Violence, threats and condemnations - over the past week, we've seen
them all. But what does it really mean? In this week's Action Update,
we dive into what you need to care about, what you can ignore, and what
comes next.

All Politics is Local

In recent weeks we've seen terror attacks targeting Israelis, and in
recent days we've seen rioters on the Temple Mount clash with Israeli
police. If you asked the average Israeli what was going on, they'd
likely tell you, "'Tis the season...." While most Muslims view
Ramadan as a time to get closer to God - with a particular emphasis on
fasting - radical religious leaders abuse the increased emphasis on
faith to encourage violence.

Terrorist organizations know this, so they respond in kind. In effect,
terrorists like Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and ISIS all see
Ramadan as a time to show to radicalized populations - i.e., the
Palestinians - that their terror group is

**the** terror group. In essence, all politics is local, and while
Americans prefer barbecues and campaign rallies, a groups' political
popularity amongst Palestinians seems to be buoyed by their supporting
acts of violence. This bodes badly for the future, in particular any
Palestinian future, but such analysis should help those of us not
immersed in the region understand why this is all happening right now.

Just because the motivations for such violence are petty, that doesn't
make the violence any less dangerous. But understanding these
motivations is key to understanding the Arab and American condemnations
of Israel's response to the riots. In a nutshell, these statements are
meaningless. Jordan and Egypt, who've been at peace with Israel for
decades, often issue statements condemning this or that Israeli action.
As does the United States. Recently, Israel's newest allies in the
region - those party to the Abraham Accords - have also issued
similar statements.

The leaders of all those nations should know what's really going on,
and a few sentences in a press statement or tweet to mollify certain
domestic political constituencies is one thing. However, these events
can always spiral and if reports about a potential UN Security Council
meeting on this issue comes to pass, the Biden Administration should do
as has been the precedent and firmly oppose any effort which targets
Israel.

None of us who stand with Israel are happy that the way to appeal to
Palestinians is through violence or that the way to mollify certain
domestic constituencies (including the extreme American left) is through
statements condemning Israel. And none of us who stand with Israel
should be too worried about many of the pro forma statements, but we
should remain vigilant if those who seek to harm Israel use the UN to
further delegitimize the Jewish state.

Iran Threatens Israel (Again)

If you're looking for something to worry about, Iran has you covered.
Recently the Islamic Republic's war-criminal turned President, Ebrahim
Raisi, said that if Israel makes "the slightest move" against Iran,
Tehran would "target the heart of the Zionist regime."

Given that Iran is well on its way to becoming a nuclear threshold
state, and given that they continue to exercise malign influence
throughout the Middle East via their proxies like Hezbollah, Raisi's
comments - which took place during an Iranian military parade - are
disconcerting. That said, Israel will not be deterred by Iranian
threats. The Israelis have been eminently clear that they are going to
whatever is necessary to protect their citizens, and Raisi's
statements won't change that.

Plan B?

This said, part of the issue is that negotiations with Iran have
faltered. On the one hand, this is a good thing, as they would be moving
forward if we'd seen a complete and total American surrender to
Iranian demands. On the other hand, the Biden Administration was so
convinced of their own ability to get the Iranians to sign a meaningless
piece of paper that they are totally unprepared for a future with no
Iran nuclear accord.

Team Biden squandered the opportunity to achieve their promised
"longer and stronger" agreement, appeased Iran at every turn, and
finally hit a brick wall when a bipartisan chorus, as well as key
leaders in President Biden's own Defense Department, expressed grave
concerns over the Iranian demand that the US remove its designation of
the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a Foreign Terrorist
Organization.

So where do we go from here? Maximum pressure is the only non-violent
answer. An Israeli expert recently laid things out quite clearly when he
noted that when the negotiations finally fall, the U.S. should be
"moving forward with economic pressure, intelligence, diplomatic
pressure, power projection and regional counterterrorism efforts." 

We agree. A renewed maximum pressure campaign will begin to restore some
of the leverage the U.S. lost by taking such a weak approach to
negotiations with Iran since the moment President Biden took office. The
sooner the President realizes that the kumbaya approach to foreign
policy doesn't work, the sooner we can weaken Tehran and end the
regime's unchecked reign of terror.

Next week, we hope to be able to end on some good news, but until then,
please don't forget that the CUFI Summit is July 17-19th and that
space is extremely limited. Having not been in Washington for several
years because of COVID restrictions, it is vital that engaged activists
like you join us this summer. To learn more, please visit
www.CUFI.org/summit .

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team

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