Roby on CODEL: 'I want the people of Israel to know we stand with them'

MANCHESTER, UK — Alabama congresswoman Martha Roby is currently with eight of her colleagues, including House Speaker John Boehner, on a CODEL (congressional delegation trip) reinforcing the need for strong American leadership in the world, including in the fight to defeat ISIS.

The CODEL began with British allies in Manchester, U.K., where more than 70 years ago General George S. Patton and the Third Army were stationed prior to the Normandy invasion.

The delegation then traveled to Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently won re-election at a time of heightened tensions between Netanyahu’s government and the Obama administration over U.S. nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Roby said Sunday that U.S.-Israel relations are particularly important during the current time of unrest in the Middle East.

“Right now is a seminal moment for our country when it comes to our relationship with Israel,” Rep. Roby said. “Israel is not only our close friend and ally, it is the strongest foothold for Democracy in a very dangerous region. Whether it is deterring the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran or taking on the threat of ISIS, I want the people of Israel to know we stand with them.”

Although the trip was planned months before Netanyahu’s controversial speech before Congress, some have called the CODEL a “victory lap” for Boehner. The Speaker on Sunday dismissed that characterization during an interview with CNN, but did reiterate Republicans’ exasperation with the administration’s approach to Israel.

“I think the animosity exhibited by our administration toward the prime minister of Israel is reprehensible,” Boehner said. “And I think that the pressure that they’ve put on him over the last four or five years have frankly pushed him to the point where he had to speak up.”

Boehner said he and the other members of the delegation will use the trip to get a more informed perspective on the challenges Israel faces in their region of the world.

“There are serious issues and activities going on in the Middle East and I think it’s critically important for members of Congress to hear from foreign leaders, other governments, other parts of their government, to get a real handle on the challenges that we face there,” he said.

In addition to the Speaker and Rep. Roby, the CODEL includes:

* Rep. John Kline (R-MN), a member of the House Armed Services Committee;
* Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence;
* Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa and a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence;
* Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense;
* Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense;
* Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense;
* Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy & Water.