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This week Israel marked both her Memorial Day and Independence Day. In Israel, first, they remember the fallen; only afterward do they celebrate the liberty ensured by the sacrifice of their best and bravest. In this week's edition of the Action Update, we look at the current state of the latest war for Israel's survival - 76 years after its modern-day founding.

**Annihilation, Victory and Survival??**

From the River to the Sea Palestine will be Arab - that's the line in Arabic. It's been sanitized in English for Western ears, but the meaning remains the same: the annihilation of the Jewish state. And it has spread from Khan Yunis to Columbia. Jew-hatred is very much in style.

So persistent and pervasive has antisemitism become amongst certain small but significant swaths of the American body politic that a once great friend to Israel, President Joe Biden, cowers before the Hamas caucus in Congress and the terrorist sympathizers on campus.

A decade ago, President Biden said, "My father would say, were he a Jew, he would never, never entrust the security of his people to any individual nation, no matter how good and how noble it was, like the United States."

Well, Mr. President, you've proven your father right.

Israel faces an enemy that seeks her annihilation. There are two ways to avoid that: deterrence and all-out war. If Israel defeats Hamas and brings the hostages home, pushes back Hezbollah and returns over 100,000 Israelis to their homes in the north, then and only then is there the possibility that Iran can be deterred from expanding their current attacks on the Jewish state.

Conversely, if Israel were forced to stop short of destroying Hamas and pushing back Hezbollah, Iran and its terrorist armies would be emboldened. We have already seen that on display.

Though it is a highly Westernized country, Israel does not define victory in the same manner as we might here in the U.S. Israel does not seek victory over a people, or even over Hamas. Eradicating Hamas is not a function of winning or losing; it is a necessary precondition to Israel's survival. For Israel, victory means survival.

Joseph R. Biden Sr. understood this; we'd ask that President Biden consider his father's wisdom.

**Civilians and War??**

The death of every innocent Palestinian is a tragedy. And it is no less a tragedy than the death of any other innocent person on earth. We are all God's children, and He loves us. As such, when one is compelled to wage war, it must be conducted justly; civilians must be protected.

Israel is well aware of this. In fact, contrary to certain claims, Judaism first introduced what we in the West today understand to be the concept of Just War Theory. And this is borne out in how the Jewish state conducts conflict.

The United Nations has estimated that the ratio of civilians to combatants killed in war is on average 9:1. In the modern era, free nations would never accept such an appalling civilian death rate. Coalition Forces managed to bring the ratio to 2:1 in the 2016-2017 battle for Mosul.

In Gaza, despite the urban environments, Hamas's tunnel system, and their use of human shields, Israel has managed to bring the ratio down to nearly 1:1.??

During a recent interview, the most recent former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Mark Milley (ret) said the following, "Israel has a right to defend itself. They were the ones who were attacked, brutally, on the 7th of October."

"

**Twelve hundred people were slaughtered** - not just killed in the conduct of war, they were

**slaughtered, beheaded, butchered, raped** in front of their husbands. And it was stuff that was not even a hair's breadth removed from what the Nazis did. And if you take the math and do 1,200 and apply it to the United States, that'd be 50,000-100,000 people dead in a morning.

**Can you imagine what we would do?**" [emphases added]

**God and Country**

Since at least the beginning of the year, we've seen an almost schizophrenic series of contradictory statements and actions emanating from our executive branch. And in recent weeks, we've seen nothing less than absurd efforts to force Israel into retreat (rather than pressure those in the international community directly aiding and abetting Hamas - looking at you, Turkey).

For example, Team Biden thought that Israel would

**have** to agree to a cease-fire proposal that switches out living hostages for the remains of the deceased if it were simply leaked to the press that a cease-fire agreement was imminent.

This was laughable, unhelpful, and dangerous, but instead of learning its lesson, the administration has since doubled down on their incoherent strategy. Case in point, President Biden is presently withholding a scheduled shipment of select munitions from transport to Israel while also, in the past 24 hours, announcing plans to seek Congressional approval to send tank shells and mortars to Israel.

In response to this latest act of betrayal, as soon as today, the House of Representatives will vote on the Israel Security Assistance Support Act. Among other items, this legislation would:

* ??Compel the expeditious delivery of approved defense articles and services to Israel, including third-party deliveries;

* Condemn the Biden Administration's dangerous decision to pause arms as Israel faces unprecedented threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran;

* Reaffirm Israel's right to self-defense;

* Requires a report on actions taken by the Executive Branch to withhold security assistance and therefore impede Israel's ability to defend itself.

We support this legislation, look forward to its advance through the House, and thank Speaker Johnson for his continued steady leadership on this issue.

Ultimately, whether or not the Biden administration stops playing unserious political or geo-political games, Israel will destroy Hamas, and Jerusalem will bring the hostages home. Through it all, we'll be there to ensure our leaders know that the only elected official who represents us, is the one who stands with Israel.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team

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