Over the weekend, President Donald Trump met at Camp David with some of America’s top military and defense officials. The topic of conversation was Iran. On Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and President Trump spoke for 40 minutes by phone. The Middle East is at a tipping point; let’s dive in.
Iran Digs In
Following his phone call with the President, Prime Minister Netanyahu convened his security cabinet to discuss Iran.
Tehran has grown progressively more strident and aggressive in its negotiations with the Trump administration. So much so that increasingly it appears we are further away, rather than closer, to an agreement with the wannabe nuclear-armed theocracy.
Ostensibly, the dispute hinges on whether Iran will accept the American demand for zero uranium enrichment. This demand is vital on its own, as reports indicate Iran has already stockpiled enough uranium to develop multiple nuclear weapons. But more than just the enrichment itself, the enrichment issue is also a way to gauge Iran’s overall seriousness about negotiations.
Spoiler alert: they’re not serious.
As long as the Mullahs reject America’s zero-enrichment demand, then Iran is very clearly engaging in bad faith. Tehran’s maintenance of its absolutist position on uranium enrichment is a clear indication that Iran is simply buying time. If Iran gets the seal of approval for any uranium enrichment (or for that matter ballistic missile development and the like), then the deal is not worth the paper it's printed on.
CUFI’s position is simple: no enrichment, no ballistic missiles, no terror; anything short of a comprehensive end to Iran’s malign activities only causes the problem to grow bigger – as we saw with Pres. Obama’s foolish capitulation to the Mullahs – thereby significantly harming American national security interests.
Israel Repays the Houthis
The Iran-backed Houthi terrorist organization continues to fire missiles and drones at Israel, with the latest launch having come on Monday. Israel has largely fended off these attacks, but one cannot fling ballistic missiles at a sovereign state and expect to simply get away with it.
Prior to this week, Israel’s Air Force had attacked the Houthis 10 times since the start of the war.
On Tuesday, the Israeli Navy got in on the action, showing the world that despite being a “green water navy,” Israel’s maritime forces can reach out and touch the enemy even a thousand miles away.
In this case, the Israelis “deepened” the damage to Yemen’s main port, where a substantial amount of relevant Houthi weapons enter the country.
Following the strike, Israel’s Defense Minister had this to say, “We have warned the Houthi terror organization that if they continue to shoot at Israel, they will face a powerful response and be under a naval and aerial blockade.”
Hamas vs. Humanity
Through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the U.S. and Israel are doing everything they can to bring aid to the people of Gaza. Hamas, however, sees food and medical supplies not as items that people need, but rather as necessities that can be used to control the people. As such, Hamas has actively (and at times violently) tried to dissuade ordinary Gazans from receiving the aid.
At this point, Hamas is no more than a gang of thugs that want their cut to enrich themselves and control the community. The UN and its allies had enabled and encouraged Hamas’s use of food as a weapon; thus, it is unsurprising that the international humanitarian cartel has condemned GHF for successfully delivering food to the people (rather than the terrorists).
To address the violence and chaos surrounding the aid distribution that Hamas and its allies have created, Israel is working with a local Gazan militia that opposes Hamas. This doesn’t mean everything will run smoothly. Both GHF and the militia are operating in a war zone where the enemy sees civilians as pawns and shields.
The solution is simple: the sooner the war ends, the better it will be for everyone. Hamas must release the hostages and disarm. The only alternative is more war.
Either way, we will not sit on the sidelines. In just over two weeks, thousands of Christians will convene in our nation’s capital to hear from pro-Israel experts and meet with their elected officials for the 20th annual CUFI Washington Summit. With the future of the Middle East hanging in the balance, there’s nowhere else we’d rather be in that moment. We hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
The CUFI Action Fund Team
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