[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 77 (Thursday, April 23, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 DOUBLE DOWN ON HEALTH TIES WITH ISRAEL

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                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 2020

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, in the midst of the 
coronavirus pandemic, we are fortunate our alliance with Israel has 
never been stronger with the leadership of President Donald Trump and 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Amid international lockdowns and 
cancellations due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. and 
Israel quietly marked a major milestone in our militaries' bilateral 
defense relationship. For the first time ever, on March 29 U.S. and 
Israeli F-35s trained together in Israel in a combined air-power 
exercise dubbed ``Enduring Lightning.'' Despite coronavirus-related 
cancellations across the globe, this exercise over Israeli skies 
illustrated the strength and endurance of the military cooperation 
between our two nations. Our militaries have worked together for years 
to fight the threat of terrorism and defend our way of life from those 
that seek to threaten it. Today, as we all face the universal threat of 
COVID-19, it's time we ensure that our cooperation with our friends in 
Israel relating to public health is as prioritized as our strong 
defense ties.
  It's no surprise that defense has long been at the forefront of our 
bilateral cooperation with Israel. But our collaboration with Jerusalem 
spans all sectors of our society and our government-to-government 
collaboration on public health goes back decades. In 1985 when the 
Department of Health and Human Services signed a Memorandum of 
Understanding with the Israeli Ministry of Health. The MOU provided for 
the exchange of information between the two countries, joint training 
and education, conferences, and collaborative projects.
  But our bilateral work on public health is certainly not limited to 
government-to-government cooperation. The nature of cooperation between 
the United States and Israel, in every field, is based on the deep 
respect, friendship, and affection between Americans and Israelis. Just 
last month, the Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva announced it will 
donate more than six million doses of the anti-malarial drug 
hydroxychloroquine sulfate to hospitals across the United States. More 
than ever, we can appreciate person-to-person friendships as evidenced 
by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) so ably led by 
President Betsy Berns Korn and Chief Executive Officer Howard Kohr.
  It is no secret that for years Israel has been at the forefront of 
breakthrough scientific research and technology. Just last week, the 
Galilee Research Institute in Israel announced it was on the cusp of 
developing a vaccine for the coronavirus, with estimates that it could 
be ready within a few weeks and available within 90 days. The Israel-
based company Pluristem developed a placenta-based cell therapy 
treatment that has shown a 100 percent survival rate among severely ill 
COVID-19 patients and has just begun treating American patients days 
ago. During this crisis, Israel has also developed new, more affordable 
methods of producing ventilators and personal protective equipment that 
could change the way we respond to epidemics in the future. As we move 
forward in the fight against COVID-19, we would be wise to double down 
our health cooperation with Israel. There is no doubt that our two 
countries will benefit from information sharing related to the virus' 
spread, treatment, and containment.
  I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to support deepening our 
health ties with the Jewish State. As Ranking Member of the Middle East 
and North Africa Subcommittee on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I 
work closely with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to prioritize 
the U.S.-Israel relationship. I'm grateful to be the lead Republican 
with Chairman Ted Deutch (D-FL) on H.R. 1837, the United States-Israel 
Cooperation Enhancement and Regional Security Act which among other 
things seeks to deepen our collaboration with Israel on health issues.
  The bill calls for close collaboration with Israeli institutions on 
research and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, with which 
Israelis have, unfortunately, had a lot of experience given their 
current security situation. It also authorizes and funds a bilateral 
cooperative program with Israel for the development of health 
technologies, including artificial intelligence, biofeedback, and 
kidney care. Importantly, the bill, which passed the House of 
Representatives in July of last year, also includes language support 
for setting up a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regional office in 
Israel to facilitate joint work on critical issues relating to health. 
Last November, I was grateful to co-lead a letter with the Chairman of 
the Helsinki Commission, Alcee Hastings, to HHS Secretary Alex Azar 
underscoring that the establishment of an FDA office in Israel, ``would 
facilitate collaboration in life-saving research and is a natural step 
for strengthening the special relationship between our countries.''
  There has never been a better time to invest in robust bilateral 
health cooperation between the United States and Israel. Victory 
against the Invisible Enemy will require close collaboration with 
partners across the globe, especially with true friends like Israel. 
It's time we deepen the ties between Washington and Jerusalem for the 
sake of global public health.

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