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RJC tweet this morning. Pictured from left to right: Aviva Siegel, RJC CEO Matt Brooks, Yarden Gonen, Amit Levy, Sasha Ariev.

RJC Hears from Hostage Families: Stories of Pain and Hope

Today the RJC hosted a meeting with a delegation of relatives of hostages being held captive by Hamas in Gaza. The delegation, accompanied by members of The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, included:

  • Aviva Siegel - A released hostage who has testified about sexual abuse in captivity. Her husband, Keith Siegel, is an American who is still held captive.

  • Yarden Gonen - Sister of Romi Gonen

  • Amit Levy - Brother of Naama Levy

  • Sasha Ariev - Sister of Karina Ariev

Their stories are heartbreaking, but this is a time of renewed hope because the incoming Trump administration and Republicans in the House and Senate are so supportive of their cause.

 

In an op-ed at Fox News this week, Moshe Emilio Lavi, brother-in-law of hostage Omri Miran, writes:

The recent US elections, which delivered a Republican trifecta and Donald Trump's return to the White House, have sparked intense debates about what this shift means for America and the world. While other issues are as important for us, the families of hostages, there is only one thing on our minds: How can this new political reality provide the best opportunity yet to break the deadlock and bring the hostages home?

 

The situation is complex, but at its heart, the release of the hostages hinges on one thing: leverage. For a deal to happen, Israel must feel secure enough to make compromises, Hamas and its backers must feel compelled to negotiate, and the United States must be the guarantor of a credible path forward. Republican-controlled executive and legislative branches may have the tools, relationships, and political capital to make this happen, and there are already signs of a (cautious) change emerging from the talks in Cairo between Egypt and Hamas.

 

… Now, with Trump's return, the game has changed. His alignment with Netanyahu and his hawkish stance on Iran makes it possible to align US and Israeli priorities in a way that was more challenging under the previous administration. Moreover, a Republican Congress can provide the unified legislative support needed to back bold executive actions, from increased military aid for Israel to sanctions or diplomatic maneuvers targeting Hamas' sponsors.

News reports raise hopes that a breakthrough may be possible soon. The Wall Street Journal reports today:

Hamas has yielded to two of Israel's key demands for a cease-fire deal in Gaza, Arab mediators said, raising hopes of an agreement that could release some hostages within days despite the repeated collapse of previous negotiations.

 

The militant group told mediators for the first time that it would agree to a deal that would allow Israeli forces to remain in Gaza temporarily when the fighting stops. Hamas also handed over a list of hostages, including US citizens, whom it would release under a cease-fire pact, something it hasn't done since the first truce in the conflict last year.

 

… Previous rounds of talks repeatedly faltered, but Hamas in recent weeks has displayed more flexibility on several key issues. The mediators said those include a willingness to accept Israeli forces remaining temporarily in the Philadelphi corridor, a tiny strip of land along Gaza's border with Egypt, and the Netzarim corridor, which divides the enclave. The militant group has also agreed it wouldn't run or have a presence in the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

 

Hamas had long resisted those Israeli conditions for a deal, but has expressed openness to a compromise since its ally Hezbollah agreed to a cease-fire in Lebanon. That deal left Hamas, already weakened by Israel strikes on its leadership and fighters, isolated in its fight against Israel.

There are estimated to be 100 hostages still in captivity. Among them are seven Americans, three of whom are thought to be alive. The RJC continues to work with members of the US House and Senate to urge their strong and vocal support for the release of the hostages. We pray for the safety of the hostages and for their speedy return to their families.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei

Days After Trump's Victory, Biden-Harris Admin Granted Iran $10 Billion in Sanctions Relief

Adam Kredo reports at the Washington Free Beacon:

The Biden-Harris administration waived sanctions on Iran three days after the November election, providing Tehran access upward of $10 billion in once-frozen funds, according to a copy of the non-public order transmitted to Congress and reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.

 

…The Biden-Harris administration has renewed the waiver repeatedly over the objections of congressional Republicans, who warned that the cash helped fuel terrorism and Iran's war against Israel. In one case, the administration signed off on the sanctions relief one month after Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.

 

The most recent iteration of the waiver lifts sanctions for 120 days, at which time the incoming Trump administration will have to decide whether Tehran will continue receiving the relief.

News from Israel: IDF Destroys Syrian Military Assets

Jerusalem Post columnist Herb Keinon notes that the announcement that Israel destroyed the Syrian regime’s navy wasn't even the top story of the day on Tuesday. So much is happening in Israel right now, that this historic story was just another headline in a dramatic news cycle.

 

But it's worth taking a moment to examine what Israel has accomplished in just the few days since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria on Sunday: the destruction of most of the former Syrian regime’s strategic military capabilities. As JNS has reported:

Israel struck most of Syria's strategic weapons arsenal since the ouster of President Bashar Assad, the IDF announced on Tuesday night, preventing them from falling into the hands of Islamic terrorists.

 

The military confirmed earlier reports that the Israeli Air Force conducted more than 350 aerial strikes, with hundreds of hours of flight time logged over Syrian airspace.

The targets included anti-aircraft batteries, Syrian Air Force airfields and dozens of weapons production sites in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia and Palmyra.

 

Strategic weapons were neutralized, including Scud tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, surface-to-sea, surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, drones, fighter jets, attack helicopters, radar systems, tanks and hangars.

 

The IDF has named the large-scale operation "Arrow of Bashan."

 

On Monday night, Israeli Navy missile ships attacked two Syrian Navy facilities simultaneously: Al-Bayda Port and Latakia Port, where 15 Syrian naval vessels were docked.

 

During the maritime operation, dozens of sea-to-sea missiles with ranges of 80 to 190 kilometers (50 to 120 miles) and carrying heavy explosive payloads were destroyed.

 

In addition, the IDF Northern Command’s Fire Control Center conducted airstrikes against 130 enemy assets in Syria, including weapons depots, military structures, launchers and firing positions.

RJC in the News

The RJC Victory Fund’s substantive efforts to help Republican challengers win congressoinal seats in key districts were noted in recent news stories.

 

The Colorado Sun reported:

The final price tag of the race in Colorado's highly competitive 8th Congressional District this year was about $40 million, with three-quarters of that sum being spent by super PACs.

 

Most of the money — or about $24 million — was spent to benefit incumbent US Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat. But it wasn't enough, as she lost to Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans by about 2,500 votes, or about 1 percentage point.

 

… Evans benefited from about $850,000 in spending by America PAC, the group funded by billionaire Elon Musk, as well as infusions from the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund and Americans for Prosperity Action.

The Hill reported:

Republican Mark Messmer is replacing retiring Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN) to represent Indiana’s 8th Congressional District, situated in the southwestern corner of the state.

 

Messmer, a former state senator who co-owns plumbing and heating company Messmer Mechanical, beat out a crowded field of GOP candidates for the Republican nod, including former Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN).

 

The GOP primary notably saw outside spending from several groups, including the Republican Jewish Coalition and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, as Hostettler’s record on Israel became a flashpoint during the primary.

FL State Senator Randy Fine, candidate for Congress in FL-06, and RJC National Chairman Senator Norm Coleman during a panel discussion at the RJC Leadership Summit in Las Vegas in September 2024.

JTA: Is Randy Fine, the Pugnacious Florida Lawmaker, the Future of Republican Jewish Politics?

JTA reports on Jewish Republican Florida state senator Randy Fine's decision to run for the US House in the special election in Florida's sixth congressional district.

...A special election was approaching in the Florida politician’s House district after its congressman, Mike Waltz, was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be his national security advisor.

 

Trump wanted Fine, the Jewish legislator who had just won his own race for the Florida state Senate, to run for the spot, calling him an "America First Patriot" and adding, "RUN, RANDY, RUN!"

 

..."I’m going to be, on day one, the most pro-Israel, anti-antisemitism member that’s ever served in Congress," [Fine] said.

 

...Fine’s announcement came with what has, for him, become a bit of characteristic bombast.

 

"The ‘Hebrew Hammer’ is coming," he wrote on the social network X, promoting an endorsement from the Republican Jewish Coalition by likening himself to a Jewish movie character who takes violent revenge on antisemites.

 

...[Fine] has a long list of legislation passed in Florida intended to protect the state’s Jews, including efforts to tackle antisemitism on both the far-left and far-right and other measures aimed at targeting Israel boycotts and similar progressive causes. He’s also not shy to call other Republicans antisemites, when he believes the label fits.

 

"It takes courage to actually call out people on your team. And Randy has that in spades," Sam Markstein, the RJC's national political director, told JTA.

 

...If Fine wins his seat, the number of Jewish Republicans in the House will also double from last term, from two to four...

Show your support for our friend Randy Fine in the Florida special election!
You can donate to his campaign through the RJCPAC.

SUPPORT RANDY FINE

Did you see the TRUMP KIPPAH that Matt held up during his GOP Convention speech?

GET YOURS HERE!

Click Here to Help Civilians and Soldiers in Israel

Short Takes

NYT: Documents show top administrators at UNRWA schools were Hamas fighters

Some two dozen teachers, counselors and administrators at UNRWA schools in Gaza are members of Hamas or other terror groups, according to a foreign media report published Sunday based on documents provided by Israel.

 

…The documents viewed by The New York Times identify 24 employees at 24 different UNRWA schools — the majority of them principals or deputy principals — who are registered members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad; about half of them had documented possession of lethal weaponry, including assault rifles and hand grenades, provided by the terror groups, or participated in their training exercises.

Bryen: Once again, Israel helps save the world in Syria

The Assad regime is gone. Sadynaya Prison is liberated, and the depth of the Assad family’s depravity is becoming clear... The incoming warlords are the HTS — a Sunni, ISIS-adjacent, Taliban-adjacent, Turkish armed and funded organization on the US and UK terrorist lists... In this context, Israel has offered the world a gift, decimating the Russian-Iranian arsenal Assad left behind before HTS can get its hands on it... Former paratrooper and Sandhurst senior lecturer Andrew Fox, who has been writing from Israel and Gaza regularly since October 7, noted, "The world really should buy Israel a beer."

Troy: What Obamacare hath wrought

On March 23, 2010, Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, and as he did so, then Vice President Joe Biden whispered loudly that the law was
a "big f—ing deal." He was right, though perhaps not in the way either he or Obama intended. The ACA did not, as promised, transform our health-care system or bend the cost curve down. But it was a big deal because the way it was passed has transformed our political system. A decade and a half on, we are still trying to recover from the partisan mischief and altered norms that its poison has injected into our national political bloodstream.

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Events

19

Dec.

NY: Hanukkah Party

Our third annual New York regional Hanukkah party will feature special guest Congressman Mike Lawler.

RSVP

 

28

Dec.

NV: Hanukkah Party

Save the date for a special Hanukkah event in Las Vegas.

SAVE THE DATE

 

 

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.

Republican Jewish Coalition
50 F Street, N.W., Suite 100 | Washington, DC 20001
202.638.6688 | [email protected]