Washington, DC- Today, Congresswoman Kay Granger met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, in Jerusalem. In addition, Granger met with Director of Military Intelligence Major General Aviv Kochavi. The meetings focused on Egypt’s future participation in the peace process, security in the Sinai Peninsula, and Iran’s increasing influence in the region.
While this is the first time Granger has met with Netanyahu as Chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, their relationship goes back to the 1990s. Granger first met Netanyahu in 1998 when she and then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate Israel’s 50thanniversary. After Netanyahu visited with Granger and Gingrich, he invited the group to his home where the discussions continued for another four hours focusing on the future of the peace process and Middle East politics.
While in Israel today, Granger reemphasized the importance of the U.S. – Israel strategic partnership. Granger’s subcommittee oversees aid to Israel, and in addition, she serves on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, where she has fought for funding for U.S.-Israeli missile defense cooperative programs.
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