Rep. Russ Fulcher highlights Idahoans and his own support for Israel

While most Americans and non-Americans familiar with the intricacies of America recognize Idaho as the home of potatoes, few would consider their views on foreign policy issues, including Israel.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Representative-elect Russ Fulcher (R-ID) draws number 26 during a lottery for office assignments on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 30, 2018. (photo credit: JOSHUA ROBERTS / REUTERS)
Representative-elect Russ Fulcher (R-ID) draws number 26 during a lottery for office assignments on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 30, 2018.
(photo credit: JOSHUA ROBERTS / REUTERS)
While most Americans and non-Americans familiar with the intricacies of America recognize Idaho as home of potatoes, few would consider their views on foreign policy issues, including Israel. Besides being known for its abundant natural resources and beautiful landscapes, Republican Rep. Russ Fulcher believes that the state is also home to a strong community of supporters of Israel, according to a Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) interview.
While not a common rallying cry for political campaigns in the state, according to Fulcher, “the people in the state of Idaho are generally very pro-Israel, and that’s just part of our culture, part of our conservative nature. We grow up in a culture that appreciates Israel and that values its contributions.”
Despite the support, the Jewish community is all but a small fraction of the state, constituting less than 1 percent of the state's population of 1.8 million people. Fulcher, first elected to congress in 2018, has been a strong supporter of Israel in congress, and has sponsored many bills and resolutions since he entered office. These have included the “Never Again Education Act,” aimed at encouraging more resources and training for teacher to allow them to add Holocaust studies to their curriculum, in addition to “Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act of 2019,” increasing sanctions on Syria and enhancing security cooperation with Israel and Jordan. A controversial element of the latter bill was its provision that would allow for punishing state or local contractors that wish to engage in Israel boycotts.
Fulcher also noted his backing for resolutions that condemn persecution of Christians, in addition to others that "[reject] anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hatred in the United States and around the world." The Idaho Rep. has supported tougher sanctions on Iran, related to their support of terrorism, its nuclear and ballistic-missile programs and "other destabilizing activities.”
‘Harsh sanctions are the right action on Iran," Fulcher added.
While stridently pro-Israel, Fulcher has also been a keen supporter of US President Donald Trump's “America First” mantra.
On the issue of antisemitism, and in reference to Trump's recent signing of an executive order addressing anti-Semitism at the federal level, especially on college campuses nationwide, Fulcher said that “[Trump] throws the spotlight back on [the issue], and sometimes, if you got cockroaches, you got to throw a light on it. Every time it rears its head, we’ve got to shut it down.”
Fulcher has also expressed support for the administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran following the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. “Harsh sanctions are currently the right action on Iran,” said Fulcher, who said that if the United States were to retaliate militarily with Iran, “it could have generated more support for Iran from neighboring interests more than choking off the economic channel.”
Fulcher was also critical of Democrats who were against the killing of former IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.
The bond Fulcher has with Israel is also informed by his own religious beliefs as an evangelical Christian.
“In my faith, Israel is a very special place,”Fulcher said. “I found the business community culture and the people to be incredibly fruitful, fair, hard negotiators, but culturally productive, culturally fair, and I was impressed by that, especially given the region that the Israeli community operates in.” The congressman has been to Israel twice, once as part of a biblical tour, and another time for business.
His visit to Yad Vashem was particularly daunting for the congressman, who said that "[he] ran out the back door and threw up because what took place. I don’t have one close relative, one close friend that I even know was part of that directly, but I do know this: That was evil manifested. If we tolerate that with any segment of humanity, we are condoning evil at its absolute worst. As long as I am in a leadership role—and even when I’m not—I’m going to do everything I can to prevent that type of thing from ever happening again. And I won’t shut up.”


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