Bennett: Anti-Israel Group Failed in Iron Dome Vote

The anti-Israel minority in Congress failed to reduce support for Israel, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport ahead of his trip to the United Nations General Assembly on Motzoei Shabbos.

Bennett called the vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday to provide $1 billion to replenish batteries for the Iron Dome missile defense system, with 420 in favor and nine opposed, an “important moment.”

“We saw that in the moment of truth, the representatives of the American People overwhelmingly supported Israel,” he said.

In reference to the left-wing “squad” of members of Congress, which led to the postponement of the Iron Dome vote earlier in the week, Bennett added: “There’s a small anti-Israel group that makes a lot of noise, but those guys failed.

“This will be an opportunity to tell our story, about Israel’s place in the world and about the special spirit of Israelis and our contribution to the world,” he added.

“We do not define ourselves according to others, not according to Iran and not the Palestinians. I suggest that their leaders deal with their own people, in improving their own situation, and stop this obsession with the State of Israel.”

Bennett plans to hold his first meeting with senior ministers from Abraham Accords signatory counties, during his three-day visit to New York, where he will address the U.N.

Bennett is scheduled to land in the United States on Sunday morning and will meet with Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and United Arab Emirates Minister of State in the Foreign Ministry Khalifa Shaheen Almarar that evening. These follow meetings he has already held with Jordan’s King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The prime minister is also expected to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

The major focus point of his trip, however, is expected to be his first-ever address at the opening session of the 76th U.N. Debate scheduled for Monday.