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Great war for a vacation

Did Netanyahu realize that Juan Vargas is just a junior congressman who likes free travel?
Did Netanyahu realize that Juan Vargas is just a junior congressman who likes free travel?

With rumblings of revolution and war in the Middle East, maybe summer 2013 wasn’t exactly the best time to take off for a free deluxe tour of Israel, but freshman Democratic congressman Juan Vargas, accompanied by his wife Adrienne, managed to soldier along. According to an official free trip report filed August 19, Vargas and spouse enjoyed the hospitality of the American Israel Education Foundation on a tour that “educated members of congress about the U.S.-Israel relationship.” The foundation is an affiliate of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC, a key lobbyist for foreign policy positions endorsed by the Israeli government.

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From August 4 through 13, Vargas and his wife were put up at the five-star King David Hotel in Jerusalem, the Scots Hotel (“with direct frontage on to the Sea of Galilee”) in Tiberias, and the Merom Golan in Merom Golan, the latter used for a “dayroom to prepare for departure.” Transportation costs were $5970 each, total lodging ran $2490, and meal expenses were $900 each.

Other costs, including $500 per person to pay for security (“AIEF considers the security of its trip participants as its highest priority. A security team accompanies all participants throughout the trip”), ran $1766 each. All told, the couple’s junket cost its sponsors a grand total of $19,914. Side trips included a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; a “strategic survey of Jerusalem”; and a meet-up with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority. Then it was off to the Gaza Strip for “Living with the Threat of Rockets” and “America’s Role in Protecting Israel.”

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Did Netanyahu realize that Juan Vargas is just a junior congressman who likes free travel?
Did Netanyahu realize that Juan Vargas is just a junior congressman who likes free travel?

With rumblings of revolution and war in the Middle East, maybe summer 2013 wasn’t exactly the best time to take off for a free deluxe tour of Israel, but freshman Democratic congressman Juan Vargas, accompanied by his wife Adrienne, managed to soldier along. According to an official free trip report filed August 19, Vargas and spouse enjoyed the hospitality of the American Israel Education Foundation on a tour that “educated members of congress about the U.S.-Israel relationship.” The foundation is an affiliate of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC, a key lobbyist for foreign policy positions endorsed by the Israeli government.

Sponsored
Sponsored

From August 4 through 13, Vargas and his wife were put up at the five-star King David Hotel in Jerusalem, the Scots Hotel (“with direct frontage on to the Sea of Galilee”) in Tiberias, and the Merom Golan in Merom Golan, the latter used for a “dayroom to prepare for departure.” Transportation costs were $5970 each, total lodging ran $2490, and meal expenses were $900 each.

Other costs, including $500 per person to pay for security (“AIEF considers the security of its trip participants as its highest priority. A security team accompanies all participants throughout the trip”), ran $1766 each. All told, the couple’s junket cost its sponsors a grand total of $19,914. Side trips included a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; a “strategic survey of Jerusalem”; and a meet-up with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority. Then it was off to the Gaza Strip for “Living with the Threat of Rockets” and “America’s Role in Protecting Israel.”

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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