Hakaras Hatov – Remembering Senator Inhofe and His Vital Support for Israel

By Moshe Phillips

Jim Inhofe, the former long-serving US Senator from Oklahoma, passed away on July 9. Inhofe was a former Mayor of Tulsa, U.S. Army veteran, loving family man, and strong supporter of Israel. Inhofe’s commitment to the Iron Dome and other vitally important Senate initiatives that strengthened Israel have been completely absent from the many articles celebrating his career of service and marking his passing. In this small space, an attempt will be made to rectify that.

Displaying hakaras hatov (the debt of gratitude that people just show for someone who did a good thing for them first), is a behavior that is not just praised and encouraged but demanded in ancient Jewish wisdom. Jim Inhofe did many good things for Israel that should never be forgotten.

Senator James Inhofe seemed to innately know that any American who denies the eternal truth of Jewish ownership of the Land of Israel and Jerusalem ignores history and also denies that the Bible (Torah) is the Divine word of G-d. Belief that Jerusalem is and should remain the undivided capital of Israel is historically, religiously, and politically correct.

During his time in the Senate, Inhofe served as chair of the Armed Services Committee and showed unwavering support for Israel in that powerful committee.

Here’s a brief (and incomplete) list of Inhofe’s Senate work to support Israel from just part of his last term in office:

In 2021 Inhofe was one of 44 senators who signed a letter to President Biden stating “…we also urge you to unequivocally support Israel’s right to defend itself against any and all terrorist attacks.”

Also in 2021, Inhofe and Senator Bill Hagerty introduced an amendment to the COVID-19 Budget Resolution designed to ensure that the U.S. Embassy to Israel remains in Jerusalem. 97 senators voted to pass Inhofe’s pro-Jerusalem amendment.

On October 30, 2021 Inhofe tweeted “@SenatorHagerty and I secured an amendment earlier this year to prevent a change in policy. We just introduced the Upholding the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Law of 2021 to protect the law and ultimately ensure Jerusalem remains the capital of Israel permanently.”

In 2020, Inhofe cosponsored legislation that called on the U.S. State Department to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group.

Here are some other important examples from earlier in Senator Inhofe’s career.

In 2009 Inhofe’s work to remove the waiver in Jerusalem Embassy law was widely praised with the Orthodox Union stating that it “wishes to thank the original co-sponsors of this important piece of legislation including, Senators Cornyn, Inhofe and Kyl.”

In 2012 Inhofe introduced an amendment to cut assistance to the Palestinians by 50% as well U.S. payments to the UN if the then effort by the Palestinians to gain recognition as a non-member observer state succeeded in the General Assembly.

In 2018 Inhofe co-introduced a letter, later signed by all 100 senators, insisting that the Department of Homeland Security fast track Israel’s full membership in the Global Entry program.

Along with his stance on the embassy in Jerusalem the other crucial role Inhofe played in strengthening the US-Israel alliance was his championing of the Iron Dome. A letter he co-wrote to colleagues in December 2012 is just one example. “As witnessed by the recent attacks on Israel from Gaza, the continued joint efforts of the United States and Israel in missile defense systems is critical to protecting this close U.S. ally and American interests in that region,” Inhofe wrote.

That 2012 letter was related to a bill that authorized the then new funding for Iron Dome as well as for other defense programs for Israel.

Can one imagine the additional devastation that Israel would have faced after October 7th if the Iron Dome was not part of its defense arsenal?

Who will take up Israel’s cause in future Senates? No doubt some current senators may come to your mind — and they all well deserve praise — but it is imperative that all Americans who love Israel make sure that more senators like them, and like Inhofe, join their ranks.

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Moshe Phillips is a past board member of the American Zionist Movement and served as a delegate to the 38th World Zionist Congress.