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In this week's edition of the Action Update, we're going to deviate
from our regularly scheduled programming and offer three simple concepts
the foreign policy intelligentsia needs to understand:

**1. For Hamas, No Lives Matter**

For years, anyone with a modicum of interest in understanding the
Palestinian-Israel conflict recognized that among Hamas's most
horrific tactics was using innocent Palestinians as human shields. And
for Hamas, the more innocent the victim of their cowardice, the better.

That is why Palestinian terrorists are not content to simply operate out
of civilian population centers, rather they intentionally choose
schools, hospitals, and similar facilities for their rocket launch sites
to maximize the pain this conflict brings to both Palestinians and
Israelis.

Hamas's indifference to Palestinian suffering and glee at the
suffering of all others permeates every element of their governance of
the Gaza Strip and their war on the Jewish people. So how does one
negotiate with such an entity? From a position of strength.

**2. It's all on Hamas**

The responsibility for every casualty on both sides of this war lies
squarely at Hamas's feet. Moreover, according to reports, the failure
to achieve results in the current negotiations over a temporary
cease-fire and a phased release of hostages is, likewise, exclusively on
Hamas.

In fact, recent reports detail exactly what is on the table, and for
Hamas, the sticking point, is (literally) that they are demanding Israel
set mass murderers free. That's not going to happen, and that's not
on Israel, it's on Hamas.

Last week the media was flooded with coverage of a humanitarian convoy
that entered northern Gaza and chaos ensued. Thousands of Palestinians
converged on the trucks, likely fearful that Hamas would steal the aid
before it could get to the people (see concept #1). Sadly, several
people were trampled, with some even being killed. Away from the crowd,
at the front of the multi-truck convoy, a squad of military-aged males
aggressively moved toward the lead truck, ignored warning shots from
soldiers, and were killed.

Israel was bringing in aid to help Palestinians; the ensuing events are
on Hamas, not Israel. Likewise, if one aggressively charges soldiers in
a combat zone and ignores warning shots, those ensuing events are on the
aggressor (read Hamas), not the soldiers. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)
articulated it best when he tweeted, "Hamas owns this calamity."

**3. Palestinians and Israelis Understand Each Other  **

Not only do Palestinians and Israelis understand each other, but in
stark contrast, many of our leaders either do not understand either
party in this conflict or are engaged in willful ignorance about Hamas.

Israelis know that every terrorist they trade for a hostage will be used
for pro-Hamas propaganda and will likely return to the war. Likewise,
virtually all Israelis and Palestinians understand that as much as
Israel weeps for its innocents' held hostage, Hamas cares nothing for
Palestinian terrorists in Israeli jails - for Hamas such trades are
about propaganda, for Israel they are about extracting loved ones from a
living hell.

**So, What Have We Learned?**

If the above is true, the Biden administration is failing to exercise
power effectively; in fact, they are harming both America's standing
in the world and our closest ally in the world.  Instead of pushing
Israel, both publicly and privately, the Biden administration's
diplomacy and pressure should focus on Qatar (in the context of the
hostages) and our alleged allies in Paris and London (in the context of
the international community).

Governance at a time of war requires one to stand with their frontline
allies, especially when the enemy that started the war remains
resolutely committed to wiping another pluralistic democracy off the
face of the earth.

The path to a ceasefire is the same as it was at the beginning of the
war, release of the hostages and the surrender of Hamas terrorists. If
the Biden Administration wants to help broker a ceasefire, it would be
wise to double down on ensuring that aforementioned outcome.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team

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