At this point, to call Washington “broken” is so cliché that the phrase has virtually lost its meaning. Although, that does not mean it is unfixable or that we can’t work toward progress on vital policy issues in our nation’s capital. In fact, that is why groups like CUFI Action Fund are essential in our governmental process. Citizens have a direct impact on the climate created in Washington, for better or worse, it is time for Representatives in Congress to get their houses in order and work on behalf of the people.
Hating Israel
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) recently called Israel “racist” for not providing COVID-19 vaccines to Palestinians. Let’s unpack.
Israel’s responsibility is to its citizens, and the Israeli government has done an amazing job of vaccinating a large swath of its population, regardless of race or any other similar consideration. Palestinians living under the rule of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip are not Israelis. The Palestinians have their own healthcare system and under the Oslo Accords are responsible for vaccinations among other health services to be provided to those living under their control. Put simply: race plays no part in Israeli vaccine distribution and Tlaib knows it.
If the leadership of the Democratic party persists in looking the other way as a handful of Democratic elected officials demonize the Jewish state, then they are ceding their party’s positions to the fringe. That’s not good for their party or our country.
Hating Jews
Late last week we put out a statement calling upon the Republican leadership in the House to remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14) from her committee assignments after yet more of her wild, antisemitic conspiracy theories were brought to light.
We won’t go through the ridiculous exercise of repudiating Greene’s most recently discovered claim, that Jewish space lasers caused a forest fire in the US, but we will note that if Zionist space lasers
existed, the Iranian nuclear weapons program probably would not.
If the leadership of the Republican party persists in looking the other way as a Republican elected official traffics in absurd antisemitic conspiracy theories among a slew of other equally ludicrous claims, then they are abandoning any claim to the moral or intellectual high ground. That’s not good for our country.
In Other News
Speaking of the Iranian nuclear program… The Biden Administration’s different positions in recent weeks on re-entering the Iranian nuclear agreement has given us a bit of whiplash. First, as we’ve noted before, the Biden team said repeatedly that they would seek a longer and stronger agreement with Iran, but then late last week the administration named serial appeaser Robert Malley as their special envoy to Iran.
Second, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said that for Iran to re-enter the agreement would be a long process. But now he’s expressing the fear that if Iran continues to violate the deal, they could be weeks away from a nuclear bomb – implying that a faster return to the agreement is necessary.
We do know this much, those who wish to deal with Iran’s nuclear program – namely the United States, Israel and Arab nations - should get on the same page sooner rather than later.
The trouble is that Iran has never been in compliance with the deal. And just this week the Iranians launched a rocket with its largest solid fueled propelled motor. This type of motor is central to intercontinental ballistic missiles that might be used to deliver a nuclear warhead.
If, at this point, the US capitulates to Iran’s pre-nuclear blackmail, then we will lose any leverage for a longer and stronger deal. If Iran engages in further nuclear
activity, the US needs to use and maintain the economic leverage (i.e. sanctions) to deter such behavior. Tehran is testing Washington and the Malley appointment makes the Mullahs think they can push the Biden administration around. It’s time for the White House to prove Tehran’s assumption wrong.
The purpose of this email is not to draw parallels. The Biden administration needs to develop a strong and coherent policy on Iran, and the Democrats need to deal with the disgusting
anti-Israel narrative being advanced by some of their members, but Rep. Greene’s positions are in an appalling league of their own.
Thank you for standing with the CUFI Action Fund as we continue to fight against the fringes and in support of a strong US-Israel relationship. Sincerely,
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