There is an unbreakable connection between the democracy that is the United States and Israel, the democracy of the Middle East, according to Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren. Speaking at last week’s Jewish National Fund (JNF) National Conference in Philadelphia, Oren said that Israel and the United States have been able to overcome potentially divisive issues that have arisen in recent months.

JNF Southern New Jersey President Peter Fischer (left) and JNF Northeast U.S. Zone President Dr. Robert Benedon (right) meet with Efi Stenzler, world chairman of Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael at the JNF National Conference in Philadelphia. Oren said that the fact that recent elections in the U.S. and Israel have brought new administrations into office could have caused problems in the U.S.-Israel relationship, but that the governments of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barrack Obama have been able to iron out their differences over key issues, including the nature of a potential Palestinian state, Israeli settlements, and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The Obama administration has agreed with the Netanyahu government that any future Palestinian state must be demilitarized and must recognize Israel, according to Oren. In addition, President Obama has assured Israel that the engagement with Iran would not be “openended;” that Iran would not be given an unlimited amount of time to abandon its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.

Oren, who described the Iranian leadership as a “terror-sponsoring, Holocaust-denying, potentiallygenocidal regime,” said that the Obama administration is committed to instituting “crippling” economic sanctions on Iran if the regime does not stop its uranium enrichment.

In addition to Oren, participants at the JNF Conference heard from Silvan Shalom, deputy premier of Israel; the mayors of Sderot and Beer Sheva, and JNF Chairman Ronald Lauder. The 500 attendees made this the largest-ever JNF Conference.

“JNF is the caretaker of Israel,” said Peter Fischer, Southern New Jersey JNF president. He said that JNF raises the money for the roads, reservoirs and infrastructure of Israel.

One example of the work JNF is doing in Israel is the development of the country’s southern Negev region. “One of Ben-Gurion’s goals was to develop the Negev, and JNF is making that a reality,” said Fischer, speaking of Israel’s first prime minister. He said that JNF is building the roads that will open up the Negev and make its development possible.

Dr. Robert Benedon, JNF Northeast U.S. Zone president, said that JNF is also working to preserve the modern history of Israel and to address the severe water shortage facing the country. “JNF has built over 200 reservoirs,” he said. Benedon added that the national conference was a chance for JNF leadership and staff from across the country to get together to review the work JNF is doing in Israel and to see where the dollars raised are going. Last year, JNF in the United States raised over $52-million for projects in Israel and Zionist education in the U.S. 