In this week’s edition of the Action Update we discuss the demise of the Assad family’s half-century rule of Syria, and the current state of affairs in our nation’s capital. But first, the situation in Gaza demands our attention.

On Monday, we learned of the tragic death of IDF Capt. Omer Neutra (of blessed memory). Capt. Neutra was an American born Israeli tank commander and was thought to be among the hostages held by Hamas, but the IDF announced that he was killed, defending Israel on October 7th.

In this week’s edition of the Action Update, we’ll discuss the latest events out of the region, as well looking at the next few weeks in Washington. But first, let’s talk about weapons.

Before we get into it, we would like to take a moment to welcome the nominations of Sen. Marco Rubio to serve as Secretary of State, Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Israel, and Rep. Elise Stefanik to serve as U.S Ambassador to the UN, in the incoming Trump administration. All of these individuals share a deep passion for the U.S – Israel relationship and they will serve our country well.

Over the weekend, Israel responded to Iran’s early October ballistic missile attack on the Jewish state, delivering several decisive blows to the regime in Tehran. Simultaneously, Hamas continues to hold 101 hostages and war rages in southern Lebanon. Let’s dive in.

As Israel’s prepares its response to Iran’s unprecedented ballistic missile attack on the Jewish state earlier this month, Hezbollah attempted to kill Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days, and earlier this week it was discovered that more Al Jazeera journalists are in fact terrorists. But first, the big news out of Washington….

In the days following the 10/7 Massacre, among the numerous heartbreaking moments that took place when we began to understand the scale of the horror, there was a stark question asked inside our office: how does one discuss these horrors without being grotesque?

On Monday, the nation of Israel and righteous individuals around the world commemorated the horrific 10/7 Massacre. Like many of you, each of us at the Action Fund, participated in such events both individually and professionally. And like many of you, we are angry, we are heartbroken, and unyieldingly resolved to ensure the people of Israel know they are not alone. 

Never Forget

We must bear witness. We must confront those who distort history and ensure that it is not forgotten.

More than 100 innocent, emaciated, and tortured people are currently being held in Hamas’s dungeons, deep in the tunnels of Gaza. Since that fateful day, which saw more than 1,200 innocent children of God brutally murdered, more than 350 of Israel’s bravest and finest have died confronting the barbarian terrorists who, until recently, ruled Gaza. 

Since October 8, Hezbollah, based in southern Lebanon and backed by billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian weapons, and technology, has launched near-daily rocket attacks against northern Israel. Dozens of Israelis have been killed – men, women, children – as missiles know no distinction. Hezbollah’s incessant rocket fire has forced more than 60,000 Israelis to flee their homes for over a year. Thousands of acres of Israel’s lush, northern forests and farmland have been burnt.  

We will never forget. We will not stand idly by. We will not be silent.

Never Again

This war will not end until the hostages are released, Hamas is vanquished, and every Israeli is safe to live in every inch of the Jewish people’s ancient and ancestral homeland – the state of Israel. 

The consistent, almost obsessive, appeasement of the Islamic Republic of Iran by multiple American administrations is what brought us to this moment. The astounding, moral incompetence of fringe members of Congress has only served to aid and abet Iran’s radical Islamist imperialist agenda.  And the grotesque displays of support for terrorism that we have witnessed on campus save no lives and end no wars. Quite the opposite: every single person who has rallied in support of Hamas or in opposition to Israel’s sovereign, right to self-defense has prolonged this conflict and increased the bloodshed.  

The world can either accept Hamas and Hezbollah’s defeat at the hands of Israel, or it can watch it happen – the only difference is that if the world finally ceases to abandon its Jew-hatred, it’s treatment of Israel as a sub-human-state, Israel’s victory will come quicker, thereby saving lives. Either way, neither Israel nor her true friends will pay any heed to the appeasement advocates who have brought the Middle East to its breaking point. 

Never Back Down

Our eyes are open. Our mandate is clear. Christians United for Israel, stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Jerusalem regardless of what happens tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year, and we will ensure the United States does not abandon the world’s only Jewish state.

Like our brothers and sisters in Israel, We will not back down to anyone. We will ensure the United States Congress passes and the President of the United States signs whatever legislation is necessary to ensure the survival of the state of Israel and the defeat of our shared enemies.

On October 7, the world changed forever. Israel is still reeling, still mourning, and still fighting. But she is winning. Hamas is no longer a militarily effective entity. Hezbollah has seen more than half its leadership and much of its middle management killed or incapacitated. And Iran’s leaders are shaking in fear of what Jerusalem might do in response to Tehran’s unprecedented ballistic missile attack on Israel.

Israel is winning this war and will finish this war because, as the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Richard Goldberg put it the day Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike, “Israel is showing the world what can be, unburdened by what has been.”

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund team

On Tuesday, Iran launched its most significant attack against Israel since the dawn of the Islamic Republic. More than 180 ballistic missiles were launched in a short period; 15 minutes later they were being intercepted by Israeli missile defense systems, with an assist from the American, Jordanian, and British armed forces.

Over the past two weeks, Israel has engaged in a series of preemptive attacks in an effort to decrease Hezbollah’s will and ability to continue its war against Israel. Simultaneously, the war in Gaza shows no signs of abating as Hamas has rejected every offer, even one that would’ve allowed the head of Hamas and his family safe passage out of Gaza.  Israel is at war on multiple fronts; here’s where things stand.