Congresswoman Martha McSally spoke to a room full of concerned students and citizens on Tuesday night about the evolving relationship between the United States and Israel.

McSally, who represents Arizona’s second district in the U.S. House of Representatives, spoke at a student leadership dinner held by the CatPAC Wildcats for Israel and Christians United for Israel.

The event was held in the Hillel building on campus and consisted of students and organizations from across campus.

“Our goal is to galvanize support for Israel on campus by educating students,” said Shaina Marco, the President of CatPAC Wildcats for Israel.

Marco stressed the need for students on campus to learn about the many issues concerning Israel.

“By strengthening our relationship with local and state officials we can shed a light on the issues facing Israel,” Marco said.

McSally opened her speech by highlighting the diverse culture within Israel and how the current US-Israeli relationship is continuing to evolve.

The Congresswoman stressed her belief that the U.S. and Israel need a stronger relationship.

“We need to have their [Israel’s] back,” McSally said. “through the things we are doing with them militarily such as the Iron Dome and other programs, economic investment by helping to bring businesses to Israel, and by developing a stronger foreign policy we need to do what we can to take actions that aren’t going to boost their enemies.”

McSally shared several experiences that she had in Israel from a recent trip she took with 35 of her Republican colleagues a few weeks ago.

“Every single person I talked to was against the Iranian deal and they were very united on that front,” McSally said. “I kept hearing the word ‘confusion’ on why America would let this happen.”

McSally, who opposed the Iranian Nuclear Agreement, said that the agreement places Iran’s interests above those of Israel and poses a significant threat to their security.

In addition to speaking with many Israeli citizens, McSally said she visited with Israel’s IDF and shared her admiration for the work that they are doing.

“I was amazed with the level of maturity and responsibility that these young people have and their ability to make split-second decisions,” McSally said. “The level of restraint and the process of making sure collateral damage is minimal during military action is beyond anything I’ve ever seen; it goes above and beyond anything you would expect under international laws of conflict.”

McSally said she believes national security and international security will be important topics in the next election.

“We need to raise awareness and crank up the pressure so that people are making thoughtful choices in 2016 and that includes all levels of government,” McSally said.

McSally also urged the audience to take action and help spread their feelings on Israel with their peers and with the larger community.

“It is vitally important for you to be strong voices for Israel, it may be easier to stay silent but it’s important for you to use your voices,” McSally said. “It takes courage as a young person to interject a different viewpoint”.

McSally is optimistic that the message of support for Israel can have continued impact within the campus and within the community.

“You guys can be a beacon of light to shine a light on these things, you have to stand against the silence and hypocrisy that is going on right now,” McSally said.

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