From Iron Dome to Abraham Accords: Congressional trips helped shape 15 years of US-Israel cooperation

For 15 years, dozens of American lawmakers have had the opportunity to see one of the country's most important — and increasingly debated — alliances firsthand. Since 2011, the U.S.-Israel Education Association (USIEA) has brought members of Congress to Israel, giving them an on-the-ground look at the security, technology and geopolitical issues that often come before them in Washington.

USIEA Founder and President Heather Johnston reflected on the organization's 15th anniversary in a conversation with Fox News Digital. She recalled meeting then-Majority Leader Eric Cantor and presenting him with a list of objectives to advance educational trips to Israel for U.S. lawmakers.

"He was flabbergasted because he had been looking for somebody for two years that could lead those tours," Johnston said.

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The organization's first tour included five members of the House Armed Services Committee, and they were shown a brand-new piece of missile defense technology that Johnston said was "just barely off the ground" at the time. The system, known as the Iron Dome, was so new at the time that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to declassify it, so American lawmakers could see the state-of-the-art tech.

Johnston said that the lawmakers were so impressed with Iron Dome's capabilities that they began the groundwork to increase funding for it. Within a matter of weeks after returning to Washington, the five members of the House Armed Services Committee met with 54 members of Congress. The result came less than three months later when the lawmakers succeeded in tripling the budget for Iron Dome.

"Our commitment to the security of Israel is rock solid. And as I've said to the Prime Minister in every single one of our meetings, the United States will always have Israel's back when it comes to Israel's security," Obama said at the time.

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, Netanyahu credited Johnston and USIEA with helping strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance.

"For 15 years, Heather Johnston and USIEA have stood proudly for Israel and for the right of the Jewish people to live in our ancestral homeland," Netanyahu said. "USIEA helped secure support for important American-Israeli joint projects, which contributed to the benefit of the great American-Israeli alliance."

The Iron Dome funding increase would become one of the many milestones Johnston points to when firsthand exposure preceded major congressional action on U.S.-Israel cooperation. Over the course of 15 years, USIEA expanded its trips as the alliance evolved through multiple administrations, the Abraham Accords and the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman described the relationship between Washington and Jerusalem over the last 15 years as an "EKG," saying that it involved "lots of ups and downs."

"I think if you sort of drew a trend line, it's gotten very strong," he told Fox News Digital.

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Friedman said he interacted with USIEA after his nomination as he worked to educate himself on the ties between the U.S. and Israel. During his interactions with the organization, he was struck by USIEA's focus on practicality.

"They were deeply schooled and understood what needed to get done," he said, citing efforts ranging from Iron Dome funding to establishing an FDA office in Israel.

Friedman argued that over time American lawmakers increasingly saw Israel as a country that delivered "real value to the United States in terms of technology, medicine, national security." He believes both sides of the aisle, outside of hot-button issues, have seen that the U.S. and Israel had much to gain from each other.

Current U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee echoed that assessment, arguing that many Americans underestimate the full extent of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

"I don't think most Americans really fully comprehend the depth of the partnership that the U.S. and Israel has," he told Fox Digital.

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Huckabee noted that this partnership played out in a variety of areas, including military cooperation, especially as both worked to stop the Iranian regime from gaining nuclear arms.

"During the two different operations against Iran both last summer — 2025 — and then this year, the six and a half weeks starting in late February, our planes were flying wingtip to wingtips and our military operations were basically a room full of people both Israeli and American whose joint operations were truly something to behold," he said.

But Huckabee said the value of organizations like USIEA extends beyond showcasing military cooperation. He argued that bringing lawmakers to Israel allows them to see realities on the ground that can be difficult to grasp from Washington alone.

"A lot of the lies about Israel are completely debunked pretty quickly," Huckabee said.

As one example, Huckabee pointed to Israel's Arab citizens serving in senior positions throughout society, including in the Knesset, on the Supreme Court and in the Israel Defense Forces, saying those experiences often challenge preconceptions held by visitors.

Looking ahead, Johnston said she believes the organization's mission is becoming more important as the U.S.-Israel relationship expands beyond the traditional sense of cooperation.

"A lot of what we do is very pioneering. We're not just bringing on education that already exists and showing them what already exists in the collaboration, but really showing them what is to come," she said.