In recent days, we've seen terror attacks claim three lives in Israel,
Iran's continued threats concerning American oil sanctions, and an
Iranian-backed terror group was finally(!) formally sanctioned by the
U.S. government.
**Unrelenting Palestinian Terror**
On Saturday, Shay Nigreker (60) and his son Aviad (28) stopped at a gas
station and got their car washed. As they were waiting, a terrorist
walked up to them and fatally shot the two innocent people in cold
blood.
Two days later, Batsheva Nigri (42), an Israeli kindergarten teacher and
mother of three children, was gunned down by another Palestinian
terrorist in a drive-by shooting. The man whom she was riding with was
gravely wounded. Thankfully, Batsheva's twelve-year-old daughter, who
was in the backseat of the vehicle during the unprovoked attack, was not
physically harmed.
As readers of the Update know, we've seen a dramatic rise in the
quantity and lethality of Palestinian terrorism in Judea and Samaria
since at least the beginning of 2023. Israel is of course doing
everything in its power to protect the innocent from the bloodthirsty
terrorists in the area. But it is not as cut and dry as using military
might and sophisticated intelligence to disrupt Palestinian violence.
If Israel's actions are too strong, the Palestinian Authority could
collapse, and the more violent, anarchical terrorist groups like Hamas
or Palestinian Islamic Jihad could take over Palestinian-controlled
territories in the West Bank. This would, of course, result in a
complete calamity.
On the other hand, if Israel's actions are not robust enough,
terrorists are able to kill more innocent people. And no matter what
Israel does, she will be blamed for everything bad that happens in the
region by the international media.
There are no simple solutions to this challenge, but rest assured we are
doing our part by backing legislation to keep the Palestinian Authority
accountable for their support for terrorism and unconditional U.S. aid
to Israel, thereby ensuring that Israel, at a minimum, has the military
capability to defend herself - and by extension the rest of the free
world - from those who would wipe the Jewish state and democracy as we
know it from the map.
**U.S. Follows Through**
Speaking of entities that wish to destroy Israel, as you read this, Iran
is in a bit of a huff because a few months ago the U.S. allegedly took
custody of a ship containing suspected illicit Iranian oil and this past
week that oil was finally offloaded to a different ship just south of
Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. The Iranians are not pleased.
Since the tanker carrying their illicit cargo was seized, the Iranians
have captured two oil tankers, including one belonging to Chevron. Iran
possesses an enhanced opportunity to seize ships that traverse the
Strait of Hormuz, a choke point in the Persian/Arabian Gulf through
which around a quarter of the world's oil travels every day.
As a result of Iran's malign activities in the Strait, the U.S. has
increased the presence of vessels and Marines in the area. That's
right, we've returned to a world where brave men and women of the U.S.
Navy and Marines Corps are risking their lives to protect key shipping
lanes from what are effectively state-sponsored terrorist pirates. And
while Iran endangers U.S. and allied merchant ships, the regime is
exporting record levels of oil - with most recent reports putting the
number at 2 million barrels a day. Needless to say, advancing the
CUFI-backed Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act is as important
as ever.
**Better Late Than Never**
In June of 2022, the head of the IDF's Military Intelligence Unit gave
a briefing on Green Without Borders (GWB), a supposedly environmentally
oriented, nongovernmental organization operating in southern Lebanon,
that was in fact a front group for Hezbollah.
The general's comments may have been new to the audience, but this
group's ties to Hezbollah have not been a well-kept secret. For
example, the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, a
well-respected think tank staffed by former Israeli government officers,
released a policy paper giving a strong overview of GWB's Hezbollah
connections at the beginning of 2020.
As such, we welcomed news this week that Washington has finally decided
to formally acknowledge GWB's terrorist connections and sanction the
group and its leader accordingly. But it took years for this to happen,
and GWB has already set up more than a dozen outposts along Israel's
border which are now being used by Hezbollah.
It's worth noting that the reason the U.S. designation of GWB likely
took place now is that the UN is currently discussing the mandate of the
UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) which expires in a few weeks. The
debate is over UNIFIL's freedom of action and movement, which is
directly impacted by Hezbollah and its front groups like GWB.
Sounds like an important discussion, right? Sorry but no; the reality is
the debate is largely irrelevant. Last year the UN gave UNIFIL soldiers
more leeway to actually get their job done and serve as a buffer between
Hezbollah terrorists and Israel. It didn't matter; UNIFIL did not
fulfill their mandate and they never have. The IDF is the reason
Hezbollah does not attack Israel, not the UN.
Moreover, the international community is, unsurprisingly, missing the
point. We know who the enemy is, and we know what needs to be done to
thwart their malevolent plans. Unfortunately, because Washington and the
bulk of the Europeans hold onto the fantasy that there is a deal to be
had with Iran, they slow-walk sanctions, and everyone who cares about
peace and stability ends up worse for it.
From the GWB case and Hezbollah to the illicit Iranian oil sales, the
slow yet also schizophrenic Western policy towards Tehran is the reason
Iran feels they can seize ships, arm terrorists and develop nuclear
weapons. The only thing to which Iran has ever responded in a manner
that shows even some flexibility is a robust campaign of maximum
political, economic, and diplomatic pressure coupled with a robust
military posture in the region. That's not what's currently
happening, but we'll keep pushing that policy every single day.
Sincerely,
The CUFI Action Fund Team
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