This week, there were three important stories highlighting Hamas’ use of human shields to attack Israeli civilians.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. and U.N. Gilad Erdanrevealed on Monday that Hamas had been using the AP building destroyed in Gaza last month to develop technology to disrupt the Iron Dome missile defense system.
The U.N. Relief Works Agency (UNRWA)admitted that it found a Hamas attack tunnel under one of its schools in Gaza.
Lastly, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwaradmitted that Hamas uses residential buildings for its terrorist headquarters.
Big picture: Hamas deliberately puts civilians in dangerby firing rockets, storing weapons and digging attack tunnels in and around homes, schools, offices and hospitals.
America must continue to stand firmly with our ally against Palestinian terrorism.
There is no moral equivalence between an ally that uses its weapons to protect its civilians and a terror group that uses civilians to protect its weapons.
In two separate statements, Democratic members of Congress in the House condemned an outrageous comment made by Rep. Ilhan Omar.
What happened: Rep. Omar equated America and Israel to the Taliban and Hamas.
Big picture: There is no moral equivalence between the American troops and Israeli soldiers who risk everything to protect their nations, and the terrorists who target them.
AIPACapplauds the 12 Democratic members of Congress who came together torightly condemn this dangerous worldview and assault on democracy.
AIPAC appreciatesthe moral clarity from the House Democratic leadership in rejecting any equivalence between the U.S. and Israel and terrorists who target them.
Equating the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban is as offensive as it is misguided. Ignoring the differences between democracies governed by the rule of law and contemptible organizations that engage in terrorism at best discredits one’s intended argument and at worst reflects deep-seated prejudice.
The United States and Israel are imperfect and, like all democracies, at times deserving of critique, but false equivalencies give cover to terrorist groups. We urge Congresswoman Omar to clarify her words placing the US and Israel in the same category as Hamas and the Taliban.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (D-MA), Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA) issued a joint statement:
Legitimate criticism of the policies of both the United States and Israel is protected by the values of free speech and democratic debate. And indeed, such criticism is essential to the strength and health of our democracies.
But drawing false equivalencies between democracies like the U.S. and Israel and groups that engage in terrorism like Hamas and the Taliban foments prejudice and undermines progress toward a future of peace and security for all.
Palestinian textbooks encourage violence against Israelis and include antisemitic messages, according to a new European Union-commissioned report.
The study examined 156 textbooks and 16 teachers' guides used by the Palestinian Authority and found repeated demonization of Israel.
According to The Jerusalem Post, which obtained the report: "Glorification and praise of terrorists who attack Israelis can be found not only in history or social studies books, but also in science and math books.”
The European Commission has kept the report unpublished since receiving it, but it was leaked this week.
Brussels directly funds the salaries of the teachers and publishers of the textbooks which, according to the report, encourage and glorify violence against Israelis and Jews.
The way forward: Instead of teaching their people to hate and kill, Palestinian leaders should prepare their people for peace and coexistence.
Dr. Ali Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Defense Affairs, Interior and Foreign Relations Committee of the UAE's Federal Council wrote this week about how Palestinian rights have been "hijacked by Iranian-backed Hamas."
What he says:
“The signing of the Abraham Accords between the United Arab Emirates and Israel that I helped broker was a bold, courageous move which promised to finally make progress where everything else had failed.”
"The Abraham Accords are not about an Emirati and Israeli future but the whole region's future. The truth is, the Middle East conflict isn't between the Israelis and Palestinians but between Israel and Iran... The Palestinian people's rights and hopes have been hijacked by Hamas to serve an Iranian agenda."
"What the public doesn't understand is who is behind so much of the media they read—who is funding this misguided narrative, which only serves to protect Hamas, and ultimately, Iran."
"Hamas and the Palestinian leadership have hijacked the minds of two million Palestinians to sell their political and terrorist agendas. We want the Palestinian people to ... create a better future for a new generation. But we have to do this together, with all the stakeholders in the region, from NGOs to schools, religious leaders and governments. We cannot do this alone."
The security relationship between the United States and Israel is critically important to our national security.
AIPAC distributed Defense Digest to congressional offices this week. This month's edition features:
Israeli Air Force 'Adir' squadron trained alongside the U.S. Air Force and Marines.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with senior American officials to discuss increased cooperation to combat regional threats across Israel's borders.
The Biden administration approved a $735 million arms sale to Israel, including precision-guided munitions (PGMs) that are crucial to ensuring Israel can protect itself from future threats posed by Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, while minimizing civilian casualties.
The mission of AIPAC is to strengthen and expand the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel.
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