Washington, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) hosted a bipartisan meeting with Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon, Israel’s Minster of Defense, to discuss shared national security interests.

The Chairman opened the meeting by highlighting the strength of the relationship between the United States and Israel and the need to address threats posed by a nuclear Iran, the conflict in Syria, and ISIS and other terrorist organizations.

Regarding Iran, the Chairman discussed the problems the U.S. and Israel will face with an Iran that continues its subversive activities and will soon receive tens of billions of dollars in sanctions relief under President Obama’s nuclear agreement.  Specifically, the Chairman asked what type of coordination Israel has received from the Obama administration to confront these challenges.

The Chairman also expressed his concern over increased violence in the West Bank and discussed recent Committee efforts to help put an end to the Palestinian Authority’s incitement to violence against Israelis.

Following the meeting, Chairman Royce issued this statement: “It is a challenging time for Israel and today’s discussion was about the shared threats facing our close ally.  The regime in Tehran calls for the destruction of Israel and funds terrorists stockpiling weapons on Israel’s doorstep.  It is critical our ally has the tools and resources needed to confront their growing security threats.  We remain committed to strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship.”

Note: Earlier today, Chairman Royce convened a hearing to examine the brutal and destabilizing role of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.  The Chairman’s opening statement and witness testimony can be found HERE.

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