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In Israel, war rages. In Congress, a Speaker is finally elected. In this
week's edition of the Action Update, we'll break down the latest
developments in the Middle East and Washington, during this most
perilous time for Israel during the past half-century.

**The Winds of War**

Over the past week, four hostages have been released by Hamas, and
Israel has allowed limited humanitarian (and thoroughly searched) goods
to enter southern Gaza. As Israel's bombardment of Gaza continues in
advance of an expected ground invasion, daily exchanges of fire are
occurring across Israel's northern border, and terrorist activity in
Judea and Samaria has also increased.

Behind all of this is Iran. They pull the strings of terrorists - from
the Houthis to Hezbollah to Hamas. But there is more than enough
culpability to go around. Take Qatar for example, home to a U.S.
military base and yet also home to Hamas's Chairman, Ismail Haniyeh.
And this isn't a one off. Turkey is allowed to play host to numerous
terrorist leaders (including those of Hamas) despite being a NATO
member.

**A Disastrous Foreign Policy**

Years of feckless American foreign policy created the environment that
brought us to this most perilous point - and it's not as if the
foreign policy elites were unaware.

As far back as 2015 a CUFI staffer authored an op-ed with the
not-so-subtle yet tragically accurate headline "This Deal Leads to
War." Likewise, we lobbied in support of conditioning aid to the
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) until they "purge Hezbollah from [their]
ranks." And we of course lobbied in support of the Taylor Force Act,
which was signed into law. Yet the Biden administration found ways to
skirt the law and send your taxpayer dollars to the Palestinians,
despite the Palestinian Authority's continued pay-to-slay program and
continues to send money to the LAF as well.   

The consequences of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal continued American
support for both the LAF and the Palestinians, and every other
weak-kneed policy adopted by Washington for years, have arrived. And
they are horrific. There is simply no way around the fact that American
foreign policy over more than a decade is what got us to this moment
where America's enemies feel they can butcher America's allies.

**Washington's Response**

** **

Despite the failures of the Biden and Obama administrations, the US has
offered Israel some support in the wake of the 10/7 massacre. Presently,
American forces are being moved by the boatload to the region, and those
already there, have been attacked in recent days by terrorists aligned
with Hamas and Iran, with more than a dozen American service members
wounded and one American contractor killed.

Likewise, we were very pleased that on Wednesday the House of
Representatives finally elected a Speaker, ending weeks of Congressional
gridlock that paralyzed the federal government's ability to advance
meaningful legislation.

The CUFI Action Fund released a statement yesterday congratulating the
new Speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), on his election. The statement
also called for the House to immediately advance several pieces of vital
legislation.

"First and foremost, supplemental aid for Israel in the wake of the
10/7 massacre must move forward. Likewise, The Countering Hate Against
Israel (CHAI) by Federal Contractors Act (HR 4564), the Stop Harboring
Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act (HR 3774), and legislation stopping the
White House from unfreezing billions of dollars in Iranian assets, are
vital measures that demand immediate attention. We hope the new
leadership of the House will advance all of the above without delay,"
said CUFI Action Fund Chairwoman Sandra Parker.  

The world is at a crossroads and America must lead. We must support our
allies and ensure our enemies know exactly what we stand for. The House
hasn't been able to do that for some time; we wish Speaker Johnson
success in his new role and look forward to working with his office and
the rest of Congressional leadership during this pivotal moment in
history.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team

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CUFI Action Fund, 2000 Duke Street, Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314, United States