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.
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