forces, the maximum pressure campaign being waged on iran. what the secretary told me is they are exhilarating the process. -- accelerating the process. under the jcpoa they began a bomb. now that is off the table. they have a choice to make with the world community -- do they go forward with their nuclear program and ruin their country, or do they stop -- michelle: congressman, when you say the president says a nuclear weapon is the red line, we know iran is marching again towards a nuclear weapon. israel said it never stopped, only pretended to. whatwe say "red line," at point in this march towards a nuclear weapon does the u.s., or israel for that matter, consider

some kind of preemptive strike? rep. mccaul: that is a determination the president is going to have to make. any issues of war and peace is probably the heaviest decisions to be made by the president. you can feel it in the room -- we are discussing how to respond to the unmanned aerial vehicle being shot down. quite frankly, we were a little surprised. but i think it is a discretionary call on the part of the president, but i think he probably made the right move for now because now we can galvanize support. michelle: are you seeing that? you do get a sense that perhaps the u.k. is taking a stronger action against iran, as you mentioned, by seizing the oil tanker that was in violation of eu sanctions getting oil to syria. do you see the u.k. and other europeans -- germany and france -- other signatories to the deal fraying in terms of their consensus and u.k. acting like an ally and supporting the u.s.? rep. mccaul: and dismantle the

jcpoa, the iran deal, once and for all, that is where it is going. [applause] michelle: all right. rep. mccaul: once that document has been put on the ash heap of history, then we have an opportunity to negotiate a better do with iran. otherwise, the military option ,s very clearly on the table not want the president would like to make but let's be honest, this president is not bashful in hitting back. he certainly will. [applause] michelle: congressman, a lot of the positive side effects of the threat of iran is that it has brought israel together with the arab countries in the region under the premise of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. we see clandestine relations between israel and saudi arabia, israel and bahrain. do you have any insights on just how close those relationships

are, how close israel may be to some kind of a formal police agreement with the saudis? rep. mccaul: this is a very interesting and great historic opportunity between israel and the arab nations. i never thought i would see it in my lifetime. i will never forget meeting with prime minister netanyahu in his office two years ago, and i asked him the question point-blank, are the saudis and other emirate countries allies? and he said, "yes." michelle: he said yes. rep. mccaul: "i want to work with them, because the enemy of my enemy is my friend. iran is the enemy." he said, "you all are so focused on isis, and that is a problem, but the bigger threat is the regime of iran and the threat of the shia crescent from iraq, syria come into lebanon, with 150,000 rockets pointed at

israel and out of gaza through hamas and hezbollah in the north is iron dome cannot sustain this kind of assault." that is my biggest concern from 150,000 rockets embedded in civilian homes and schools such that if israel response, they will be accused of killing innocent civilians. michelle: of course, pointing those rockets is hezbollah. there are 100,000 rockets pointed at israel. while the trump administration has tackled iran's nuclear threat, the u.s. has been funding one of the proxy terrorist groups hezbollah 2006,ly useful to since $1.7 billion of u.s. taxpayer money has been going to lebanon, the lebanese armed forces. the idea behind the money was to counter the influence of has the law. while it worked for a welcome it seems like the strategy is no

longer working and a great deal of the funds are trickling down to hezbollah. is it time that the u.s. congress stop sending money to the lebanese armed forces? [applause] rep. mccaul: i think that is something that congress should be looking at. i met with the head general of the lebanese forces. he painted a very different picture. but when i going to the classified briefing room, it indicates a very different picture from what you are telling me. this is part of that to the game game -- diplomatic you play where they tell you one thing but you know from the intelligence reports what the reality is. as long as there are 150,000 rockets pointed at israel, i think that assistance is in jeopardy until they stop at behavior. michelle: another u.s. relationship that perhaps needs to be real value weighted is the one between the u.s. and turkey

-- reevaluated is the one between u.s. and turkey, because under president erdogan, that relationship has become increasingly strained. turkey purchased the defense system from russia, and because of that, the delivery of the f-35 fighter jet from the u.s. has been suspended. turkey, of course, is a nato ally. but should it still be? for that relationship be reevaluated? sure tricky the -- should turkey be a nato ally? rep. mccaul: we have a military base in turkey. they are a nato ally. the chairman engel and i met with the turkey foreign ambassador and we said that we let you into nato because of the soviet union threat to turkey. it makes no sense for you to purchase s-400 capabilities from russia that actually are in direct contradiction to the f-35. we passed a resolution in the house condemning turkey and offering them the patriot

s-400,s to oppose the and we are holding up the f-35 cells until they change their behavior. they claim they purchased these -- this missile system. they still have time to stop this decision. the problem, michelle, is they will be in direct contravention to the u.s. sanctions applied against russia. the question is a big one, and that would be an a nato ally being under sanctions for purchasing s-400 out of russia. that is a course turkey does not want to go down, being an historic allies i worry that erdogan is trying to take turkey back to the ottoman empire and being this dictator. that wes the pkk fought with to defeat isis and

bring down the caliphate. erdogan: turkey under has become increasingly hostile against israel. the u.s. and israel enjoy a very special relationship. it is a mutually beneficial relationship. israel is the u.s.' only ally in the middle east that shows the u.s.'s values. but our relationship is coming under increased scrutiny and open hostility from certain members of congress. as we heard from vice president mike pence earlier today, there is anti-semitism in the halls of congress. one particular democratic member of congress has been very hostile against israel, has made comments that have been deemed anti-semitic, to put it mildly, and made statements that many see as being openly in support of the palestinian terrorist group hamas. you are the ranking member on the foreign affairs committee.

what is being done to address this, and to that member still be on the committee? [applause] michelle: i think we can take that applause as no, she should not. rep. mccaul: you know, ultimately that is a decision for speaker pelosi and chairman engel. me,as for me -- but as for as for me, i think omar has to go. [applause]

rep. mccaul: if i can explain that, that is not an applause line, but i thank you for that. it is based on history. the history of the committee and the history of this country. i just got back from the 75th anniversary of normandy. my dad was a world war ii veteran. he was part of the d-day air campaign. [applause] i had thel: opportunity to be there at the 75th but also have the opportunity to visit auschwitz to see what they were fighting. there's nothing more evil, nothing more evil than chambers, gas chambers in efforts, the ovens and the experiments, to see what they were fighting at that time. as the history

books and we thought it was defeated after world war ii, and now we are seeing it rise, this anti-semitism in europe. i am proud that my dad bombed the nazis. i'm proud of what the greatest generation did. i'm proud of what this committee has traditionally stood for. this committee has always been bipartisan on foreign affairs. but it is also been pro-israel. and it for the first time we have a member on this committee that is not and is making enticement comments. and then we have -- making anti-semitic comments. cnd then we have tlaib and ao joining in on the course against the jewish people. this cannot stand in the united states of america. [applause] michelle: congressman, with some

members of congress, as you mentioned, questioning the special relationship between the and ally and perhaps there is indication that there was waning support for israel on the democratic left, the theme of ,"is summit is "why israel and what can i do about it. what can you tell your constituents as to why you support israel, and why the u.s. should continue to support israel? rep. mccaul: just being a christian, my background and my studies, i was raised catholic and i was an altar boy and i went to a jesuit high school. i asked my mother if jesus was iptized jewish why aren't baptized jewish? [laughter] rep. mccaul: that is a whole nother --

but there is a bond. we are excited to israel and the jewish people. they are the beacon of hope and democracy in what is a very bad neighborhood. [applause] rep. mccaul: and they are our son is ally in the middle east and we cannot forget that pulls of it is in our national security interest to strongly support them. that is why i introduced the companion version of senate one, assistance to israel, $30 billion, assistance to jordan, the civilian protection act bdsnst assad, and yes, the movement to support states that it will not buy from countries that are boycotting the state of israel. so important. [applause] michelle, that is what is called a discharge position on the house. we have 196 cosponsors.

we need 218. if you are lobbying on the hill, we need about 24 members of congress to get on that bill to force it against nancy pelosi's wishes and force it on the house floor. michelle: the name of the bill again, a reminder? rep. mccaul: it is the companion bill. thank youcongressman, so much. you have laid out a clear agenda of what you would like people in the audience to do today. thank you for your perspective and your insight and for having this conversation with us. rep. mccaul: thank you, michelle. appreciate it. [applause] >> john bolton currently serves as the assistant to the

president for national security affairs. throughout his career, ambassador bolton has been known as a steadfast supporter of israel and the jewish people and has worked diligently to strengthen the u.s.-israel relationship. he has been a longtime and loyal friend of christians united for israel. in his current role, ambassador bolton continues to voice his opposition to the iran deal and strengthen, as he once noted, the already deep cooperation between the u.s. and israel and build on our lasting partnership demonstrated repeatedly when courage and persistence are required. [applause]

>> what a beautiful audience you are. it is my privilege today to introduce to you one of the great servants of the american people. he is a dear friend, someone who is in our government who truly loves israel, who loves truth, and loves justice. in every role in which he has served, ambassador john bolton has steadfastly supported israel and the jewish people. he has worked diligently to maintain the strength of the u.s.-israel relationship. as assistantt role ca to the president for national security affairs, ambassador thatn continues to ensure the relationship between the united states and israel is both

deep and sure, and that both our nations are strong and secure. please join me in welcoming to this stage christian united for israel's committed ally and faithful friend, ambassador john bolton. [applause] mr. bolton: thank you very much. thank you very much. it is great to be with you today. i want to thank pastor hagee for those kind words. it has been my privilege to on k to see you have i -- cufi on many occasions and great to see this crowd in washington. i want to speak about the relationship between united

states and israel in the context of how president trump has been greatly changed the foreign policy paradigm for the united states of america in just two short years. [applause] mr. bolton: since the president took office, he has charted a bold new course in every aspect of foreign affairs. around the world, naive police have given way to clear i common sense. we are no longer surrendering american liberty in the name of global governance. [applause] mr. bolton: we are no longer selling out our friends to appease our adversaries. [applause] and we are no longer sacrificing the interests of the american people to pursue idealistic fantasies in havana,

tehran, or anywhere else. [applause] mr. bolton: instead we are proudly defending american strength and american sovereignty. as a result, the world is changing for the better and the american people are safer. we can see the results of renewed american leadership in every corner of the globe, and particularly in the middle east, that typical neighborhood that israel calls home. over the years, presidents and policymakers have utilized many different tools of foreign policy. they have adopted various philosophies, tactics, and so-called doctrines. yet unfortunately, these strategies have too often fail to yield results. this administration, on the other hand, is guided by one civil principle -- simple -- in every decision

we make, we put the interests of the american people first. [applause] since january 2017, we have applied this principle across all major issue areas. for example, we have taken direct action to protect american sovereignty and american interests in international forms of all kinds. last june, we announced our withdrawal from the hypocritical u.n. human rights council, which shielded the world's worst human rights violators while devoting most of its time to condemning israel, a thriving democracy. [applause] we are also reevaluating u.n. peacekeeping missions, including those involving israel, to ensure support for effective, accountable, and efficient operations. we will not allow bureaucratic inertia to keep the united

states in international organizations or agreements that undermine u.s. interests and values. [applause] mr. bolton: for these reasons, in september of last year i announced that the united states orld not fund, support, cooperate with the international criminal court, or icc. [applause] icc, which the asserts near-universal jurisdiction over the citizens of every country without their consent. as i said then, the icc is flawed to its core, and we will let it die on its own. [applause] the court is a favorite of child of global governance advocates, and it has

failed repeatedly in its reported in two pitcher and punish egregious human rights violations. for a become a forum politicized attack on the policies of liberalized democracies such as the united states and israel. in november 2017, the icc prosecutor requested to investigate alleged war crimes supposedly committed by american service numbers and intelligence professionals during the war in afghanistan. and at the behest of the so-called state of palestine, the icc has threatened to investigate israeli housing projects in addition to targeting israeli counterterrorism efforts in the west bank and gaza. we cannot and will not allow the icc bureaucrats in the hague to dictate our foreign policy or that of our most trusted allies, first and foremost israel. [applause]

mr. bolton: accordingly, in addition to withdrawing all support for the icc, last month we also announced a policy to restrict u.s. visas for anyone responsible for an icc investigation of american personnel. we welcome the unanimous april 12 decision by the icc to downly act down-- back from the afghanistan investigation. [applause] however, as the president noted in his statement that day, we reiterate that any attempt to target american, israeli, or allied personnel will be met with a swift and vigorous response. [applause] in september, i also announced that the united states was closing the palestine

liberation organization in washington, d.c. [applause] mr. bolton: we are also ended funding for the united nations relief and work agency for palestine. [applause] and we have cut support for the palestinian authority. we will not -- [applause] mr. bolton: we will not allow in washington to reopen until the palestinians start direct and substantive negotiations with the israelis. [applause] mr. bolton: we will not support unrwa until it uses american eight to help people in

emergency situations and stopped funding those promoting hatred towards america and its citizens. [applause] we will notand restore funding to the palestinian authority until it stops its vile practice of paying terrorists and their families for murdering innocent american and israeli men, women, and children. [applause] mr. bolton: as the president has said, the united states supports israel's absolute right to self-defense. and any future peace agreement must account for israel's need to protect its people from syria, iran, and other regional threats. -- peaceddle east ne in the middle east me not, the expense of american moral courage or israeli security.

[applause] mr. bolton: we will not allow political correctness to stand in the right of doing what is right and just. [applause] for this reason, president trump also recognized jerusalem as the capital of israel, something that seems to have escaped former presidents. [applause] mr. bolton: and now the united states embassy under the able leadership of ambassador david friedman thrives in the historic capital of the jewish people. in addition, in march president trump assigned a second presidential proclamation recognizing israel's sovereignty over the golan heights. [applause]

mr. bolton: naysayers had told generations of presidents that these actions would isolate israel and potentially incite violence against both israel and the united states. but president trump saw things differently, and we have all seen the results. a year after our new embassy opened in jerusalem, israel has unprecedented relations with our other partners across the middle east. prime minister netanyahu made his first official visit to the capital of oman, with a little or no response from the arab street. openly by therted families won 22 medals of the special olympics in dubai in march. [applause] mr. bolton: and just last week, the foreign minister of bahrain told an israeli journalist, "israel is a country in the middle east.

the jewish people have a place among us." [applause] mr. bolton: all of this is the result of full, unconditional, and unapologetic support for israel. [applause] in may of last year we achieved another major success in the middle east. the president announced our withdrawal from the disastrous iran nuclear deal. [applause] mr. bolton: the worst diplomatic debacle in american history. and i am here to tell you today, president trump's maximum- pressure campaign against iran is working. [applause] a little over a year

ago, our critics predicted we couldn't do it. our unilateral sanctions, they said, would not be effective. since then the united states has levied the toughest-ever sanctions on the iranian regime, and iran's economy is, to quote the "financial times," collapsing under their weight. [applause] mr. bolton: islamic revolutionary guards corps is starting to have to cut salaries and support for proxies across the region, leaving them to lament that the golden days are gone and will never return. [applause] mr. bolton: and we are just getting started. in november we finished reinforcing the crippling sanctions that originally brought tehran to the negotiating table. but we did not stop there. the president's goal is to get a new deal that would ne be

negotiated in the best interests of the united states. we have designated the irgc as a foreign terrorist organization. [applause] mr. bolton: this is the first time an element of a home government has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization. it will make it harder for anyone affiliated with the irgc to enter our great country. it also makes it a crime for individuals, companies, or institutions to do business with this vile terrorist group. [applause] on the anniversary of president trump's withdrawal from the iran nuclear deal, all of the waivers that had been granted on iranian oil sales have gone to zero. this -- [applause] mr. bolton: this action is choking off iran's single greatest source of funding.

like the irgc terrorist designation, this is an unprecedented step aimed at putting maximum pressure on tehran to change its threatening behavior. we welcome the action by the british royal marines on the fourth of july, no less, to enforce eu sanctions on syria by seizing a supertanker with millions of barrels of iranian oil off gibraltar. [applause] mr. bolton: that is a real fourth of july present. [laughter] mr. bolton: actions such as this to disrupt sanctions evasion are critical to denying the syrian and iranian regimes the financial resources they desperately need. we must redouble our cooperation with our allies and partners to enforce our sanctions and

enforce freedom of navigation. we are cracking down on other sectors of the iranan run-- iranian economy such as metals and petrochemicals that tehran is banking on to diversify their revenue streams. the anticipated flood of foreign investment into iran has utterly failed to materialize, as private cubbies make the obvious calculation that iran is a bad debt.-- bad bet. [laughter] [applause] mr. bolton: german exports to 50%, for example, are down over last year, according to the association of german chambers of commerce and industry. as i said earlier this year in, miami, under this administration "death tothat chants

america" or "death to israel" will get a deal from this administration. [applause] mr. bolton: we will continue to increase the pressure on the iranian regime until it abandons its nuclear weapons program and ends its violent activities across the middle east, including conducting and supporting terrorism around the world. continued pursuit of a nuclear program, including recent increases in iranian stockpiles and investment levels, in direct violation of its commitments under the nuclear deal, is certainly a grave threat to international peace and security that the deal was supposed to preserve.

given iran's documented history of pursuing a nuclear weapon, these actions underscore the seriousness of iran's ongoing nuclear ambitions. president trump has been clear, he will not allow iran any path to nuclear weapons. [applause] mr. bolton: as we pressure the iranian regime, we continue to stand with the long-suffering iranian people, who, as president trump has said, are the rightful heirs to a rich culture and ancient land. in every region of the world, the united states seeks partners who are strong, sovereign, and independent. we want nations to take ownership over their own destinies and assume responsibility for peace and security in their own neighborhoods. importantly, as we encourage our

allies and partners to embrace their independence, defend their sovereignty, and invest in their security, we are doing the same here at home. the united states wants the same success for israel, and we are seeing israel fully supported by take a new role on the international stage. witnessed to this -- this two weeks ago when i participated in an historic trilateral meeting between the united states and russia posted by israel in jerusalem. in discussions with my manyerparts, despite our differences with our russian friends, one point of agreement stood out, that israel's security is central to the stability of the middle east. [applause] mr. bolton: a strong, independent israel will only be

an ever more valuable partner to the united states. this is what it means to put american interests first, and this is the approach that is finally getting results for the american people, as it will get results for the israeli people. finally, a word about an extraordinary event that took place in jerusalem last sunday, when ambassador friedman and mrs. seven netanyahu -- mrs. s ara netanyahu participated in the united ration of the pilgrimage wrote in the city of david, a remarkable archaeological discovery that provides fresh, scientific historical proof of the connection between the jewish people and jerusalem. with i had to be president trump at the g20 in osaka while the ceremony was taking place, i was proud to have the white house presented by jason greenblatt, from whom you have just heard. i visited the city of david many

times, most recently for personal tour and special dinner with my israeli counterpart. this connection between the past and the present leading into the future represented by the pilgrimage road is what president trump instinctively recognized when he promised to move the embassy to jerusalem on the campaign trail and what motivated him to make good on his promise. i understand that connection, and i am proud to serve in the administration that has done more to support it than any in history. [applause] mr. bolton: my friends, our foreign policy progress over the past would have years has been truly extraordinary. we have protected american interests in international forums.

we have defended american sovereignty at all costs. we have recognized jerusalem as the capital of israel and finally moved out embassy after decades of broken promises. we have withdrawn from the disastrous iran nuclear deal. we have rejected the failed policies of the past. we have renewed american leadership. we never knew our partnership with israel.--we have renewed our partnership with israel. thanks to president trump's bold new approach them all of this was achieved in only three months. -- only 30 months. [applause] mr. bolton: imagine what we will accomplish in a second term. [applause] [crowd chanting "four more

years"] an honor toit was speak with you today. thanks you very much. [applause] diplomat,ica's top secretary of state mike pompeo has stood strong with israel and help iran accountable for its support of terrorism. secretary pompeo is a voice for moral clarity on the world stage , a tireless allied to israel, able defender of america's interest around the world. >> thank you for all you did to help get my friend mike pompeo confirmed is our new secretary

of state. sec. pompeo: it is true that the islamic republic of iran is the destabilizing force in the middle east today. with the dark wave of anti-semitism rising in the unite europe and the united states, all nations must go to the barricades against bigotry. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the united states secretary of state, mike pompeo. [applause] >> what a wonderful day this is. oft a wonderful cadre speakers we have had. and now it is our privilege an

opportunity to hear from the secretary of state, mike pompeo. as secretary of state, secretary pompeo has played a leading role in shaping american foreign policy and helping to build respect for the united states of america around the world and working to ensure its security. by standing for america and not apologizing for america. [applause] secretary pompeo has also strongly and forcefully opposed the disastrous iran deal. he has worked to strengthen the close relationship between israel and the united states, which he recently said, "has never been more important." ladies and gentlemen, please stand and give a warm welcome to a friend of christians united for israel, the secretary of

state of the united states, mike pompeo. [applause] sec. pompeo: good afternoon. good afternoon, everyone. that you. -- thank you. [crowd chanting "usa"] sec. pompeo: good afternoon. good afternoon, everyone. they told me there would be a lot of you hear. this is what it must've looked like to be part of the crowd for the fishes and the loaves. [applause] -- [laughter] sec. pompeo: what a miracle that was. today i want to talk to you about serious matters and tell important stories about anne

hathaway. i want to -- important stories about our path forward. i want to thank pastor john hagee for inviting me to be with you. [applause] sec. pompeo: it is truly heartening as secretary of state that there are so many americans working to make our relationship with israel the strongest it has been. [applause] sec. pompeo: you all know israel is an important partner. it's an ally. israel is a friend. can i get an amen? >> amen! of. pompeo: i want to kick my remarks by telling you seven you will know what a lot a lot of folks truly don't. missions in america -- christians in america are among israel's greatest friends. [applause] sec. pompeo: this isn't a new development. christian support in america for zion, the jewish homeland, goes back to the puritan settlers and

has been true for centuries. our second president a couple years back said, "i really wish the jews in judaic an independent nation." a little more recently, just over 100 years ago 1916 in a prominent american evangelist named william blackstone helped to convince president woodrow wilson to support the declaration, the united kingdom's on statement of support for a national home for the jewish people. that document helped to lay the groundwork for what happened in 1948, when the missouri baptist displayed an incredible act of political courage -- you have to remember these times, it was a world that was recovering from the fury of world war ii. people of all nations were turning to their homeland. president truman wondered aloud "everyonehis aides,

else who has been dragged away from his country have someplace to get back to come up with the jews have no place to go." truman, and credibly courageously, decided to recognize this new state. he did it on the same day as prime minister david ben gurion read out the declaration of independence in tel aviv. we take this for granted sometimes, but this was not an easy decision for the president for the nearly every one of his advisers, military and diplomatic, have counseled against that decision. but that president knew it was the right thing to do. he later said, "i wonder how far moses would have gone if he had taken a poll in egypt." [laughter] sec. pompeo: he continued, "what would jesus christ have breached if you taken a poll in israel? where with the reformation had gone if martin luther had taken a poll?"

it is in for holes in public forion to do what is right leadership. [applause] sec. pompeo: you have a president like that today, too. know, no one, no one was more grateful for truman's brave decision than the jewish people themselves. israel's chief rabbi came to see president truman and he said, whatgod put you in your mother's room so you can be the instrument to bring about the birth of israel." story goes, tears fill the president's eyes. the rabbi opened the bible and read the word of king cyrus. it is from the book of ezra. he read that "the lord god of heaven have given me all the kindness of the earth, and he is charged me to build him a house in jerusalem, which is in

judah." it fills me with unending pride to know that american hands help to build the modern house of israel wil. [applause] our welcoming, the american welcoming of the new jewish state into the family of nations, was one of the most consequential diplomatic decisions of the 20th century, not just in terms of the world map, but as a statement to the world of who we are as americans. [applause] sec. pompeo: it proved, as we continue to prove, that we stand for human dignity, that we stand for justice, that we stand for independence. we are now some 70 years on from that moment. america has an incredibly unique and important relationship with israel. it's one that i personally

treasure and i'm proud to work every day to maintain. [applause] sec. pompeo: in may i had a chance to speak at israel's independence day celebration right here in washington. ambassador drummer was kind enough to invite me to say a few words. i talked about the unbreakable bond from our shared love of freedom full to you know, modern israel is the only truly free nation throughout the entire middle east. it has an enormous respect for religious freedom, a subject of many of our hearts these days. here, too, israel's commitment life the way for the rest of the middle east and for the entire world. no country is perfect, but israel, like america, holds itself to incredibly high standards. israel is the majority jewish nation, but the government does not force jewish beliefs on others.

to the contrary, it's declaration of independence dedicates full freedom of conscience, worship, and culture. israel permits conversion of its citizens away from judaism, the majority religion. indeed, last year in the knesset israel passed a law preventing hiring discrimination against workers who refuse to work on their day of rest. compare this to many places in the world. compare israel's reverence for liberty with the restrictions on religious freedom facing christians, people of all faiths, throughout the rest of the middle east. in many countries, if a muslim with islam, it is considered apostasy and punishable by death. in iraq, syria, and other countries in the region, the last remnants of ancient christian communities are right near extension i because of persecution from isis and other malign actors. before 2003, there were an

estimated 1.5 million christians living in iraq. today, sadly, almost a quarter of a million. this administration has made a real effort to protect christians and other threatened religious minorities in iraq and elsewhere, and we are making real progress. [applause] the flame of existence of christians must not be snuffed out. christians' unalienable rights in the middle east, the right to worship must not be taken away. [applause] sec. pompeo: persecution of the faithful is especially intense inside the islamic republic of iran. the regime's militant adherence to the noxious tenants of islamic revolution designates that all elements of life and especially his version of other faiths. in iran, if muslims tried to

convert non-muslims, the penal code calls for death. the government does not recognize congress to christianity. it levies beatings and solitary confinement on christians. last year, an iranian court upheld a 10-year prison sentence on four iranian christians who were acting against national security by "promoting zionist christianity" and running house churches, something we know in america. instead of following the normal procedure, authorities raided their homes and beat that and used electroshock weapons on them. they threw them into a regime dungeon inside of tehran. every day i pray, and i ask you, too, to pray for our brothers and sisters and not just them by people of all faiths persecuted in iran. [applause]

know, i am from kansas. kansans out it, got there. i'm sure there are more of you. just quite people. a lot of people get the wrong ideas that american evangelicals want to impose theocracy on america. i wish they would be concerned about the real theocratic takeover that has been happening in iran for the last four decades. [applause] sec. pompeo: ayatollahs have grievously deprived the iranian people that most basic, simple, fundamental right, their right to worship. that same twisted, intolerant doctrine that fuels persecution inside iran has led the ayatollah and his cronies to cry out " death to israel" for four decades now. this is similar to a cry that came out of iran, then called

persia, many years ago. it was in the fifth century bc. there below hatched a plot -- a fellow has to plot to kill. he ordered the people to rise up and attacked the jews. the courageous esther,tion of queen haman's plot was exposed in the jews were ultimately spared. today marks the jewish holiday and it commemorates this amazing miracle. [applause] i wanted to tell the story today for a couple of reasons because similar threats have marked other areas as well.

the vicious programs throughout the european history and the holocaust. they've had a target on the back through every area -- every era of history. thank god we have a leader in president trump and friend of israel. [applause] commitment is the strongest in history and has been one of the best parts of my job to turn that commitment into real action. [applause] >> you know the stories. we have limited the strongest pressure against the iranian regime and we are not done. [applause] we have cut off billions in would have use

for various purposes, not the least of which would have been their efforts to destroy the state of israel. it is also the case that under present from that hamas, hezbollah receive far less blood money from iran to pursue their terrorism than ever in recent history. trump has maintained the security assistance to to claimd we honor [indiscernible] has its own. i was in israel the very day that that announcement was made. those with prime minister .etanyahu it was truly remarkable to be when ourthat day

president made that historic proclamation. [applause] >> within the state department we have -- it is a conversation i have all the time and i had one with the archbishop of canterbury last may. i kept thinking during our meeting that secretary of state had about 1200 euros on me -- years on me. we have advanced religious freedom and this is something that have been missing for too long. last year, i hosted the first other -- first ever gathering devoted solely to advancing religious freedom and will do it again in the middle of july.

[applause] >> i think we have put the u.n. on notice that it's bias will no longer be tolerated. [applause] >> well i wasn't there on the day it happened, i was able to see the state department and the seed that was moved to drizzle them to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital. now and forever. [applause] the other great thing about this administration, we live in a very real world and for that to see that able anti-semitism is anti-semitism. it is also a blessing to stand

with other countries because that is what it is all about here in america. i will close here today. i want to go back to president truman. he said this. do country is intended to all it can in cooperating with other nations to help create peace throughout the world. it is given a moral code against the vast forces of evil that seek to destroy. that is what america does when it stands of israel each and every day. know that i cover your prayers as you do this work.

>> got bless you and may god bless the united states of america. god bless you all. >> we will leave our coverage of the conference at this point. u.s. house of representatives returns from its july 4 recess tomorrow i'll stop the house will take up the defense program bill in the senate passed the $750 billion version last week. onmakers will be working judicial nominations, including the secretaries of the education and labor department. when the house comes back tomorrow, watch the senate life

on our companion network c-span2. >> there has been a discussion of an appearance before congress. any testimony would not go beyond our report. it contains our findings and analysis and the reasons for the decisions we made. we chose those words carefully and they speak for themselves. testimony.is my i would not provide testimony beyond that which is our republic in any appearance before congress. set tort mueller is appear before two committees of congress on wednesday, july 17. take in the day, he will questions from the house intelligence committee. the testimonyf will be live on c-span three, online on