This week saw two events so highly significant to Israel’s security and the future of the US-Israel relationship that we’re deviating from our usual approach of addressing three topics and diving a bit more deeply into these two items. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.
Congressional Israel Haters Abandon Any Pretense
Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system has never killed or hurt anyone. It is purely defensive. Developed in partnership with the United States, this technological wonder tracks the trajectory of incoming missiles and rockets, makes a decision as to whether or not such projectiles pose a threat to human life, and if so, fire off a missile that knocks the incoming rocket out of the sky.
Without Iron Dome, Israel’s only recourse for stopping terrorist rockets would be to destroy the projectiles on the ground. Logical an approach as this may be, given that Hamas and its ilk like to fire rockets from Palestinian civilian population centers, destroying the rockets on the ground would invariably lead to loss of Palestinian life. Put simply: Iron Dome saves countless Israeli and Palestinian lives.
One
might then be surprised to learn that on Tuesday allegedly pro-peace, pro-Palestinian Members of the House of Representatives held a critical US budget bill hostage until Democratic leadership acquiesced to removing an appropriation that would have replenished Israel’s stockpile of Iron Dome missiles. But that’s exactly what happened.
Democrats and Republicans in Congress roundly condemned this abominable move. What exactly are The Squad – who made the last-minute demand – hoping to achieve? Would they prefer Hamas rockets have a higher success rate? Do they long for a higher body
count?
We at the Action Fund swiftly issued a statement condemning The Squad’s anti-peace, anti-Palestinian and anti-Israel move, and likewise criticized the House Democratic leadership for capitulating to The Squad’s unmasked hatred of the Jewish State.
“There is no spin, no Washingtonian explanation, no excuse whatsoever that merits opposition to Israel’s missile defense system. The simplest explanation is the accurate one: there are fringe members of Congress who despise Israel’s existence, and today, their party’s Congressional leadership buckled to their blatant, vile hatred,” said CUFI
Action Fund Chairwoman Sandra Parker.
The adults in the room have promised that an independent vote on US support for the Iron Dome system is forthcoming. And we welcome that decision, led by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. We likewise welcome statements from elected officials including Rep. Ted Deutch and Rep. Ritchie Torres for standing up to the fringe elements of their party and condemning The Squad’s abhorrent action.
We look forward to the vote on support for the Iron Dome system. It will be one of those rare clear-cut moments where one will easily be able to discern whether or not an elected official has a disagreement with this or that Israeli policy, or in reality hopes for the destruction of the Jewish state.
President Biden at the United Nations
Also on Tuesday, President Biden addressed the United Nations General Assembly. Standing there on the world’s stage, the leader of the free world declared, “We are working with the P5+1 to engage Iran diplomatically and to seek a return to JCPOA. We're prepared to return to full compliance if Iran does the same.”
The President’s comment indicates that his administration’s earlier statements expressing a desire for a “longer and stronger” agreement are not reliable. Moreover, as the relevant CUFI Action Alert issued on Wednesday notes, “The Biden administration either does not fully understand our adversaries in Tehran or is blatantly
ignoring the perils associated with continuing such an approach, all in an effort to achieve a hollow and dangerous political victory. The President and his team still cling to the fantastical idea that any deal with Iran that follows the same weak, unverifiable and noncomprehensive approach of President Obama’s now defunct Iran nuclear accord will bear any fruit. All evidence points to the contrary.”
We must and we can do better than a return to a nuclear agreement that enabled Iran to surreptitiously maintain its nuclear program, openly support terror, develop more capable long-range
missiles, buy weapons on the open market and subjugate its own people.
This noted, President Biden did say in his remarks, “our support for an independent Jewish state is unequivocal.” We welcome such statements, but actions speak louder than words. Support for Israel includes not breaking bread with a tyrannical state – Iran – openly and resolutely committed to the Jewish state’s destruction. Likewise, unequivocal support for Israel demands the President stand up to those in Congress who are bent on denying Israel the right and ability to keep her citizens safe from terror.
In the aforementioned statement yesterday, our Chairwoman cited President Biden’s remark concerning “unequivocal” support for Israel and noted, “Speaker Pelosi must decide who leads her party, the President of the United States or the fringe Democrats who held the CR hostage to block a lifesaving tool simply because they hate Israel.”
It may be easier to capitulate to demagogues and adversaries, but in the long run it is a recipe for disaster. On Iron Dome, the ball, therefore, is in the court of the Democratic House Leadership. On Iran, the President should head the voice of the American people and take a firmer line. In both cases, strength is required. We’ll see very soon if those in power are up to the challenge.
Sincerely,
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