(AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

The security aid that the US provides to Israel is the most tangible manifestation of American support for the Jewish state. We must ensure that it continues

The US-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018 (S. 2497) is a bipartisan bill that seeks to ensure Israel has the military means required to defend itself, by itself, against a range of looming threats.

Authored by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Chris Coons (D-DE), the legislation supports full funding of security assistance to Israel as outlined in the historic 2016 US-Israel Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on security assistance.

Facing constant threats on its borders, Israel is forced to spend more on defense as a percentage of GDP than any other nation in the industrialized world.

This bipartisan bill supports $3.3 billion in security assistance to Israel and $500 million in cooperative missile defense funding in fiscal year 2019, as prescribed by the US-Israel MOU.

Annual security assistance to Israel is the most tangible manifestation of American support for the Jewish state.

“With Israel facing evolving threats from Iran, Syria’s Assad regime, Hezballah, Hamas and other malign actors, this bipartisan legislation will enable the United States to further strengthen our critical strategic alliance with Israel,” said Rubio. “It is consistent with America’s national security interests and moral values to ensure that Israel, a fellow democracy and our most important ally in the Middle East, remains safe and secure amid the region’s growing dangers.”

We must urge the senators to cosponsor the United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018, thus ensuring that Israel is always ahead of its enemies and can face any threat.