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Laurie Coleman applauds as her husband, Senator-elect Norm Coleman waves to supporters in St. Paul, Minnesota after winning the U.S. senate race against former vice president Walter Mondale. (AP)
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| By israelinsider staff November 8, 2002 |
| A version of this story originally appeared on birthright Israel. |
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Pro-Israel activists welcomed the results of the American mid-term elections stating that the new Congress was expected to be one of the most pro-Israel legislatures ever. Other analysts said the impact of the new Congress would be minimal on American support for Israel. The number of Jewish senators rose from ten to eleven, while the number of Jews in the House of Representatives remained at 26.
Although the American Jewish community has historically voted heavily for Democrats, polls indicated that Jewish voters have been generally supportive of the Mideast policies of President George W. Bush and most Republican Congressional representatives. Support for Israel is a "non-partisan issue," one American Jewish leader said, adding, "Congress is overwhelmingly pro-Israel."
"Everyone seems to be very good nowadays," said Morris Amitay, treasurer of the pro-Israel Washington Political Action Committee (PAC). Summing up the election results, Amitay added, "If you are looking strictly at Israel, it was a good night."
Another Jewish official who tracks the Israel issue in Washington told the Jerusalem Post, "This new Congress is very supportive and is likely to be the most pro-Israel Congress that we've seen."
The number of Jewish senators rose to eleven with the election of Frank Lautenberg in New Jersey. Lautenberg, who served in the Senate from 1982 to 2000 and is a former chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, is seen as a strong supporter of foreign aid to Israel. Lautenberg has maintained a cautious stance with respect to moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, emphasizing that nothing should be done to increase tensions in the current turbulent times.
Norm Coleman's Minnesota victory welcomed
In Minnesota, Norm Coleman, the former mayor of St. Paul, defeated former vice president Walter Mondale in a hotly contested race thrown into turmoil when Democratic incumbent Senator Paul D. Wellstone was killed in an air crash just two weeks before the election.
"Coleman is going to be terrific. He will be strongly pro-Israel," Amitay said.
"He's a passionate, Jewish representative," said Matthew Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
Most of the candidates that the pro-Israel community had targeted for defeat had already been wiped off the slates in party primaries. One exception was in New Hampshire, where Rep. John Sununu, a Republican of Arab ancestry, triumphed over the Granite State's Democratic governor, Jeanne Shaheen, to win a coveted Senate seat. The National Jewish Democratic Council had criticized Sununu for opposing pro-Israel resolutions, including a humanitarian bill calling for the release of information about missing Israeli soldiers in Lebanon.
Brooks admitted that Sununu had a "less than stellar record of support" for Israel but had written "an encouraging position paper" stressing the need to maintain Israel's regional military edge.
Pro-Israel legislation due when Congress takes office
Pro-Israel activists in Congress are expected to focus on bills already drafted but not yet passed, including:
 The so-called Arafat Accountability Act, which would deny visas to Palestinian Authority officials, limit their travel, and freeze their assets in the United States.
The Syria Accountability Act would prevent military and dual-use exports to Syria, along with denying financial assistance to U.S. firms that invest in Syria.
An additional $200 million in aid to Israel, tucked into the foreign aid bill, which already includes $3 billion in economic and military aid to the Israeli government in various forms.
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