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Dear A.,
President Biden’s envoy Brett McGurk and President-elect Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff continued to finalize the details of the hostage deal in Doha today, after Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said Hamas added last-minute changes about the terrorists who would be released from Israeli prisons.
The remaining disputes were reportedly resolved this afternoon and the agreement is set to be voted on by Israel’s Cabinet tomorrow morning.
The families of the 98 hostages
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will be informed later tonight if their loved ones will be among the 33 hostages released during the six-week Phase 1 of the deal. They will not know who is alive and who is dead, because Hamas has not conveyed the list.
The first hostages are expected to be released on Monday.
As the entire nation holds its breath waiting to learn their condition, American officials have made clear that Hamas is to blame for dragging out the deal.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN yesterday that, "In these last weeks in particular, Hamas has been the party that’s held back on finally getting to yes." State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller added that, "Hamas has far and away been the chief obstacle to concluding this agreement."
I will keep you updated as developments unfold, and I encourage you to
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follow AIPAC on social media for the latest updates.
Sincerely,
Cory Meyer
Director of Communications
MUST LISTEN
THE HOSTAGE DEAL - with Nadav Eyal
Dan Senor
Call Me Back Podcast
"After fifteen months of war, and months of on-again, off-again negotiations, Israel and Hamas have reached a hostage deal, which is set to take effect this upcoming Sunday.
What are the key points of the deal? What should we expect - or brace for - as hostages return home to Israel? And - will this deal mean the end of the war?"
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Rep. Mike Waltz says Trump administration will continue to back Israel
Incoming National Security Advisor Rep. Mike Waltz
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said yesterday that the Trump administration will support renewed Israeli military action against Hamas in Gaza if the Iranian-backed terrorist group violates the terms of the ceasefire.
"We’ve made it very clear to the Israelis, and I want the people of Israel to hear me on this—if they need to go back in, we’re with them. If Hamas doesn’t live up to the terms of this agreement, we are with them," Waltz said. "Hamas is not going to continue as a military entity and it certainly is not going to govern Gaza."
Hamas leader praises the atrocities committed on October 7
In a video
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released yesterday , senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya praised the October 7 massacre as a major achievement that would be taught to future generations of Palestinians with pride.
He said the murder, rape, torture and kidnapping the Palestinian terrorist group committed was a "military accomplishment" and "a source of pride for our people… to be passed down from generation to generation," adding, "our people will expel the occupation from our land and from Jerusalem at the earliest time possible."
Al-Hayya reportedly served as Hamas' chief negotiator for the hostage-ceasefire agreement.
Watch the video below:
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"Replacing UNRWA Is an Opportunity Trump Should Not Miss"
Robert Satloff of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
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writes in a new essay that the incoming Trump administration should support Israel's effort to end and replace UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinians.
"UNRWA long ago shed its identity as an impartial provider of emergency relief to become a Palestinian advocacy agency... UNRWA schools that serve hundreds of thousands of children have often taught curricula suffused with anti-Israel, even antisemitic, messages..."
"On October 7, 2023, another major UNRWA problem emerged in all its ugliness—the participation of agency personnel in the heinous Hamas assault that left more than 1,200 dead in Israel, thousands wounded, and 250 taken hostage... it became clear that Hamas terrorists were operating with impunity inside, near, or beneath numerous UNRWA facilities, storing weapons, assembling rockets, and organizing their forces in the agency’s schools, shelters, hospitals, and clinics... numerous wartime reports emerged of UNRWA staff supporting, assisting, or even serving as officials of Hamas..."
"Once President Trump returns to the Oval Office, he will have an immediate opportunity to fix a huge obstacle to Arab-Israel peace. The most straightforward route is to cut UNRWA funding and move on to other issues, but that would result in other complications for Washington while doing nothing to eliminate the agency’s pernicious effects on the longer-term pursuit of peace. A much better approach is to leverage U.S. support for other UN agencies to create a practical alternative to UNRWA. Let’s hope he takes it."
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Read the full essay here.
Israeli sabotage targeted Iran's nuclear program
Israel
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supplied Iran with centrifuge platforms containing explosives, highlighting Israel's sophisticated efforts to sabotage Iran's nuclear program.
Discussing Israel's pager operation targeting Hezbollah, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif said, "this is part of the damage of sanctions, that you are forced to receive (purchases) through multiple dealers instead of buying from a factory directly. If the Zionist regime can infiltrate one of the dealers, then it can do anything and install anything."
"For instance, our friends at the Atomic Energy Organization (of Iran) had purchased a platform for centrifuges in which (the Israelis) had installed explosive material," he added.
In July 2020, an explosion occurred at an Iranian centrifuge assembly facility, which Iran blamed on Israel, and in April 2021 another explosion occurred in underground enrichment facility.
Iran must never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon. The United States must work with Israel to prevent the Iranian regime from developing a nuclear weapons capability.
Other notable headlines
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Israeli airstrikes pound Gaza, killing Oct. 7 terrorist as sides finalize deal
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How Israel Is Bracing for Malnourished, Traumatized Hostages
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Airlines including Lufthansa cautiously plan to resume some Middle East flights
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Support our work to keep Israel safe.
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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