Today marks 600 days since the October 7^th Massacre. Six hundred days of hell for the 58 remaining hostages and their families. Six hundred days of war for a country that only desires peace. As Israel continues Operation Gideon’s Chariots, we pray for the immediate release of the hostages and the swift destruction of the barbarians who took them. 

Fact & Fiction: “Palestine”

Last week, we saw firsthand what “globalize the Intifada” looks like as a young couple, soon to be engaged, was gunned down at an event hosted by our friends at the American Jewish Committee. Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, of blessed memory, were both employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington. They were murdered in cold blood by a man shouting, “Free Palestine.”

Mr. Lischinsky was a Christian Zionist. His murderer did not know the couple were employees of the Israeli Embassy. The tragic reality is that you don’t have to be Jewish to be attacked by antisemitic bigots draping themselves in Palestinian flags.

The mere perception that one is Jewish or supportive of the Jewish state makes all Zionists targets of the political violence that serves as the cornerstone of the movement to “free Palestine.”

Moreover, neither this violence nor the fundamental bigotry that undergirds the “movement” is limited to “radicals.”  From the halls of the United Nations where they seek to hold a conference next month on a “two-state solution” to the halls of the Ivy League where they deny both the Jewish right to self-determination and that the fictional movement to “free Palestine” is clearly and unequivocally a movement to destroy Israel and her people.  

Proverbs teaches, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” And on Wednesday night, just like on October 7^th, Israelis and Jews were murdered by those shouting, “free Palestine.”

Fact & Fiction: Gaza Aid

We’ve lost count at this point of how many times this or that international organization has claimed Gaza is X number of weeks away from absolute famine and collapse, and those repeated and absurd claims are an abomination.

It’s not only that such claims are a slander against the Jewish state, but they diminish the real hunger of so many others. According to Feeding America, nearly 50 million people face hunger in the United States. According to a British organization dedicated to fighting hunger worldwide, more than 700 million people go hungry every day.

There has never been and will never be a famine in Gaza, but the media would have you believe that the rest of the world is eating cake whilst Gaza is starving. In fact, just recently at least a half million meals were distributed. For reference, the total population of Gaza is around 2.1 million people.

For what it’s worth, we do know one group of people who are being starved in Gaza: the hostages; they’ve been starving for 600 days. 

Fact, Fiction, & the Future

In one way (and only one way), the Middle East has become easier to predict in recent months: Jerusalem is clearly out of patience. From the operation to methodically extract hostages and terrorists from the Gaza Strip to Israel’s increasingly concerned tone regarding American nuclear negotiations with Tehran, the Israelis are done with the pleasantries. And we don’t blame them.

There seems to be a fiction developing in some of the dimmer corners in Washington that by sheer will, a deal can be made with the tyrants ruling Tehran. Pardon our blank stare; we’ve actually heard this tune before. A different key? Sure. But it’s the same tune. So, pardon us if you’ve heard this before:

• When Tehran’s rulers tell you they want to kill you, believe them.

• When Tehran’s tyrants tell you they will never abandon uranium enrichment, believe them.

• When Tehran’s despots stare you in the face and tell you how much they appreciate and adore you, display some discernment.

These rules have been in place since the place was called Persia (ok, not the enrichment one, but you get our point).

There are stark differences between the American, European, and Middle Eastern styles of negotiation. The President seems to understand what drives his recent Arabian hosts, but does the White House understand that Iran is different? Does the White House understand that this isn’t about money or even power? For the rulers of Iran, hatred is a sincerely held religious belief. Like it or not, that’s a fact with which the future must contend.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund