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Brooks: Biden Just Betrayed Israel—and Rewarded Hamas
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RJC CEO Matt Brooks has an op-ed published today by Newsweek on President Joe Biden's despicable decision to "pause" the shipment of US military resources to Israel.
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We thought that President Joe's Biden disastrous withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan was the worst foreign policy debacle we would see in this presidency. We were wrong. President Biden's decision to withhold vital military resources from our ally Israel in the midst of a defensive war against Iran's barbarous proxy, Hamas, takes the prize.
Israel has had two goals for all its actions since Hamas swarmed across the border and massacred 1,200 Israelis on October 7: End the existential threat of Hamas and bring the hostages home. The overwhelming majority of Americans support Israel in this war and support Israel going into Rafah to finish the job. Rafah is the last stronghold where Hamas leaders are hiding deep underground in tunnels, surrounded by hostages—perhaps including the Americans still being held captive.
If Israel doesn't finish off Hamas in Rafah, the terrorist organization will live to fight again—soon—funded as always by Iran. Hamas will be able to rebuild and act on its brazen pledge to repeat the massacre of October 7 again, and again, and again. Meanwhile, the hostages—men, women, and children who have been tortured in those tunnels for more than six months now—will never see the sun or their families' faces again.
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See the full article here.
Here's the background to that article. Last Sunday, Barak Ravid at Axios scooped the story that the Biden administration had put a hold on a shipment of US-made ammunition to Israel. The US has been pressuring Israel not to move against Hamas in Rafah, expressing concern for the safety of the Palestinian civilians there behind whom Hamas is hiding.
On Tuesday, the President gave a Holocaust Remembrance Day speech at the Capitol in which he declared that his commitment to the security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is "ironclad". But the next day, he told CNN that if Israel goes into Rafah, "I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities - that deal with that problem." He said, "We’re not walking away from Israel’s security. We’re walking away from Israel’s ability to wage war in those areas."
This significant change in policy was met with shock and anger among Republicans. In a public statement the Republican Jewish Coalition called it, "an unprecedented, shameful, and despicable betrayal of a key ally and vital security partner at the worst possible time."
Republicans on Capitol Hill felt blindsided by the President's decision. Adam Kredo at the Washington Free Beacon reports:
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are demanding answers from the Biden administration on delayed weapons shipments to Israel during its war against Hamas in Gaza. The two Republicans sent a letter to the White House on Wednesday, writing that they were "alarmed" by the postponement, which Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin confirmed to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense on the same day.
...According to the letter, Johnson and McConnell have been unable to obtain relevant information from the State and Defense departments about the ongoing review of weapons shipments.
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JNS reports:
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The Biden administration hid information about its decision to pause US arms sales to Israel from Congress, sparking a probe led by two GOP senators, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.
Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Ted Budd (R-NC), in a letter sent Monday evening to the White House, are asking the administration to immediately inform Congress about what types of ammunition are being withheld from Israel and why. The pause in these ammo shipments was approved last week, but only became publicly known over the weekend when the decision was leaked to Axios. The Biden administration is holding up shipments of two types of Boeing-made precision bombs to send a political message to Israel, one US official told Politico.
"We are shocked that your administration has reportedly decided to withhold critical ammunition to Israel," the senators wrote, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Free Beacon. "You promised your commitment to Israel was ironclad. Pausing much-needed military support to our closest Middle Eastern ally signals otherwise."
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RJC, RNC, and Trump Release Video Contrasting GOP and Biden on Antisemitism
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The Washington Examiner reports:
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EXCLUSIVE — The Republican National Committee, former President Donald Trump‘s campaign, and the Republican Jewish Coalition released a new video Monday comparing Trump and President Joe Biden‘s handling of rising antisemitism across the nation.
The video, first shared with the Washington Examiner, comes on the same day as Holocaust Remembrance Day and one day before the seven-month anniversary of the Oct. 7 surprise Hamas attack against Israel, which killed over 1,200 people.
"Joe Biden’s weakness is on display for all the world to see as he refuses to condemn the antisemitic violence on college campuses and continues to backtrack on his support for Israel," RNC chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement. "As chaos envelopes the world, this is no time for ambiguity — we need President Donald J. Trump back in office to restore order, support our critical ally, Israel, and bring peace through strength once more."
...Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, cited rising antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment as reasons why the Jewish community "needs" Trump reelected.
"The stakes could not be higher. In these dark and dangerous days for the United States and our ally Israel, we know President Trump will boldly lead with moral clarity as he has done before, fighting the scourge of antisemitism and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Jewish state," Brooks said in a statement.
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SEE THE VIDEO HERE.
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RJC Endorses Carol Miller in WV-01 GOP primary
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This week the RJC endorsed Congresswoman Carol Miller in the Republican primary in the battleground state of West Virginia. Read our endorsement statement here.
Axios reports:
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Why it matters: The group lauded Miller as "a strong ally to the Jewish community," and blasted [challenger Derrick] Evans as a "fringe extremist who believes it's reasonable to conclude that 'Israel had a whole lot to do with January 6' and that we need to investigate whether 'Jews stole the [2020] election.'"
- "For such a person [Evans] to become a Congressman would be an embarrassment for Republicans nation-wide," RJC National Chairman Senator Norm Coleman and CEO Matt Brooks said in a statement.
- But it's West Virginians who would be hurt the most if a dependable conservative like Carol Miller were to be replaced by a criminal provocateur," Brooks added.
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You can support Rep. Carol Miller via the RJC PAC Portal, here.
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It is CRITICAL that Republicans win majorities in the House and Senate in 2024- and you can help!
Donations to the RJC PAC go to top GOP candidates in competitive, winnable races that will make a difference for the GOP's efforts to retake the Senate and House.
Visit the RJCPAC Portal and support Republican candidates in key battleground states, including the RJC PAC's most recent endorsees:
Carol Miller (WV-01), John McGuire (VA-05), Bernie Moreno (Sen-OH), Nick LaLota (NY-1), Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Dave McCormick (Sen-PA), August Pfluger (TX-11), and Tony Gonzales (TX-23).
When you donate to a candidate through the RJC PAC Portal, your entire donation goes to the candidate your chose and they will know that they have the support of an RJC member who cares about our priority issues.
Please show your support by donating to the RJC PAC and/or our ENDORSED CANDIDATES today!
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HELP REPUBLICANS NOW >>
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With the support of the RJC, Mark Messmer (left) soundly defeated John Hostettler (right) in the IN-08 GOP primary election.
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RJC Celebrates Major Victory in IN-08, Defeats Anti-Israel Candidate
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Ron Kampeas at JTA reports:
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A former Republican congressman in Indiana who is a longtime critic of Israel failed in his bid to return to the House of Representatives after the Republican Jewish Coalition and AIPAC mounted an effort to support his opponent.
Election returns in Indiana’s 8th district on Tuesday night showed state Senator Mark Messmer, the RJC’s favored candidate, soundly defeating John Hostettler, who represented the district in Congress from 1995-2007.
"Tonight, we succeeded in keeping a vocal anti-Israel candidate out of the Republican conference," the RJC said Tuesday evening. "This is a major victory for the RJC, the Jewish community, for all pro-Israel Americans, and for common sense."
The RJC had spent $1 million on ads in the district mostly promoting Messmer, said Sam Markstein, a spokesman for the group.
"The results last night make it very clear that our efforts were very effective in ensuring that a vocal anti Israel voice would not be joining the republican conference," he said. The District leans Republican and Messmer is seen as a shoo-in in November.
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You can support Mark Messmer for Congress via the RJC PAC Portal, here.
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Make a Difference in 2024 as an RJC Volunteer!
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The RJC needs YOU to help us reach Jewish voters in battleground states!
There are opportunities for phone banking remotely and door knocking in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, and other key states.
Click the link below to sign up and let us know how you'd like to help RJC make a difference this year!
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Friedman: As Jewish Heritage Month begins, let's recognize Donald Trump's achievements
RJC Board of Directors member and former US ambassador to Israel David Friedman writes in a op-ed at Townhall: "We have seen a sharp rise in virulent, open antisemitism on our college campuses and in our streets, with a landscape that’s becoming more toxic by the day. We have seen the Biden administration’s agonizingly weak foreign policy, which has emboldened and empowered Iran—and therefore Hezbollah, Hamas, and ISIS. Jews are under attack everywhere and our current Federal government can only play politics. For those in the Jewish community who need reminding of the accomplishments of the Trump Administration, in which I and many other Jewish-Americans proudly served our country, the contrast couldn’t be more stark."
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Mack: ‘Never again’ rings hollow as antisemitism corrupts US universities
In an op-ed at The Hill, RJC Board of Directors member and former US ambassador to Finland Earle Mack writes: "Never again is here. Never since America’s founding have we experienced such overt, venomous antisemitism publicly taking root, especially at institutions dedicated to enlightenment and free inquiry... As Yom HaShoah, the Holocaust Remembrance Day, was observed this week, it grieves me to say that I have never witnessed the blatant antisemitism currently on display at schools across this country. The level of Jew hatred is unprecedented."
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Jewish voters could sway US presidential election
Steve Herman writes at VOA:
"More Jews have been voting Republican in recent elections, while many younger and left-leaning Jewish voters no longer see unequivocal support for Israel as a litmus test. Instead, rising antisemitism is reforging a sense of Jewish self-identity — especially among those who consider themselves fully assimilated and accepted in the American mainstream culture.
"...The Republican Jewish Coalition's political and communications director, Sam Markstein, said, 'I think this will be the first time for a lot of Jewish voters who've never even considered voting Republican in their lives seriously making that consideration this year because of the dereliction of leadership by the Biden administration on these issues.
..."'The Jewish vote in those [swing] states is going to be the decisive [factor],' Markstein predicted... 'Day after day, the administration's response gets less and less supportive of Israel,' Markstein contended."
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The ICC is flirting with disaster with threatened warrants against Israel
Arsen Ostrovsky and John Spencer discuss the potential repercussions of the plan of Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. They write:
"Not only is there absolutely no legal basis to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, doing so now would only reward Hamas and unleash a further firestorm of antisemitism.
"Moreover, it will severely curtail every democracy’s fight against radical Islamic terrorism by exposing them to spurious and unfounded charges, based purely on political considerations. There is a reason neither the United States nor Israel have formally ratified the Rome Statute.
"The US, and indeed all western allies, cannot stand idly by now as the court is dragged into irredeemable disrepute. This is not the time for quiet, timid diplomacy. It must be made clear, in no uncertain terms, that if Khan chooses to proceed with issuing warrants, it will be the death knell of the court’s very legitimacy."
See also: GOP conservatives threaten ICC with sanctions if they seek Netanyahu’s arrest
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RJC National Leadership Meeting RJC Leaders from around the country will gather to hear from top Republican elected officials in Washington, DC. For more information, contact [email protected].
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More Info
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Contact information for our offices can be found on our website. Please visit us online for the latest RJC news, to see details of upcoming events, and to donate to the RJC. Read past editions of this newsletter here.
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Republican Jewish Coalition 50 F Street, N.W., Suite 100 | Washington, DC 20001
202.638.6688 | [email protected]
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