Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan has set out on an advocacy mission to Washington as part of the fight against US sanctions on Israeli citizens in Judea and Samaria.
Dagan met with US representatives and senators and explained the injustice being done to the residents of the area. The legislators were surprised to hear that the sanctions were imposed arbitrarily and that legal proceedings were not opened in Israel against the targets of the sanctions.
Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY) stated: "We will stand tall. We will continue to fight. We will continue to make sure that resolutions that are important to your people are on the floor so that not only the people of the United States but that your people know who stands with them and who doesn't. We will continue to shine a light on that hate and I know we will do all we can to call out this administration for placing sanctions on your people, in situations where if you don't agree with them they take it out politically. We know the feeling."
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) added: "We want to fight against the sanctions that can potentially be imposed by the current administration and I just want to say G-d bless all of you. We're thinking of you and we're praying for Israel."
Dagan posed a direct question to the members of Congress: "What can be done about these terrible sanctions and pressure against us?"
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) replied: "If Donald Trump is elected president, Israel will have a very strong friend. Trump is a truly pro-Israel. He proved it when he moved the embassy to Jerusalem, as other presidents promised and did not fulfill."
Dagan concluded: "The sanctions against Israeli citizens in Judea and Samaria and out are an unprecedently anti-democratic move and it is an affront to Israeli sovereignty. These are certainly law-abiding citizens who work in organizations for the settlement of Judea and Samaria and legal proceedings have not been opened against them. It's the Israeli government's responsibility to prevent these sanctions. The submission to the dictates of far-left organizations whose interests clearly brought on this nonsense. I am happy that we have friends in the Senate and Congress who understand this and are willing to fight with us against this severe thing."