In the past three days, the world has again shifted on its axis. Praise G-d, three more hostages are home in the arms of their loving mothers and fathers. Here at home, President Donald Trump was sworn into office on Monday, making him just the second person to serve nonconsecutive terms (President Grover Cleveland being the other).

To Save Just One Life….

After more than 471 days in captivity, three Israeli women, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, were released by Hamas as part of the current cease-fire. It’s clear the horrors the hostages endured are bordering on the unfathomable.

Though this is of course a highly unique situation, Israel has been treating post trauma from terror and war for decades and the extent of physical and mental health support the hostages are receiving is second to none on earth. This noted, loved ones and health professionals can only do so much; some wounds never heal.

Hamas has announced that four additional female hostages will be released on Saturday. As of this writing additional information about the individuals has not been released.   

In return for the hostages, Israel released 90 Palestinian “security prisoners.” Unlike the hostages these individuals were arrested for cause (such as violent crimes, terrorism, etc.) and provided with due process. Throughout their time in prison, the Red Cross could visit them to ensure the conditions were appropriate (spoiler alert: they were).

For Israel, any deal with a terror organization is going to be immensely painful. But what is one to do when bloodthirsty terrorists are holding a gun to your baby’s head? As Hamas is still doing with Ariel and Kfir Bibas (now) aged two and four.

The Talmud teaches that whoever saves one life, it is as if he has saved all of humanity. For the Jewish people and their homeland, saving life is paramount.

47^th President of the United States Takes Office

On Monday, President Donald Trump began his second term in office. Throughout the day of his swearing in, one could see relatives of Israeli hostages front and center in the audience. It’s clear, President Trump’s administration is sending a direct message - and not just to Hamas.

President Trump’s strong foreign policy statements leading up to his inauguration likely had a significant impact on the hostages beginning to come home. Likewise, his administration is working to undo various problematic policies including the revocation of President Trump’s first term executive order sanctioning the ICC and immediately ending the suspension of key weapons deliveries to Israel such as 2,000 lb. bombs. President Trump also repeatedly stated his interest in adopting the Israeli Iron Dome system for American military use.

In short, the policies the Trump administration has put forth indicate the President’s position on Israel remains as strong as on the day he signed the papers to move the Embassy to Jerusalem.

Among the most important decisions a President makes are the people with whom he chooses to surround himself, and on his first day in office, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, was unanimously approved by the Senate. Secretary Rubio is a longtime ally to Israel and friend to CUFI.

We are very pleased the Senate understood the importance of setting aside partisanship and supporting a smart and decent man to serve as America’s top diplomat. We also look forward to quick confirmations for nominees such as Elise Stefanik to be Ambassador to the UN and Governor Huckabee to be Ambassador to Israel.

Though the news out of Washington is good for the moment, and there are no words to express our feelings when seeing hostages come home, there is still much work to be done.

There are still hostages in Hamas’s hell. There are still Palestinian terrorists seeking to kill Israelis in Gaza, Judea and Samaria. And there are still antisemites in Congress and across the United States.

A recent Harvard University-Harris poll found that 21% of Americans support Hamas. Now at least we know where the Squad and its fringe-right allies garner their support. The polling did not have a great distinction between parties. Israel is defeating the antisemites in the Middle East; we will ensure America stands by Jerusalem and confront every one of Hamas Caucus here at home.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team