Date: Tuesday, October 22, 2019
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer, Director

Punishing Israel?

Christians United for Israel opposes any attempt to impose any peace plan on Israel and the Palestinians. It is our view that the sensitive issues involved can only be resolved by the two parties themselves.

Unfortunately, several presidential candidates have suggested that if elected president, they would side with the Palestinians and against the state of Israel. The most recent example is Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.

When asked by a reporter whether she would use U.S. aid to Israel as leverage to stop Israeli construction of homes in Judea and Samaria, Warren said this:

"It is the official policy of the United States of America to support a two-state solution, and if Israel is moving in the opposite direction, then everything is on the table."

When the reporter attempted to ask a follow-up question, Warren cut him off and doubled down, saying, "Everything's on the table."

Israel is not the problem, and should not be punished for protecting its interests. So it is disturbing to hear Sen. Warren say that "Everything is on the table."

The Palestinians have repeatedly rejected generous peace deals that would have created a Palestinian state.

They continue to subsidize terrorism against innocent Israelis.

And they are teaching their children to hate Israelis.

Moreover, who would run this new Palestinian state?

Hamas, which already controls Gaza, is committed to Israel's destruction and is leading in most polls. It is not in Israel's interest or ours to create another radical Islamic state in the Middle East.

CUFI Action Fund would be pleased to sit down with Sen. Warren and her staff, and any potential presidential nominee, to explain why the best hope for peace in the Middle East is a strong and secure Israel.

Speaking Of Israel's Interests. . .

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with the Jerusalem Post last week about the evolving situation in Syria, U.S. efforts to counter Iran and the strength of the U.S.-Israel alliance. Below are some excerpts of Pompeo's remarks.

"Our administration's been very clear. Israel has the fundamental right to engage in activity that ensures the security of its people. It's at the very core of what nation-states not only have the right to do, but an obligation to do. . .

"We know . . . Iran has attempted to move weapon systems across into Syria, into Lebanon, that threaten Israel, and we are going to do everything we can to make sure we have the capacity to identify those so that we can, collectively, respond appropriately. . .

"[U.S. sanctions] will be sufficient to decrease the scope and size of the Iranian economy by over 12% this next year. That's serious stuff. We do this because this denies resources from Iran to do assassination campaigns in Europe, missile systems and infrastructure technology advancement, underwriting Hezbollah [and] Shia militias around the world. We have materially reduced their capacity to engage in those behaviors. . .

"If you look at our strategy, America is committed to countering the threat from Iran. We view it as the fundamental destabilizing force inside the Middle East, and we are determined to push back. . .

"[The U.S.-Israel] relationship is strong, deep and growing, and in a position that reflects the historically important ties between our two countries for all the reasons we know: the value sets we share, and the common security interests and burden that we both jointly share."