working on a geo thermal research and development bill. and on c-span 3, at 10:00 a.m. eastern, public health officials from the centers for disease control and prevention, the nationaliness tutes of health and the food and drug administration testify on capitol hill about the coronavirus outbreak and the federal response. >> during this election season, the candidates beyond the talking points are only revealed over time. but since you can't be everywhere, there's c-span. our campaign 2020 programming differs from all other political coverage for one simple reason, it's c-span. we've brought you, your unfiltered view of government every day since 1979. and this year we're bringing you unfiltered view of people seeking to steer that government, in other words, your future. so this election season, go deep, direct and unfiltered.

see the biggest picture for yourself, and make up your own mind with c-span's campaign 2020, brought to you as a public service by your television provider. announcer: next, secretary of state mike pompeo speaks to the american-israel public affairs committee and its annual public policy conference in washington. secretary pompeo: wow, good evening, everyone. what a -- what a crowd. what a crowd. it's great to be here.

it is wonderful to be with you all tonight. i want to say a few thank yous. my thanks to aipac chairman, my friend howard cord your new president, bet si and all of the amazing volunteers for putting this amazing gathering together. thank you. god bless you all. [applause] i've -- i've been here a few times when i was a member of congress, i got know the aipac team. i came to love them. [laughter] but it is wonderful. and it never gets old to be here with so many great friends of the relationship between america and israel. [applause] you should -- you should know that there's no president and no administration that loves israel more than president trump and our team. cheers and applause] so i was -- i was going to walk

through the things we've done in three years. but i'm just going to do since i was here last time because we've all got to get some place tonight. let's take a look at what we've done since the last time i stood right here. we declared the common sense truth that the israel west bank settlements aren't inconsistent with international law. [applause] we released a ground breaking vision for peace. [applause] and president trump took out one the world's worst nti-semites, sule manny. -- soleimani. [applause] so the previous administration had a phrase they used to say. they used to say that osama bin

laden is dead and general motors is alive. i think we can do one better. soleimani is dead and israel and the united states are alive. [applause] what -- what's really important about that is that nations of the middle east and the world are recognizing just how enduring israel is. the coming to reck mize that the more the middle east embraces israel, the brighter their future will be. and that's -- and that's what i want to focus on this evening. under president trump, israel is not a pie right yeah but a partner and rightly so. -- pariah, but a partner and rightly so. our special nations share so much, basic rights an freedoms including religion freedom and pleurism, rough and tumble politics.

those they're holding their third election. they just can't get enough of them. [laughter] and just think of all the benefits that israel brings to the region in which it liffs. pleuralism ple of and free speech. [applause] israel brings a robust, free market, innovative economy where entrepreneurship is rewarded -- and it is a place -- it is a unique place, a place where all can worship freely without fear or favor. [applause] these good things have ripple effects. you all know this. a strong democracy sets that example for plurism. a productive israeli economy creates jobs and an israeli society shows there's nothing to fear from religious minorities. now, not every nation or institution is as supportive of

a strong, free and democratic israel as we are. but look closely. look closely around the world, and you will see that the nations of the world are increasingly embracing israel. the nation state of the jewish people as central to a bright future for the middle east. [applause] in december, -- in december, boris johnson announced plans or his government to launch an anti-b.d.s. law. [applause] that same month, french spoke ant ians anti-semitism as i spoke about last year. greece and cyprus have created a new alliance with israel as have egypt and jordan. [applause] naru, a, honduras,

recognize jerleds as the capital f -- jerleds as the capital of israel. come join. look to the budding trend in the middle east. israel's gulf nations are warming to her. prime oman received minister benjamin netanyahu for a visit. that same year, the u.a.e. played the israel national anthem, not once but twice. [applause] last year, our berani friends allowed israeli journalists to visit for the first time since 1994. [applause] saudi, crown prince said "i believe -- i believe the palestinians and the israelis have the right to have their own land."

[applause] and i remember being in that room when ambassadors from ohman, bahrain attended the white house ceremony unveiling the plan for peace where president trump and benjamin netanyahu both offered remarks. [applause] these are small examples. just a few glimpses of harmony and there's still much more progress to be made. at i think these anecdotes is real shift amongst israel's neighborhoods. the more the neighbors embraces israel, the brighter the future will be. that's true for the entire region. [applause] as i said earlier, there are some around the world who still refuse israel shining example or respect israel's rights as a nation. the number one state sponsor of anti-semitism the islamic republic of iran is undoubtedly the worst.

the regime continues to stoke hatred of jews to serve their own corrupt ends through classroom textbooks, state media propaganda, the poins declarations of their unelected leaders. you know, how sad given that iranians give sanctuaries to jews during the holocaust. it doesn't have to be this way. let me be clear, the world knows -- the world knows that the noble iranian people do not hate israel or jews or any other religious groups. it's the by gotted, intolerant regime that does. [applause] and it is -- and it is that regime. it is that regime and its views as the reason that president trump said so clearly that iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon while we're on watch. [applause]

so who else refuses to respect israel? sadly, there are members of congress who do too. in november, i received a letter from 106 members of congress that criticized moving the embassy so jerusalem closing the palestinian office in d.c. halting operations in the west bank and gaza and the rethinking we had about the settlement issues. the claim in this letter was the discredit of the united states as an honest broker between israel and the palestinian authority. they claim this is severely damaged prospects for peace. they claim that this endangered the security of america, israel and the palestinian people. you know, that discredits the united states? what damages peace, what endangers security, is not recognizing the truth. he truth must be spoken. and it's what president trump

and this administration has done. [applause] the harm -- the harm -- look, the harm -- the harm to israel, the thoorm the region, the harm to the relationship for the united states and israel comes from denying that jerusalem is the capital of israel. it was 100% necessary following president abbas's 2017 remarks at the u.n. what damages and discredits the united states and our relationship with israel is denying that palestinian terrorism has been the real obstacle to peace. [applause] and it -- and it discredits this relationship when you deny that the settlement issue is a political dispew and not a political puzzle. and i'll have more to say about that in just a moment. and finally, the u.n. the u.n. still calls them the high counselor and michelle

bashelay. they released the data base of companies doing business in east jerusalem and israeli settlements in the west bank. that release from the united nations only serves to facilitate the b.d.s. movement and delegitimizes israel. i remember reading it after its release. how saad. this is an organization that was set to insure that no people ever again faced horrors like the jews faced during the holocaust ands the now anti-semitic. [applause] this administration was right when president frump asked us to leave an international institution that grossly betrays its most fundamental mandate. [applause] minute friends, president trump's team are not standing if this nonsense. we know the more the middle east embraces israel the more the

future will be. that's why we've taken action against those who want to weaken israel. [applause] we've enacted the strongest pressure company in history to deprive the diplomatic sanctuary or money for terror. [applause] we -- we rallied nations in our own hemisphere here in the western hemisphere and in europe to declare hezbollah a terror organization in its entirety. [applause] and we've had other nations now in us in banning mohad air that has flown the ayatollah airlines of choice so that it can't move around weapons that put israelis at risk. [applause] on the settlement issues -- on the settlements, r issues we concluded that o obama did not help the prospect for peace. [applause]

we worked. we got it right. we disavoyed the memo of the 1970's which declared the tlements was illegal just as president regan did that after it was written. [applause] lets me remine you know less than senator schumer said right ere at aipac in 2018 that it's sure not the settlements that's a blockage to peace. further. i know some american companies are wondering some of you are wondering how to move forward in the end of the release of the data base that i just spoke about. it may not seem like much to some of you, but this is a real threat. and i'm proud to them you that this afternoon, the state department released official guidance on this subject. here's what we said. we said that we share your frustration. we will continue to work with

trade and invest in israel. neither the human rights council nor the office of the high commissioner for human rights has the power where you can and can't do business in the west bank. don't be intimidated if you're being subjected to harassment because of this, let america know and the united states will respond. to take actions against members of our business community that are being threatened by this release that were so sorely mistaken. [applause] . it's consistent with all that we have done. we will stand for a strong, free democratics and prosperous middle east and a prosperous israel at the heart of that middle east. the more the middle east embraces israel the bright ter future will be. it's really quite simple. we stand with israel.

we stand for peace in the holy land. we stand with the great israeli people. and we stand for the unbreakable bond between our two great nations rooted, rooted in our shared traditions in freedom and equality. that tradition goes back to a beautiful biblical teaching that all humans are created in the image of god. [applause] that matters, for it drives all that we do together. and i know that's what everyone believe. tendance i know it's members of aipac believe. it's what we all believe in. may god bless this institution of aipac. may god bless israel. and may god bless these united states of america. thank you all. cheers and applause]

2340e9 -- ♪ ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2020] >> c-span, your unfiltered view of government created by cable in 1979 and brought to you today by your television provider. >> next, a discussion on the syrian conflict, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in that country, and how western nations can help. this was held by the center for strategic and international studies. >> good afton