"These are perilous times.  History teaches that weakness arouses evil."  Clearly referring to the Biden administration's multiple foreign policy debacles, former vice president Mike Pence spoke in Jerusalem to a small but influential group of mostly dual American and Israeli citizens. 

Ambassador Ron Dermer introduced the former vice president by stating that Mike Pence "loves Israel with his heart, his head, and his soul."  As a devout Christian with unbreakable principles, Vice President Pence reiterated: "The success, prosperity and security of Israel is and shall always remain a high priority to the overwhelming majority of American people."

It was the Trump-Pence administration that demonstrated a willingness to stand up to our adversaries and challenge evil around the world.  Pence reminded the audience, "It was our administration that took down ISIS in Syria and its leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi without one American casualty."  It goes without saying: strong leadership was missing during the terrible tragedy that befell thirteen American patriots who lost their lives under the Biden administration's disastrous departure from Afghanistan.

Decisive action was taken in Syria when the red line was crossed.  "We sent not one, but two rounds of cruise missiles into [Bashar] Assad's regime.  It was our administration with our friends that took the historic action that eliminated Qaseam Soleimani [head of the Iranian Quds force] off the battlefield," stated Pence to a round of applause.

The Trump-Pence administration used American force to stand up against our enemies and stand with our allies.  "This served as a deterrent" to those who would do us harm.  "Ours was the only administration in the 21st century where [Vladimir] Putin and the Russians did not attempt to redraw geographic boundaries in Europe by force." 

While Russian missiles are raining down on Ukrainian civilians, Pence praised Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's leadership and railed against Putin's despicable, inhumane attacks on schools, hospitals, and senior homes in Ukraine.  Pence's belief is and always has been: "There is no room in the party for apologists for Putin.  There is only room for champions of freedom." 

Weakness arouses evil.  "During the Bush administration, they moved tanks into Georgia.  During the Obama-Biden administration, they moved into Crimea, and now, tragically, we all watched hour by hour the Russian invasion of Ukraine."  Trampled cities and the deaths of innocents created a refugee crisis in Europe of a size that has not occurred since the Second World War.  Pence took the opportunity to praise Israel for providing planes loaded with humanitarian aid and for absorbing over twenty thousand of the over 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees.

Another immediate and dire problem today is deterring Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.  The Trump-Pence administration withdrew from the Iran deal (JCPOA), but now the Biden administration has undone the progress that was made and may be close to a new Iran agreement negotiated in Vienna.  The former vice president's answer to this problem was unequivocally, "The next American president will tear up the Iran deal."

As for the upcoming elections, the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) executive director, Matt Brooks, had this to say: "Mike Pence's steadfast determination and hard work to bring Republican control back to the House and Senate this year is exactly what the United States and Israel need right now."  Mark Zell, organizer of the event and Republicans Overseas Israel co-chairman, added that Israel is home to over 450,000 U.S. citizens, making Israel one of the largest populations of non-resident U.S. citizens, who must be encouraged to vote. 

Pence spoke unambiguously about the need to have an American president who is strong on foreign policy.  "From unilateral concessions to Russia, to re-entering the new START treaty, to the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Nord Stream 2 [pipeline] ... the current weakness of President Biden's foreign policy, lack of decisive action, zero strategy or follow-through has emboldened our enemies around the world to make decisions that they would not have taken during the Trump-Pence administration."

The event concluded with an optimistic voice looking to the future of the partnership between the U.S. and Israel and an American Republican Congress that will "stand with our allies and stand up to our enemies as never before." 

Valerie Greenfeld worked for the Reagan White House and the Republican U.S. Senate.  She is a dual American-Israeli citizen and supports Republicans Overseas Israel.  The views expressed are her own and not the reflection of any organization.

Image: National Archives.