III 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 508 

Expressing support for the expeditious consideration and finalization of a 

new, robust, and long-term Memorandum of Understanding on military 

assistance to Israel between the United States Government and the 

Government of Israel. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 22, 2016 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. COONS, Ms. AYOTTE, Mr. CASEY, Mr. KIRK, 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. PERDUE, Mr. KAINE, 

Mr. COTTON, Mr. PETERS, Mr. HATCH, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. CRUZ, 

Mr. WARNER, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. CORNYN, and Mr. ROBERTS) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the expeditious consideration and finalization of a new, robust, and long-term Memorandum 

of Understanding on military assistance to Israel between 

the United States Government and the Government of 

Israel. 

Whereas in April 1998 the United States designated Israel 

as a ‘‘major non-NATO ally’’; 

Whereas, on August 16, 2007, the United States and Israel 

signed a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) 

on United States military assistance to Israel, under 

which total assistance would equal $30,000,000,000; 

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•SRES 508 IS 

Whereas, since the signing of the 2007 Memorandum of Understanding, intelligence and defense cooperation has continued to grow; 

Whereas, on October 15, 2008, the Naval Vessel Transfer 

Act of 2008 was signed into law (Public Law 110–429), 

defining Israel’s qualitative military edge (QME) as ‘‘the 

ability to counter and defeat any credible conventional 

military threat from any individual state or possible coalition of states or from non-state actors, while sustaining 

minimal damage and casualties, through the use of superior military means, possessed in sufficient quantity, including weapons, command, control, communication, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities 

that in their technical characteristics are superior in capability to those of such other individual or possible coalition of states or non-state actors’’; 

Whereas, on July 27, 2012, the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 (Public Law 

112–150) declared it to be the policy of the United 

States ‘‘to help the Government of Israel preserve its 

qualitative military edge amid rapid and uncertain regional political transformation’’; 

Whereas Israel faces immediate threats to its security from 

the United States-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, Hezbollah, and its missile and rocket stockpile estimated to number around 150,000, and from the United 

States-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, 

Hamas, which continues to attempt to rebuild its tunnel 

network to infiltrate Israel and restock its own missile 

and rocket stockpiles; 

Whereas Israel also faces immediate threats to its security 

from the ongoing regional instability in the Middle East, 

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•SRES 508 IS 

especially from the ongoing conflict in Syria and from 

militant groups in the Sinai; 

Whereas Iran remains a threat to Israel, as demonstrated by 

Iran’s continued bellicosity, including several hostile and 

provocative tests of ballistic missiles capable of carrying 

nuclear warheads, even reportedly marking several of 

these weapons with Hebrew words declaring ‘‘Israel must 

be wiped out’’; 

Whereas the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

Year 2016 (Public Law 114–92) authorized funds to be 

appropriated for Israeli cooperative missile defense program codevelopment and coproduction, including funds to 

be provided to the Government of Israel to procure the 

David’s Sling weapon system as well as the Arrow 3 

Upper Tier Interceptor Program; and 

Whereas, on December 19, 2014, President Barack Obama 

signed into law the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–296), which stated 

the sense of Congress that Israel is a major strategic 

partner of the United States and declared it to be the 

policy of the United States ‘‘to continue to provide Israel 

with robust security assistance, including for the procurement of the Iron Dome Missile Defense System’’: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) reaffirms that Israel is a major strategic 

3 partner of the United States; 

4 (2) reaffirms that it is the policy and law of the 

5 United States to ensure that Israel maintains its 

6 qualitative military edge and has the capacity and 

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•SRES 508 IS 

1 capability to defend itself from all credible military 

2 threats; 

3 (3) reaffirms United States support of a robust 

4 Israeli tiered missile defense program; 

5 (4) supports continued discussions between the 

6 United States Government and the Government of 

7 Israel for a robust and long-term Memorandum of 

8 Understanding on United States military assistance 

9 to Israel; 

10 (5) urges the expeditious finalization of a new 

11 Memorandum of Understanding between the United 

12 States Government and the Government of Israel; 

13 and 

14 (6) supports a robust and long-term Memo15 randum of Understanding negotiated between the 

16 United States and Israel regarding military assist17 ance that increases the amount of aid from previous 

18 agreements and significantly enhances Israel’s mili19 tary capabilities. 

Æ 

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