This week’s Action Update could easily be dubbed the good news, bad news edition. Across the Middle East we saw truly historic events – some that fill us with joy, others that cause us to shake our heads in utter disappointment. But let’s start with the good news.
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CUFI Applauds Historic Normalization of Ties between Israel and UAE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2020
CONTACT
Ari Morgenstern
CUFI Action Fund
Tel: (404) 898-1278
WASHINGTON – On Thursday, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization, welcomed the announcement that Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would be normalizing ties.
“This is an historic announcement. We consistently pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and today those prayers were answered in a big way. In the context of the discussion about extending Israeli sovereignty to portions of Judea and Samaria, we made clear in late June that this is precisely what the Gulf states should do, and we hope other Arab nations will follow the UAE’s lead. CUFI backs the decisions of the democratically elected Government of Israel, including the decision to suspend sovereignty extension plans in this context,” said CUFI founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee.
“This proves yet again that when Israel’s Arab neighbors are prepared to make peace with the Jewish state, Israel will always be there to meet them,” Hagee added.
Directly before CUFI’s 2020 Washington Summit, Hagee gave an interview to The Jerusalem Post in which he noted, “The Gulf states, who are claiming that Israeli ‘annexation’ would lead to an end to their not-so-secret relations with Israel, ought to put their requests in a positive light. Rather than threaten to walk away, they should publicly and formally offer normalization of ties between the broader Arab world and Israel if Israel gives the Palestinians a set period of time to return to the negotiating table in good faith.”
“Israel is always willing to make peace, and our elected officials in Congress should bear that in mind as they consider policies that impact the US-Israel relationship. It is our fervent hope that this historic announcement will pave the way for other countries who should have no quarrel with Israel to normalize ties with the Jewish state,” said CUFI Action Fund Chairwoman Sandra Parker.
With more than 8.5 million members, Christians United for Israel is the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States and one of the leading Christian grassroots movements in the world. CUFI spans all fifty states and reaches millions with its educational message.
The CUFI Action Fund, a nonprofit 501(c)(4), nonpartisan organization, is related to the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization, Christians United for Israel (CUFI). The Action Fund is dedicated to ensuring our elected officials hear the perspective of the millions of Christian Zionists across the country.
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The Action Update: Beirut Blast, Hezbollah-stan, Speaking of Iran
As we were sitting down to write last week’s Action Update, news was just coming out about the blast in Beirut. This week, we’ll share what’s been reported, and what we feel must come in the wake of this horrific tragedy. In addition, we’ll look at broader nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. The common denominator in all these troubling events is, unsurprisingly, the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Action Update: Shared Enemies, Shared Goals, Shared Defences
We often discuss the US-Israel relationship in very high-minded and spiritual terms because we are, after all, the CHRISTIANS United for Israel Action Fund. This foundation of shared values is deep and strong, but some on Capitol Hill, view the world differently then we. However, that doesn’t mean that those with a different approach to foreign policy should place less tangible value on the alliance between America and Israel. Regardless of how one views the alliance, we should always remember that we share values, goals, defenses, and yes, enemies.
The Action Update: Hezbollah Attack and The Congressional Failures and Victories
Over the past week, we’ve seen a whirlwind of activity both in Washington and Israel. These events remind us of the vital importance of ensuring our voice is heard loud and clear in our nation’s capital.
CUFI Action Fund Welcomes Key Provisions in NDAA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2020
CONTACT
Ari Morgenstern
CUFI Action Fund
Tel: (404) 898-1278
WASHINGTON – On Thursday, the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Action Fund released a statement welcoming key elements in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that are of vital importance to the US-Israel alliance.
In the Senate version of the legislation the Action Fund welcomed the inclusion of the US-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act (section 6290), the establishment of United States-Israel Operations-Technology Working Group (section 1286), as well as provisions related to the Iron Dome missile defense system (section 1661), US-Israel cooperation on precision-guided munitions (section 6283), and items related to the Iranian regime’s malicious behavior (sections 519 and 520).
“The Senate version of the NDAA includes two of CUFI’s three 2020 summit legislative agenda items: the US-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act and the US-Israel Military Capability Act. We are extremely grateful to the leadership on both sides of the aisle for ensuring these vital elements were included in the bill,” said CUFI Action Fund Chairwoman Sandra Parker.
The draft of the NDAA that was voted out of the House of Representatives also included CUFI-supported priorities. Specifically, the House version includes a sense of the Congress on US-Israel missile defense cooperation (section 1659), a grant program for increased US-Israel cooperation on post-traumatic stress disorder research (section 736), and Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s (R-IL) amendment (number 205) which directs the Administration to impose sanctions on Turkey in relation to Ankara’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system.
“The House version of the NDAA has several commendable elements and we are pleased to see the House of Representatives come together in such an overwhelming and bipartisan fashion to move this bill forward,” Parker said.
“We are communicating with leaders in both chambers to ensure these components of the NDAA are maintained through the conference committee process. We have every confidence that the final draft of the NDAA will include all of the pro-Israel items in found the two versions of the bill,” Parker added.
The CUFI Action Fund, a nonprofit 501(c)(4), nonpartisan organization, is related to the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization, Christians United for Israel (CUFI). The Action Fund is dedicated to ensuring our elected officials hear the perspective of the millions of Christian Zionists across the country.
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The Action Update: Who’s Getting Your Money?
On June 20th, the Department of Defense was mandated by law to report to Congress on the status of efforts of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to extricate Hezbollah from both its entrenched position in southern Lebanon and its infiltration of the US-backed Lebanese military. Sadly, June 20th came and went with no report.
The Action Update: Standing Up to the Anti-Zionists
This past week, we have seen a host of activity, including significant progress on our efforts to advance policy and impact the national conversation about Israel.
The Action Update: The terrible Iran nuclear deal
When President Trump unveiled his much anticipated proposal for peace in the Middle East, he noted in his remarks, “As everyone knows, I have done a lot for Israel: moving the United States Embassy to Jerusalem; recognizing the Golan Heights and, frankly, perhaps most importantly, getting out of the terrible Iran nuclear deal [emphasis added].”
The Action Update: The CUFI 2020 Virtual Summit
This week, tens of thousands of Americans tuned into to the 2020 Virtual Summit. We were thrilled to hear from a host of top leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, ambassadors David Friedman, Ron Dermer and Nikki Haley, and more than a half-dozen Members of Congress representing both parties.
