Press Releases and Statements

American Jewish Committee (AJC), which for more than 25 years has advanced understanding and fostered cooperation between Arab states and the Jewish people, today announced its plans to open an office in the United Arab Emirates.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes today’s historic announcement of a peace deal between United Arab Emirates and Israel, made possible with the active engagement of the United States.

“The truth is that for Argentines, the AMIA attack is very painful. This was not an attack against the Jewish community only, it was an attack against Argentina,” President Fernandez said on an American Jewish Committee (AJC) Advocacy Anywhere program today. “The victims, many of them, were members of the Jewish community. But they were Argentines first and foremost and it hurts us as such.” In a 45-minute conversation with Dina Siegel Vann, director of AJC’s Belfer Center for Latino and Latin American Affairs, President Fernandez discussed the AMIA bombing, Hezbollah, antisemitism, his visit to Israel, the coronavirus pandemic, and Argentina’s relations with the United States.

The Latino Jewish Leadership Council (LJLC) applauds the Supreme Court decision to uphold the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA).

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Mohammed Gargash, in a historic public appearance by a senior Arab government official before a global Jewish organization, today addressed the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Virtual Global Forum. Gargash and other senior UAE officials have welcomed AJC delegations on regular visits to the Gulf state for more than 20 years. “AJC has been a quite remarkable bridge for the region. The fruit of AJC work has been impressive and substantive,” he said.

Largely unseen by western publics, a humanitarian catastrophe is playing out in Iran. Almost no country has been hit harder by the coronavirus than the Islamic Republic.

“Given the massive tragedy Hezbollah wrought on Argentina 25 years ago, adding the Iranian-sponsored terror organization to the new registry and freezing its assets is a positive step on the long and winding path to justice for the AMIA bombing victims and their families,” said Dina Siegel Vann, AJC Director of Latino and Latin American Affairs, who is in Buenos Aires for the 25th anniversary events.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) presented its Champion of Democracy Award to Luis Almagro, Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS), for exemplifying courageous and visionary leadership in fighting for democratic rule in the region and for combating antisemitism and terrorism.

“Recognition of the IRGC as a key arm of Iran’s global terrorism strategy is vitally important to the U.S., which first designated Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1984,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “We applaud President Trump for taking this highly significant step.”

A delegation of American Jewish Committee (AJC) leaders — joined by representatives of the Mexican-American community from across the United States and leaders of the Mexican Jewish community — met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador today for an hour-long session.

The recent actions by Juan Guaido, President of Venezuela’s National Assembly, the only remaining democratic institution in the country, have injected new hope that the cause of democracy will advance after years of suffocating authoritarianism and corruption.

“As longstanding advocates for robust relations between Brazil and Israel, we are especially gratified that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended President Bolsonaro’s inauguration and met with him, as well as with other regional leaders,” said Dina Siegel Vann, Director of AJC’s Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs.

An AJC leadership delegation concluded eight days of consultations with senior government officials, policy analysts, business executives, U.S. diplomats, journalists and other interlocutors in three Arabian Gulf states.

The Council recently met in Austin to take stock of its 2018 initiatives, address the most pressing developments on its priority agenda, and join in the launching of the Texas LJLC, its first regional affiliate.

Deepening ties with a land that has been home to Jews for two millennia, an AJC leadership delegation concluded a weeklong visit to Morocco that included consultations with senior government officials, Jewish community leaders, and civil society partners – and a series of lectures, roundtables and special events in three cities that focused on advancing Muslim-Jewish understanding.

“We are inspired by the many accomplishments of this small community over the last eight decades,” said Dina Siegel Vann, Director of AJC’s Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs.

On September 25, 2018, AJC published an ad in The Wall Street Journal calling on world leaders to end the structural bias against Israel at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) stands with the people of Puerto Rico in honoring the memories of the thousands of casualties caused by Hurricane Maria on the one-year anniversary of this disaster.

AJC is dismayed that Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, just prior to leaving office, recognized a Palestinian state despite his commitment during his tenure not to do so.

An AJC delegation has just concluded a three-day visit to Santiago.