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Dear A.,
Prime Minister Netanyahu is wrapping up a week of important meetings in Washington with top leaders in the administration and Congress.
These meetings come at a critical juncture, with the upcoming withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the ongoing hostage release deal with Hamas, and the escalating threat from Iran and the regime's nuclear program.
According to
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reports , Netanyahu and President Trump "see eye to eye on the Iranian threat" and agree that Iran can never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
This week, President Trump ordered a government-wide "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran. An Israeli diplomatic source said, "If the diplomatic and economic means do not work, there will be consequences. I think that President Trump and the prime minister made that clear."
Following the president's directive, the Treasury Department imposed
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new sanctions on an "international network" for "facilitating the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the People’s Republic of China."
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, "The Iranian regime remains focused on leveraging its oil revenues to fund the development of its nuclear program, to produce its deadly ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, and to support its regional terrorist proxy groups."
Leaders in Congress also share Netanyahu's and Trump's view of the immense threat posed by Iran. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), following a meeting between bipartisan Senate leadership and Netanyahu yesterday,
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said , "I think there is, very impressively, a unified feeling that Iran is the main obstacle to peace and stability in the Middle East and the world."
Meanwhile, the head of U.S. Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, was in Israel
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meeting with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi this week. They discussed "the regional strategic situation assessment and examining ways to continue addressing the threats in the Middle East," according to an Israeli readout.
Iran is the greatest threat to America and Israel in the Middle East.
The United States must work with our allies to increase the pressure on the Iranian regime, including by fully enforcing economic sanctions, and take military action when necessary to protect vital American interests.
Continue to follow AIPAC on
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social media for the latest updates.
Shabbat Shalom,
Jake Braunstein
Director of Policy Communications
Three more hostages set to be released tomorrow
Hamas is set to
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release three more Israeli hostages tomorrow as part of the ongoing hostage-ceasefire deal. This will be the fifth release to take place under the current agreement.
The three hostages were named today: Eli Sharabi, 52, Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56.
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Sharabi , from Kibbutz Be'eri, was kidnapped alongside his brother Yossi, whose body is being held by Hamas. Sharabi's wife and daughters were murdered in their home’s safe room by Hamas.
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Levy was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, where his wife Einav was killed. Their now three-year-old son Almog has been staying with his grandparents since.
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Ben Ami was also kidnapped from Be’eri alongside his wife Raz, who was released in November 2023.
Or, Ohad and Eli.
The United States must increase the pressure on Hamas and its sponsors in Iran, Qatar and Turkey to comply with the agreement and release the hostages.
IDF continues to enforce Lebanon ceasefire as withdrawal nears
The IDF carried out
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strikes last night in Lebanon, hitting Hezbollah targets in the Nabatieh area and the Beqaa Valley.
The Iranian-backed terrorist group, in violation of the ceasefire agreement, was storing weapons at the sites.
The IDF said it "will prevent any attempt by the Hezbollah terror organization to rearm, in accordance with the understandings of the ceasefire agreement." Another strike was reportedly carried out this morning.
Meeting with Lebanon's new President Joseph Aoun near Beirut today, U.S. deputy Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus
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said that the United States has set a "red line" that Hezbollah cannot be a member of Lebanon's next government.
"And we have set clear red lines from the United States that they won't be able to terrorize the Lebanese people, and that includes by being a part of the government," she said.
"Hezbollah was defeated by Israel and we are grateful to our ally Israel for defeating Hezbollah," Ortagus added.
She also confirmed the extended February 18 deadline for Israeli troops to "finish their redeployment" from Lebanon, saying, "we are very committed to that firm date."
Meanwhile, since Thursday, there have been
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clashes between Hezbollah and troops of the new Syrian administration, which reportedly is working to secure its border with Lebanon, a major smuggling route for drugs and weapons.
U.N. special advisor punished for refusing to label Gaza war a "genocide"
A
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new column in JNS tell the story of former U.N. Special Advisor for the Prevention of Genocide Alice Nderitu, who served in the role for nearly four years until U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decided against renewing her commission last November.
Nderitu was subject to "a sustained and often abusive campaign... for her refusal to label the fighting in Gaza as a 'genocide.'"
"This is a good juncture to note that Nderitu is not an advocate of Israel’s side in this war. Nor is she, as far as I am aware, a supporter of Israel more generally. And that’s fine because as a consummate professional, she understands that her personal leanings are not relevant to her work as a genocide prevention expert. As she says, a genocide determination can only be made by a court of law, and no court—despite the efforts of South Africa; Ireland; Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague; and sundry others—has done so thus far."
"But in the eyes of those for whom Gaza is all-consuming, Nderitu’s determination to stick to the correct procedure was an unmistakable sign of collusion with the hated 'Zionist entity.'"
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Read the full piece here.
Palestinian terrorists released under hostage deal received millions from PA
An
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analysis by Jerusalem-based watchdog group Palestinian Media Watch found that many terrorists released from Israeli prisons under the ongoing hostage-ceasefire deal are millionaires, having received vast sums through the Palestinian Authority's (PA) heinous "pay-for-slay" program.
Analyzing a list of all 734 terrorists scheduled for release in the first phase of the hostage deal, the group found that the terrorists received $141,837,087 from the PA while in prison. That's an average of nearly $200,000 per terrorist.
"It’s a tremendous force driving terror," Itamar Marcus, Palestinian Media Watch’s founder and director, said. "In another society, if a criminal goes to jail for murdering someone, he’s ashamed about it. In the Palestinian Authority, they go around with a crown on their heads."
The PA's pay-for-slay program directly incentivizes terrorism, rewarding Palestinians for murdering Israelis. The United States must pressure the PA to end this program.
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On October 7, Hamas ripped Aviva & Keith Siegel from their home. After 51 days, Aviva was freed in a hostage deal. Last week, American-Israeli Keith finally came home.
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After 484 days, Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon and Keith Siegel are finally home. #FreeThemAll 🎗️
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Yarden Bibas is finally home from Hamas captivity. His wife and 2 young sons are still held hostage. We stand with the entire Bibas family 🟧
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"The bonds of friendship and affection between the American and Israeli people have endured for generations, and they are absolutely unbreakable." - President Trump
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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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