The US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

A new organization has been established with the goal of bolstering support for Israel in the US Congress — a task that has received greater impetus following the election last November of several lawmakers with unsympathetic views toward the Jewish state.

The group, Pro-Israel America, announced 27 initial endorsements on Tuesday of 2020 congressional candidates — 14 Democrats and 13 Republicans — who it described as “strong advocates for the US-Israel alliance.”

“We can’t take support for the US-Israel relationship in Congress for granted,” Jeff Mendelsohn — executive director of Pro-Israel America – said in a statement. “The best way to strengthen the US-Israel relationship is to elect pro-Israel candidates to Congress, and that requires political action from the thousands of Americans who care deeply about this issue.”

The first batch of endorsees included Democratic Senators Chris Coons, Doug Jones and Gary Peters and Republican Senators Susan Collins, Cory Gardner, Lindsay Graham, Jim Risch and Ben Sasse.

In the House of Representatives, Democrats Steny Hoyer, Ted Deutch, Eliot Engel, Josh Gottheimer, Ted Lieu, Nita Lowey, Grace Meng, Stephanie Murphy, Brad Schneider, Brad Sherman and Juan Vargas got nods, as did Republicans Kevin McCarthy, Steve Chabot, Brian Fitzpatrick, Kay Granger, Will Hurd, Brian Mast, Michael McCaul and Joe Wilson.

“The US-Israel alliance creates enormous benefits for both of our countries,” Jonathan Missner, the chair of Pro-Israel America’s board, stated. “Pro-Israel America is launching to ensure our fellow Americans understand the importance of the US-Israel relationship and have a one-stop shop for action.”