Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) are joining bipartisan forces to push for an increased medical partnership with Israel in mitigating the coronavirus pandemic. Both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are also asking for $12 million to “enhance partnerships between companies in the United States and Israel to develop innovative medical projects aimed at detecting, treating, and curing COVID-19.”

“I’ve long said that China poses the most significant, long-term geopolitical threat to the United States. Our dependence on China for life-saving medications and treatments is deeply problematic,” Cruz said in a statement. “Israel is not only our friend and ally, but also a global leader in medicine with which we already cooperate on exactly those issues. I’m proud to push forward to ensure both American and Israeli companies can work together to develop cures and treatments to defeat COVID-19.”

“The United States and Israel are world leaders in the medical technology industry, and it is in the interest of all Americans, Israelis, and the rest of the world that we work together to fight COVID-19. This virus knows no borders, and our bill underscores the importance of international collaboration in the face of a truly global pandemic,” Sen. Coons said in a statement.

Many Israeli companies are inching closer to a COVID-19 vaccine and have reported success in early trials of a number of therapeutics and treatments. For example, as reported, Israel’s Pluristem Therapeutics Inc.’s treatment had a 100 percent survival rate in patients treated. Researchers at MIGAL, an internationally recognized research institute located in Israel’s Northern Galilee, say they’re years ahead in developing a coronavirus vaccine that could be ready within weeks, as reported.