Transatlantic Friends of Israel

Mission statement

Transatlantic Friends of Israel

The Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) is a cross-party, inter-parliamentary group dedicated to the postwar order of transatlantic security and cooperation bestowed on us by visionary American and European leaders. We are united in the conviction that Israel, the Middle East’s only liberal democracy, ought to be understood as an integral part of this vital security, political, and economic architecture.

We affirm that the alliance between Europe, the United States, Canada, and Israel is anchored in shared values, interests, and history. This partnership is a crucial vehicle to strengthen our security and prosperity and to protect the rules-based international order.

We recognize that the threats we face today – from rising extremism and terrorism to radical regimes and nuclear proliferation – require ever closer cooperation among our democracies. In this struggle, Israel is Europe’s and America’s first line of defense in a volatile region. With its first-class security services, cutting-edge high-tech sector, and thriving knowledge-based economy, the Jewish state is a vital ally and partner.

We urge Europe, the United States, Canada, and Israel to deepen their political, security and economic cooperation within the framework of a strong partnership. We refuse to allow the inevitable differences that arise even among the closest partners to jeopardize this bond.

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In Focus

Sign up for the Transatlantic Institute's monthly newsletter with analysis, highlights, as well as updates from the Transatlantic Friends of Israel.

Campaign

Transatlantic Friends of Israel Austria Erklärung

7 Oktober 2023

 

Wir sind entsetzt über den brutalen Terrorkrieg, den die Hamas heute Morgen gegen israelische Zivilisten begonnen hat. Die palästinensischen Terroristen haben Tausende Raketen abgefeuert und israelische Städte infiltriert, wo sie Berichten zufolge israelische Zivilisten getötet und entführt haben. Mit großer Sorge verfolgen wir die Nachricht über Hunderte israelische Opfer.

Members

News

22/12/2023

AJC Hosts Austrian Parliamentarians in the U.S, Convenes Transatlantic Roundtable in Congress

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, last week hosted a delegation of parliamentarians from Austria for a five-day study visit in Washington, DC, and New York. The seminar was organized in partnership with the Embassy of Austria.

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17/04/2023

Statement From TFI Italy on Recent Events in Israel

Rome – 17 Aprile 2023 – Il Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) Italy condanna fermamente l’ondata di estrema violenza che ha colpito Israele in questi ultimi giorni, i ripetuti efferati attacchi terroristici che...

08/12/2022

220 Lawmakers from Europe and North America Urge Terror Listing of Iran’s IRGC

December 8, 2022 – Brussels – Today, 220 lawmakers from Europe, the United States, and Canada urged Western democracies to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its proxies, such as Hezbollah, as terrorist organizations. The legislators’...

15/06/2022

TFI Statement on Antisemitic Incitement in Textbooks Used by the Palestinian Authority

Brussels, 15 June 2022 - The Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) expresses its profound regret at the failure of the European Commission to adequately respond to ongoing antisemitic incitement in textbooks used by...

05/04/2022

AJC Convenes Lawmakers from Ten Countries on Transatlantic Responses to Iran’s Nuclear Program

April 5, 2022 — Washington, D.C. —American Jewish Committee’s Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) inter-parliamentary group convened a virtual roundtable discussion on transatlantic responses to Iran’s nuclear ambition. Introduced by new American TFI co-chairs Reps. Brad Schneider (D...

13/10/2021

AJC’s Transatlantic Friends of Israel Opens Austrian Chapter - Video

After the launch of the Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) inter-parliamentary group in the EU Parliament in July 2019, the first national chapter opened on October 13 in the Austrian parliament, under the leadership of Chair MP Martin Engelberg and the support of lawmakers from the Greens, the Social-Democrats and NEOS, the liberal party. With over 150 parliamentarians from both sides of the Atlantic as members, the growing TFI network is the first-ever cross-party friendship caucus specifically committed to strengthening the trilateral partnership between the U.S., Israel, and Europe.

13/09/2021

Hundreds of Lawmakers Urge European Countries to Back Israel at the UN

In a landmark initiative, 318 lawmakers from both sides of the atlantic and across party lines called on EU member states and fellow democracies to end the systematic discrimination of Israel at the UN. Spearheaded by the AJC-backed Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) and released a day before the start of the UN General Assembly, the legislators call on governments to vote against the excessive number of anti-Israel resolutions, work to reform the UN Human Rights Council and abolish its discriminatory Agenda Item 7, and help discontinue UN committees and programs with specific anti-Israel agendas.

18/05/2021

TFI Chair Mandl: Israel Defends Itself and Civilizational Values

Brussels, 18 May 2021 - “Heavily-armed terror organizations unscrupulously fire rockets at civilian residential areas. Children, women and men are traumatized by this rocket fire and other acts of terror and are ultimately the victims of these terrorists,” says Lukas Mandl, speaker on foreign...

13/05/2021

AJC Joins European and North American Lawmakers in Affirming Support for Israel

13 May 2021 - Brussels – The AJC Transatlantic Institute hailed the outpour of support for Israel in a statement signed by over 50 European and North American lawmakers from 20 countries in response to indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israeli civilians by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The...

Past events

October 13, 2021

AJC's Transatlantic Friends of Israel Opens Austrian Chapter

After the launch of the Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) inter-parliamentary group in the EU Parliament in July 2019, the first national chapter opened on October 13 in the Austrian parliament, under the leadership of Chair MP Martin Engelberg and the support of lawmakers from the Greens, the Social-Democrats and NEOS, the liberal party.
July 17, 2020

Launch of Transatlantic Declaration: The EU Must Ban Hezbollah

On the twin anniversary eve of Hezbollah's bomb attacks in Argentina (1994) and Bulgaria (2012), the Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) called on the EU to finally ban the terror group. The declaration was covered by global media outlets including POLITICO Europe, The Hill, Die Welt, Gazeta Wyborcza and The Jerusalem Post . At the virtual launch event, TFI Chair MEP Lukas Mandl, TFI Vice Chair MEP Dietmar Köster, AJC Transatlantic Institute Director Daniel Schwammenthal, and the Washington Institute’s Hezbollah expert Matthew Levitt discussed the initiative’s impact. AJC CEO David Harris delivered concluding remarks.
May 11, 2020

Transatlantic Dialogues (Part 2): Rep. Brian Mast and MEP Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou

Please join us for a Transatlantic Friends of Israel webinar on Monday, 11 May at 18:00 CET entitled "Transatlantic Dialogues (Part 2): Rep. Brian Mast and MEP Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou." Join us for the second...
May 06, 2020

Transatlantic Dialogues (Part 1): Rep. Ted Deutch and MEP Lukas Mandl

Please join us for a Transatlantic Friends of Israel webinar on Wednesday, 6 May at 18:00 CET entitled "Transatlantic Dialogues (Part 1): Rep. Ted Deutch and MEP Lukas Mandl." Relations between the United States and...
April 30, 2020

Europe and Hezbollah

The Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) caucus held its first webinar entitled “Europe and Hezbollah: A New EU Approach to Iran's Proxy.“ Moderator Daniel Schwammenthal discussed with TFI Chair and Austrian MEP Lukas Mandl, EU Parliament Vice President from Germany Nicola Beer, and Michael Doran from the Washington-based think tank Hudson Institute the significance of Berlin’s momentous decision, the prospects for the EU to follow suit, and a common transatlantic approach to Iran and its terror proxies.
November 19, 2019

Transatlantic Friends of Israel Breakfast Discussion

The Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) group hosted Brigadier General (Res.) Assaf Orion, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, for a breakfast discussion on Israel’s geostrategic situation and the Jewish state’s multi-faceted security challenges. The exclusive audience included 35 cross-party MEPs and parliamentary advisors. H.E. Aharon Leshno-Yaar, Israel’s Ambassador to the EU, and Christina Tomlinson, Minister Counselor for Public Affairs of the U.S. Mission to the EU, also attended.
July 09, 2019

Launch of the Transatlantic Friends of Israel

The AJC Transatlantic Institute launched the inter-parliamentary Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) group in the EU Parliament. TFI Chair Lukas Mandl, Austrian MEP (EPP), co-hosted the kick-off event with German MEP Dietmar Köster (S&D) and TFI Vice Chair MEP Frédérique Ries (Renew Europe) from Belgium. The standing-room only audience of some 60 people included 25 MEPs from 13 countries. TFI is the first-ever friendship caucus specifically committed to bolstering the trilateral partnership between the U.S., Israel, and Europe.

Supporters

It is an honor to send greetings to the Transatlantic Friends of Israel, a new cross-party parliamentary friendship group dedicated to fostering strong transatlantic ties with Israel. Key foreign policy issues - including stalwart support for our allies in Europe and in Israel - traditionally enjoy bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. It is my hope that the Transatlantic Friends of Israel can work towards achieving the same unwavering support in Europe for the Jewish state.

Marco Rubio (R-FL), Member of the U.S. Senate
10/07/2019

As a long-time believer in the deepening of transatlantic ties and a staunch supporter of Israel, I was delighted to learn about AJC’s new Transatlantic Friends of Israel inter-parliamentary friendship group. With a clear set of common interests and values, this trilateral project could not have come soon enough. As this group continues to grow and expand, I look forward to working together to pursue our agenda of partnership and friendship.

Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey (D-NY-17), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
10/07/2019