In last week's Action Update we promised to elaborate a bit more on
what we're hoping to see from President Biden during his mid-July trip
to the Middle East. The trip is important, and a lot of work needs to be
done in a short period of time, so this week we'll only be covering
two topics: the President's trip to the Middle East and a new
bipartisan bill aimed at creating a regional security infrastructure to
confront Iran.

The Trip

President Joe Biden will travel to the Middle East July 13-16th, during
which time he will visit Israel, Saudi Arabia and Palestinian Authority
(PA) controlled territory in the disputed West Bank. The President's
trip will go on amidst changes in the Israeli government and a new round
of elections this fall. During his visit, Biden has a lot to accomplish
- including, despite administration denials, getting the Saudis to
increase oil production thereby decreasing gas prices.

But there's a lot more to this trip then dealing with the pain at the
pump. Since taking office, President Biden has maintained cordial
diplomatic relations with Jerusalem, but he has also restored aid to the
Palestinians despite the PA continuing its pay-to-slay program and its
wholesale indoctrination of Palestinian children into violence. His
message to the Palestinians needs to be unequivocal: the US government
will not continue aiding the Palestinians so long as the PA continues to
preach, teach and incentivize terrorism.

Such will go a long way towards deepening ties with Israel, but more
importantly, it will have a tangible positive impact on the lives of
both Palestinians and Israelis. Less violence is good for all sides, but
right now one side remains committed to terrorism and yet they are
receiving US taxpayer dollars.

When he goes to Riyadh, we have little doubt the House of Saud will
exhibit the type of dignified welcome behooving a visit from the
occupant of the Oval Office. But behind closed doors, the discussions
will likely be more direct. We don't blame President Biden for being
uncomfortable engaging with a monarchy that has a poor human rights
record, but sometimes that's the job. We do blame the President for
failing to recognize that there are real enemies in the region and
acknowledging the Saudis as well as certain Gulf Arab allies have made
incremental but real progress in modernizing their societies.

Whether or not the President likes it, good relations with Saudi Arabia
are vital to US national security interests, and, the Saudis are as
committed as the Israelis to stopping Iran's malign behavior and
pursuit of nuclear weapons. The President will need to rebuild trust and
relations with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, and he will need to make
clear to the leaders in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Jerusalem that the US has
ended its failed Iran appeasement policy.

The Bill

A few weeks ago, the

**Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses (DEFEND)**

**Act** was introduced by a bipartisan cadre of lawmakers committed to
ensuring the US retakes its seat at the head of the international table
in the context of the Middle East.

According to a description of the bill from the press release announcing
its introduction, this legislation would, "require the Department of
Defense (DOD) to prepare a strategy to work in conjunction with Iraq,
Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other allies and
partners in the Middle East to establish a defense architecture and
acquisitions approach that would employ a combination of air and missile
defense capabilities to protect the region from attacks by Iran and
Iran-backed extremist groups."

Today, at 11:30am eastern/10:30am central the Action Fund's Boris
Zilberman will join Senator Joni Ernst, the lead sponsor of the
legislation, for an Instagram live discussion about this important
legislation. We look forward to the discussion between Boris and the
Senator and hope you'll log onto CUFI's Instagram
account to
view the discussion.

In addition to Senator Ernst, a number of lawmakers are working to
advance this legislation and we are deeply grateful to Senators Jacky
Rosen (D-NV), James Lankford (R-OK), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), as well as
Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA.), Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO),
Rep. David Trone (D-MD), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Don Bacon (R-NE) and
Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) for leading this bipartisan and bicameral
legislation. 

From the President's meetings in the Middle East to the DEFEND Act,
many of the roads in the Middle East lead to Tehran. The Islamic
Republic of Iran is the preeminent force for evil in the region,
rivaling only Russia and North Korea (though not for a lack of trying)
to hold that title for the entire world.

We hope the President recognizes and acts on this reality, but hope is
not a strategy. Our strategy is to empower a dedicated and educated
group of a topflight activists to ensure our children's future. You
are that army, and we are eternally grateful for your commitment to
remaining in the fight.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team

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