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