Secretary of State Marco Rubio began his first full day in Israel at the U.S.-Israel Civil-Military Coordination Center.
Rubio met with the U.S. servicemembers working at the site and told the press that the president's peace plan is the best and only option to achieve a lasting peace in Gaza.
Rubio made clear that Israel is upholding its end of the agreement and that if Hamas continues to violate the agreement by refusing to disarm, they will face consequences.
"This is a deal, and a deal requires conditions to be met. Israel has met their commitments. They’re standing at the yellow line, and that is contingent upon the demilitarization [of Hamas]," he said.
Rubio also discussed the aid flowing into Gaza with the U.N.'s help, but he stressed that UNRWA will play no role in bringing aid into the strip because the U.N. agency is "a subsidiary of Hamas."
Meanwhile, Israel continuing to surge aid into Gaza, in compliance with the agreement. According to COGAT, nearly 40,000 tons of essential supplies including food, water, medical equipment, gas, and other vital goods, were delivered this month alone.
The United States must increase the pressure on Hamas and its sponsors in Qatar, Turkey and Iran to fully comply with the agreement and release all the hostages.
Below are more key stories and links to share AIPAC social media content. We'll continue to provide the latest updates on our social media channels.
Shabbat Shalom,
Jake Braunstein
Director of Policy Communications
MUST WATCH
Alon is finally back home!
After more than two years in Hamas captivity, Alon Ohel (24) is finally home.
Today, as he left the hospital, Alon paused to thank everyone who stood by him and his family throughout their two-year nightmare.
"Thank you for supporting my family... all this love, also reached me, fifty meters [165 feet] underground, in Gaza and I felt it every moment."
The IDF today announced that it has eliminated Hezbollah logistics commander Abbas Hassan Karky, operating in Lebanon less than 10 miles from the Israeli border.
The military said that the terrorist led recent efforts to rebuild Hezbollah's combat capabilities by managing the transfer and storage of weapons and helping to rebuild terrorist infrastructure previously destroyed by the IDF.
This comes as the IDF also announced that it busted a plot to smuggle weapons from Syria into Lebanon.
The United States and our allies must increase the pressure on the Lebanese government to follow through on it's commitment to fully disarming Hezbollah.
Treasury issues new Iran sanctions evasion analysis
The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a new report yesterday warning global financial institutions of the heightened risk of Iranian sanctions evasion.
The Financial Trend Analysis reveals "many aspects of the complex financial and corporate infrastructure that Iran uses to sell sanctioned oil and petrochemicals on the international market, launder the proceeds, and procure export-controlled technology for Iran’s military and nuclear program."
“Identifying Iran’s complex financial lifelines and shadow networks is an essential part of cutting off the funding for their military, weapons programs, and terrorist proxies,” FinCEN Director Andrea Gacki said. “By issuing this public analysis, we hope to draw attention to Iran’s shadow banking activity and encourage financial institutions to be vigilant.”
Hamas must fully implement the peace plan and free all the hostages now!
"Where are the protestors who for two years claimed to care for Gazans, now that footage of Hamas’s cruelty against its own people floods social media?" — Former Political Prisoner of Hamas
Read and share: Hamas is executing Palestinians in Gaza. Only speaking out about Gaza when you can blame Israel isn’t pro-Palestine, it’s just anti-Israel.
After 505 days in Hamas captivity and surviving the Nova Music Festival, Eliya and Ziv are engaged!
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.
