After working for years to support the U.S.-Israel relationship and
combat antisemitism, it's not terribly easy for news to surprise our
team, but this week, we'll discuss two events that caught us off
guard.
Deeply Troubling News out of Mar-a-Lago
Last week, former President Donald Trump met with Kanye West and Nick
Fuentes. West was recently dropped from numerous contracts and publicly
pilloried for blatantly antisemitic comments he posted on social media.
Fuentes is a Holocaust denying neo-Nazi in a suit, who, among numerous
other grotesque statements, claimed to be "just like Hitler."
President Trump has stated that he did not know who Fuentes was when the
bigot showed up to Mar-a-Lago, but Mr. Trump knew who West was and that
meeting should've never happened. West and Fuentes are the dregs of
the American body politic. They are bigots who revel in anti-Jewish
hatred. They are evil men, and no one should meet with them, least of
all a former President of the United States (seeking to return to that
office).
Longtime supporter of Israel, Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) said on Sunday,
"I don't think it's a good idea for a leader that's setting an
example for the country or the party to meet with (an) avowed racist or
anti-Semite. And so it's very troubling and it shouldn't happen and
we need to avoid those kind of empowering the extremes."
Amb. David Friedman, who served as President Trump's Ambassador to
Israel tweeted this in reaction to news of the meeting, "To my friend
Donald Trump, you are better than this. Even a social visit from an
antisemite like Kanye West and human scum like Nick Fuentes is
unacceptable. I urge you to throw those bums out, disavow them and
relegate them to the dustbin of history where they belong."
And the recently reelected Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, had this to
say about the matter, "Racism, antisemitism and denial of the
Holocaust have no place in the Republican Party and are completely
un-American."
Hutchinson, Friedman and Kemp are right. Moreover, in rebuking a member
of their own party, these men of valor have exhibited the courage of
their convictions and the moral clarity that seems to elude so many
partisan cowards in Washington.
Former Presidents have a right and responsibility to know with whom they
are meeting. Failing that, it is incumbent upon individuals of such
stature to renounce such bigots, and such is exceptionally vital after
such hateful individuals are granted an audience.
Iranians Continue to Stand up
Farideh Moradkhani is the niece of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, and she has shown herself to be a brave and righteous woman.
In the midst of the most robust anti-government protests Iran has seen
in years, Moradkhani spoke out against her uncle's despicable regime
without equivocation.
In a video recently posted to YouTube she said, "How long do we have
to witness oppression by political autocrats in any part of this world?
Isn't the experience of Hitler, Mussolini, CeauÈescu, Gaddafi, Saddam
Hussein, Khomeini and his last one, Khamenei, enough?"
She went onto to refer to the Islamic Republic as a "murderous and
child-killing regime."
Her statements resulted in her arrest, which she must've known that
was going to happen. But she, like thousands of Iranians across the
country, is taking a righteous and courageous stand against the brutal
and autocratic rule of Tehran's Tyrants.
Every person of conscience must support the protestors in Iran. And
we're proud to say that the U.S. Soccer Federation offered their
support recently as the eyes of the world are on the World Cup.
According to CNN, "The federation had temporarily displayed Iran's
national flag on its official Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts
without the emblem of the Islamic Republic."
Iran has (predictably) called for the U.S. to be kicked out of the World
Cup over this act of free speech. That's unlikely to happen, but
it's certainly a risk worth taking. If Women like Moradkhani are
willing to go to prison for their beliefs, and others have died for
theirs', the consequences of taking a shot on social media against the
Islamic Republic in order to bring more awareness to the horrors the
people living under that regime must endure are hardly worth worrying
about.
As Members of Congress begin to return to Washington, we'll no doubt
have some policy-oriented topics to discuss during next week's Update.
In the meantime, we hope you had a blessed and peaceful Thanksgiving,
and as always, we are thankful for you who serve as the tip of the spear
in the effort to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship and combat
antisemitism.
Sincerely,
The CUFI Action Fund Team <[link removed]>
SUPPORT CUFI ACTION FUND <[link removed]>
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