From Senator Rob Portman

 

Dear Mark,

 

 

Given your interest in issues impacting our great ally Israel, I wanted to update you on actions I've taken to combat the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

 

As you may know, I introduced bipartisan legislation, the United States-Israel Trade Enhancement Act of 2015, with Senator Ben Cardin in March. Last week we had a major victory as the House and Senate passed this important measure as part of a package of trade bills. It sends the clear message that countries that want to be economic partners with the United States must not support politically motivated boycotts of Israel and that the U.S. will not stand with those who attempt to weaken Israel. We will not allow our trading partners to participate in illegitimate sanctions or backdoor boycotts against Israel.

 

I am pleased that this measure is now headed to the President's desk to be signed into law. Over the past years, a growing contingency of countries has sought to isolate and delegitimize Israel through BDS and this measure will discourage prospective U.S. trading partners from engaging in such actions.

 

Thank you for your interest in these important issues. I look forward to working hard in the Senate to further strengthen the important U.S-Israel relationship. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Rob Portman
U.S. Senator 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pastor Mark,

 

ISIS jihadists behead, mutilate, torture, and rape Christians. Survivors are sold into slavery. Nearly 1 million Christians have been slaughtered or displaced. ISIS - the Islamic State - is engaged in the blatant genocide of Christians in the Middle East. The entire world knows it. Yet President Obama re-fuses to recognize the genocide against Christians. He is pressuring the State Department to deny endangered Christians critical legal protections from ISIS's slaughter. It's outrageous. Emboldened by the Administration's deadly silence, ISIS's systematic extermination of Christians rages on. We will not be silent. We're aggressively advocating for persecuted Christians, working in Congress to pro-vide them vital international legal protections. We've just filed a crucial amicus brief at the European Court of Human Rights to protect Christians from genocide. Now we're demanding action on Capitol Hill. Christians are dying. They urgently need your voice. Demand the Obama Administration recognize ISIS's atrocities against Christians as genocide and protect them.

 

Jay Sekulow

ACLJ Chief Counsel