Date: Monday, October 28, 2019
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer, Director

Netanyahu's Warning

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. During a joint press conference, Prime Minister Netanyahu congratulated the United States on the successful mission to take out ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

He also warned that Iran was installing sophisticated cruise missiles in Yemen that were capable of striking Israel. Below are some excerpts of the prime minister's remarks:

"First, I want to congratulate President Trump, the Armed Forces of the United States and the American people for the successful action against Baghdadi, and it's good that this murderer has met his fate. We do know that we still have an ongoing battle against terrorism, both of the extremist Sunnis led by [ISIS], but also the extremist Shiites led by Iran, that is making a plunge for everything and everywhere in the Middle East.

"Iran is seeking to develop now precision-guided munitions, missiles that can hit any target in the Middle East. . . They want to place them in Iraq and in Syria, and to convert Lebanon's arsenal of 130,000 . . . rockets to precision-guided munitions. They seek also to develop that, and have already begun to put that in Yemen, with the goal of reaching Israel from there too.

"We view Iran as the greatest threat to peace, stability and our security, and the security of many others. They fired into Saudi Arabia. They've interfered with international shipping lanes. They've attacked Americans and they've killed Americans throughout the last ten years in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

"Iran is the single greatest threat to stability and peace in the Middle East. . . the Middle East is rich with several things, and one of them is terrorist-exporting nations and groups."

Greenblatt's Farewell

Jason Greenblatt, President Trump's special representative for international negotiations, is stepping down from his post at the end of the week. Before leaving, Greenblatt gave an interview with the Times of Israel expressing his hope for peace in the Middle East.

Below are some of his reflections on the peace process, encouraging developments in the region, and his response to criticism that the U.S. is no longer an "honest broker" or impartial between Israelis and Palestinians.

"I hope that the vision we have drafted can advance the cause of peace and bring people together [and] start a productive, realistic discussion. . . But it's important to remember that nobody can force this vision upon anyone. When the plan is released, each side will have to decide how it wants to proceed. . .

"I think we've been very successful in speaking the hard truths and encouraging people to think outside the stale, decades-old talking points on this conflict. I don't think those talking points will ever resolve the conflict. . .

"This administration has always been clear — Israel is one of our strongest allies, our support of Israel's security is unwavering, and we will speak hard truths about the conflict. . .

"When I criticized Palestinian officials, it was to push back on their support for heinous programs such as the Palestinian Authority's 'pay to slay' program, where they reward Palestinians who murder Israelis, or where they condemned our peace vision without even seeing it, or other efforts that truly harm ordinary Palestinians and the prospects for peace. . .

"[O]ne of the things I am most proud of is the work that we have done in connecting Israel with its Arab neighbors. Before this administration, engagement between Israel and its neighbors was often behind the scenes. People were reluctant to speak about it out loud. Now, in just three years, we see a huge shift with countries being increasingly open about its relationship and engagement with Israel. . .

"The anti-normalization philosophy has not worked. Israel has thrived despite this philosophy and the Palestinians have suffered. And the Arab countries only stand to gain from working with Israel."