On Monday evening, the worldwide Jewish community began solemnly
commemorating Yom HaShoah, the Holocaust Memorial Day. In Israel, sirens
wailed throughout the land, and everyone, no matter what they were
doing, simply stopped to stand in solemn quiet prayer and reflection.

In remembrance, some recite a special version of the Jewish mourner’s
prayer created in the wake of the mass genocide of the Jewish people by
the Nazis. Others light a candle in memory of their family and people
murdered for being Jewish. We at the CUFI Action Fund likewise engage in
reflection and prayer, and we also take a moment to remember that the
work we do is intended, above all else, to ensure that when the fascists
and bigots come for the Jews, the Children of Israel will never be alone
again.

**Hitler’s Philosophical Progeny**

While many of us seek to prevent another Holocaust, there are those in
this world who would relish a repeat of Hitler’s Master Plan. The head
of the snake, as regular readers of the Action Update are aware, is the
Islamic Republic of Iran. In recent weeks, Iran’s Ministry of
Terrorism - that’s just what we call it, but you know them as the
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) - met with leaders of
terrorist organizations throughout the region which it funds and arms.

The meetings were apparently a who’s who of murderers and radicals.
Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad all participated in
meetings. And the focus of these discussions? Well, destroy Israel, of
course.

In the wake of the recent spate of terror attacks against the Jewish
state emanating from Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and Palestinian controlled
areas of the West Bank, it’s clear Tehran is organizing and directing
terrorist groups to attack Israel from multiple fronts. Jerusalem
thwarts the overwhelming majority of attacks; nonetheless, as we’ve
just witnessed, Iran-back terrorists do manage to take the lives of
innocent people.

Not nearly enough is being done to starve the IRGC and its proxies of
the resources needed for their war against Israel. Just late last week,
a bipartisan group of more than 130 Members of Congress signed a letter
calling on the European Union to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
Corps as a terrorist organization. The U.S. must ramp up its own
sanctions and ensure that our allies, such as the EU and the Brits,
commit to a similar course of action.

**Drilling Down a Bit Deeper**

There are numerous cases of Iranian recruitment of terrorists but the
very recent case of Yousef Mansour and Marsil Mansour provides a little
bit more insight. The two Palestinians were approached by IRGC members
claiming to be affiliated with Hezbollah – which is probably true on
some level given that Hezbollah is, for all intents and purposes, the
Lebanese branch of the IRGC. They were then recruited to spy on
Israel’s military, attempt to smuggle weapons into Israeli-controlled
territory for use in terror attacks, and the pair were themselves tasked
with recruiting additional members.

The Iranian effort was thwarted by Israeli security forces and the two
would-be terrorists are now in Israeli custody. But what’s been
uncovered gives us a clearer picture into Iran’s tactics and goals.
Clearly, this specific IRGC effort exemplifies one of the ways in which
a terrorist cell is developed and empowered by Iran. Moreover, if the
aforementioned attacks and meetings weren’t enough, there is now even
more evidence that the IRGC is stepping up efforts to direct their proxy
terrorist groups to attack Israel.

**Saudi Arabia’s Recent Guests**

Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a stalwart supporter of Israel
and a robust U.S. defense posture, visited Saudi Arabia and met with
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia recently signed a large
contract for Boeing 787 Dreamliners, built in South Carolina. Senator
Graham described the meeting as “very productive.”

But the senior Senator from South Carolina wasn’t the only guest Saudi
Arabia was planning to welcome. On the heels of diplomatic reengagement
with Iran, the Saudi Arabia's ambassador in Doha, Qatar, had reached a
verbal agreement to allow a Hamas delegation to travel to Mecca this
week. However, since then the Saudi government has refused to provide
entry to the Hamas delegation.

Had such a delegation been allowed entry it would mark a dramatic
departure from Saudi Arabia’s cold relations with Hamas in recent
years. Since the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, things have
been frosty between the Kingdom and terror group. And in 2019, Riyadh
arrested dozens of Hamas operatives in their country. However, recently
Saudi Arabia has indicated it is willing to bury the hatchet with Hamas.

It is clear the Biden administration has done little to engage Saudi
Arabia in a positive way – as shown by Riyadh’s recent diplomatic
thaw with both Iran and Hamas. And where once the pinnacle of the
Abraham Accords, peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia, was thought
attainable, now it seems well outside of reach.

At the same time, the Saudi’s must understand that they have much more
to lose long-term with the U.S. if their unhappiness with one
administration leads a prolonged break in relations.  Perhaps it is
with that in mind, and their desire to continue to build on the
commercial and military opportunities the U.S. market provides them,
that they have for now drawn the line at welcoming Hamas into their
country.

Ultimately, though, this is what happens when Washington allows others
to step into the vacuum left by weak American leadership. And if the
American approach (or lack thereof) to the Middle East does not change
soon, the United States and Israel will find themselves with far fewer
allies – especially allies of convenience – in one of the most
volatile regions in the world. With each piece of new, bad news that
comes out of the Middle East, we’re hoping the President of the United
States comes to finally realize that we are all less safe, less secure,
and worse off when the United States abandons its seat at the head of
the international table.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team <https:[link removed]>

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