We know you're already aware of the recent conflagration between
Israel and the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) that took
place over the weekend, but there's a lot about the past few days that
every pro-Israel activist should know. And one of the key pieces of
information is how U.S. aid to Israel - which CUFI is backing as part
of its 2022 Summit legislative agenda - played a pivotal role in
ensuring no Israelis were killed in the conflict.

What Happened?
After Israel arrested a senior PIJ official, Jerusalem braced for
reprisals from the blood-thirsty terrorist organization. And when
Israeli intelligence got wind of an imminent attack, they launched a
preemptive strike against PIJ in the Gaza Strip. The strikes came just
as senior PIJ leaders met with their sponsors in Tehran.

The Israeli's goals were twofold: defang plans to take revenge over
the arrest of one of their top leaders and degrade PIJ's ability to
wreak havoc in Israel through the launching of rockets and other
terrorist tactics. Though initially the Israelis indicated they believed
the operation, dubbed Breaking Dawn, would last about a week, within
three days the IDF had achieved its strategic goals and a cease-fire was
agreed to. As a result of this operation, two top PIJ commanders in the
Gaza Strip met their end, and the terrorist group's infrastructure has
been dramatically degraded.

It's worth noting that during the operation, the CUFI Action Fund's
Director of Government Affairs, Alexandria Paolozzi, was enroute with
CUFI to the Holy Land. When we asked her about her feelings on the
matter, her response was unequivocal.

"The idea that because of a conflict I wouldn't go never entered my
mind. Terrorists don't get to tell free people when we can visit
Israel. Quite the opposite actually; as CUFI has done on several
occasions in the past, we know that one of the most important ways to
show solidarity with the Israeli people is to go there and be there in
good times and bad," she said.

What is PIJ?
Though it was founded a few years before Hamas, PIJ is not as famous as
its younger brother. Though they enjoy Iran's support, they aren't
as powerful as Hamas either. But they are just as ruthless (if not
more).

PIJ's goal is to establish an Islamic state governed by Sharia Law
from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Like other Palestinian
terrorist groups, PIJ's tactics evolved from bombings in the 1980s and
90s, to suicide bombings during the early 2000s of the Second Intifada,
and now they often use rockets as their primary method of attempted
murder. PIJ is fundamentally a genocidal terrorist organization, bent on
Israel's destruction and seeing every man, woman and child in the Holy
Land come under their complete control.

As Iran continues to wage war against Israel through terrorist groups,
PIJ will continue to be one of the proxies Tehran backs. But, thanks to
the efforts of Israel's military and security establishment, PIJ's
ability to kill has been lessened dramatically during the brief conflict
that took place over the weekend.

What is Iron Dome Doing for the Free World?

According to the IDF, PIJ launched more than 1,100 rockets at Israel
during the (less than) 72 hours of fighting. Approximately 200 of the
rockets PIJ fired ended up landing inside the Gaza Strip, causing at
least 16 Palestinian civilian deaths including children. While PIJ
initially tried to pass off the photos of the dead civilians as
collateral damage in an Israeli strike, this was quickly debunked
online.

380 of the PIJ rockets were headed towards Israeli population centers
and Iron Dome exhibited a 96% success rate - thereby saving countless
lives. This goes to show just how important the fight to advance the
Iron Dome's replenishment in Congress earlier this year truly was.
Without that support, innocent people would've died. We are pleased
Congress finally advanced the measure, but that does not mean this is
the last time we'll have to faceoff against the Hamas Caucus in
Congress.

Likewise, the recent round of fighting is a clear indicator of the
importance of our being successful in advancing the U.S. aid to Israel
we mentioned at the top of this Update. The Hamas Caucus will stop at
nothing to try to hurt Israel; we cannot take any victory for granted.
We must continue to keep up the pressure in Washington to ensure
Israel's qualitative military edge in the region is maintained. And
this isn't just important for Israel's security. It directly impacts
the safety of U.S. troops as well.

In fact, a few weeks ago, the United States Marine Corps successfully
tested the Iron Dome system. After the test, Moshe Patel, the head of
the Israel Missile Defense Organization noted, "This test has proven
the Iron Dome Tamir interceptor and associated ground components can be
integrated quickly and efficiently in any relevant defense architecture
and intercept various aerial threats successfully in complex and
advanced scenarios."

It's almost cliché at this point to say that the U.S.-Israel
relationship is based on shared values and shared interests. But
sometimes it's worth seeing that in action in a tangible way. The
success of Iron Dome in protecting Israeli civilians and giving our
Marines another way to keep their troops safe is further indication of
the importance of the work we do. So, thank you for standing with Israel
and supporting the Action Fund as we continue to ensure your voice on
these vital issues is heard in our nation's capital.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team

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