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Last week, the IDF recovered the remains of two Israeli men taken to Gaza during the 10/7 Massacre. This week, Jerusalem called up tens of thousands of reservists, as the Jewish state prepares to take on the final Hamas stronghold in Gaza city. Let’s get into it.
This Can End Tomorrow
The two hostages whose remains were recovered are Ilan Weiss and Idan Shtivi. May their memories be a blessing.
Mr. Weiss was a member of the Kibbutz Be’eri security squad and was killed fighting terrorists on 10/7. Mr. Wiess’s wife and daughter were also abducted but were released in the early ceasefire.
According to the Hostage Family Forum, “Idan Shtivi was murdered and abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7th, 2023, while trying to save other party goers he only met moments beforehand.”
Days after the second of the two men was identified, President Trump put out a very direct message: “Tell Hamas to IMMEDIATELY give back all 20 Hostages (Not 2 or 5 or 7!), and things will change rapidly. IT WILL END.”
The President is right. If Hamas released the hostages and put down their arms, this would all end tomorrow. But Hamas isn’t doing that, and not enough pressure has been brought to bear on those lukewarm American allies and Hamas patrons Qatar and Turkey. As a result, Israel is being forced to fully conquer Gaza City.
The Jewish state is giving residents of the city weeks to flee, and predictably, Hamas is trying to keep them there as human shields. The bottom line is that every death in Gaza is Hamas’s responsibility. That blame is shared by the governments and international institutions that have made common cause with the terrorist group.
Institutionalized Evil
Speaking of…. On Tuesday, the United Nations officially opened its 80th annual General Assembly session (we’re sure you’re as excited as we are). And in about two weeks, they’ll hold their “High-Level General Debate” during which world leaders will speak. Many will condemn Israel. Some will announce their nation’s recognition of “Palestine” or will be speaking on the heels of having done so. The entire affair will be quite the antisemitic lollapalooza.
There’s a reason Secretary of State Marco Rubio told his French counterpart this week that recognizing “Palestine” would be a “reward for Hamas for October 7 and hinder efforts to bring the hostages home.”
But there’s also a reason CUFI founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee has called the UN, “a political brothel.” The UN, and the world leaders who make up its membership, do not care about bringing the hostages home. They would rather placate domestic antisemites than stand up to Jew-hatred. So, what do you call it when someone sells that which is sacred for that which is sordid? Hence the term “political brothel,” and hence the reason that despite Sec. Rubio’s warning, a number of states will move forward with their plans to punish Israel for surviving 10/7 by recognizing “Palestine.”
Last Terrorists Standing
Speaking of evil and stupid, the Houthis keep lobbing missiles at Israel, so the Israelis recently killed the Prime Minister of Houthi-controlled Yemen in an airstrike. Based on the question we received, we thought it might be valuable to offer a quick refresher on one of the last terrorist groups in Iran’s proxy arsenal.
First, it’s important to consider that the Houthis’ slogan is “Allah is great, death to the U.S., death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam.” (No, it isn’t catchy, but it is fairly comprehensive).
Second, the Houthis, whose actual name is Ansar Allah (supporters of Allah), are not just a ragtag group of terrorists hiding in the mountains. They control a quarter of Yemen’s territory, including its capital city of Sa’ana, and have an estimated 350,000 fighters. They’ve been fighting a long-running war in Yemen with the legitimate government, during which time Iran has backed the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, the government.
The Houthis have an arsenal that, as they’ve shown, includes projectiles and drones that can reach Israel. Thus far, thank God, Israel’s air defense systems have blunted the Houthis attacks. However, no country can endure what Israel has already endured from the Houthis.
But we kind of know how this particular story is likely to end. Just like Hezbollah and Hamas before them, if the Houthis persist in their attacks on the Jewish state, they will wake up one day (or not) and will be a shell of their former selves.
In the meantime, with the Europeans having engaged the sanctions snapback mechanism at the UN Security Council, the Houthis' flow of arms and money will become even more limited in the months to come.
As for your CUFI Action Fund, we’re going to continue doing the work necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defeat terrorists like the Houthis and finish the job in Gaza. We look forward to seeing you on the field.
Sincerely,
The CUFI Action Fund Team |
