BREAKING: AOC & ‘Squad’ Take Out Israel’s Iron Dome Funding

Breaking news today on Sekulow is AOC, the squad, as I like to call them, the Hamas caucus, take out Israel's Iron Dome funding from the congressional funding bill and Democrats go along with it. We'll talk about that more today on Sekulow. And again, I would point you to the statement of administration policy that will come out later this afternoon. We want to hear from you.

Share and post your comments. Or call 1-800-684-3110. Iron Dome is purely a defensive missile system. It's intended to just shoot down incoming missiles. And we have, as a country, been very united, Democrats and Republicans, in supporting this and pushing this with Israel. But today's Democratic Party is not the same Democratic Party. They can't even push this through. It's a terrible embarrassment.

And now your host, Jordan Sekulow. So in the spending bill, which Nancy Pelosi was having a tough time moving through her Democrat House, and it's going to have an even tougher time in the U.S. Senate. But it got so tough for Nancy Pelosi that you wonder, should she ever get invited back to speak at AIPAC again?

Should Steny Hoyer really ever be able to be invited back at these groups? Because instead of sticking to their guns on an issue and saying, no, this is where we're not going to bid. We're going to have to vote. If it doesn't pass because of you all, we'll blame you, the Hamas caucus. But instead, they buckled to AOC.

They buckled to Omar and Pressley, Tlaib, Bowman, Cori Bush, McCollum, and Japel. Because they took out the $1 billion yearly, usually in every spending bill, to replenish Israel's Iron Dome with the missiles it needs. As we said in the opening of the broadcast, this is not an offensive weapon.

It can only be used in defense. You can't say, OK, hit a button. Now it's going to start launching missiles into Gaza. No, that's not the issue here. The issue here is de-escalation of conflict. If the Iron Dome is working, Israelis don't get hurt, they don't respond as aggressively to the Hamas terrorist action. But you realize, these members of Congress, together, they represent the Hamas caucus and they are starting now to get results in Washington, D.C. But I think now, what you saw today is the death of the Democrat party as a pro-Israel party.

Because they weren't willing to go to bat. They weren't willing to lose a vote for Israel. Of course, no Republicans, and good for them, don't help them Republicans, pass any of this.

Let this all fall apart because they created this mess. But they can no longer claim to be a pro-Israel party. They're going to try to pass some standalone issue, but they have now lost control of their own caucus. You said, and I think correctly, sometimes they're called a squad, which is a phrase I've never liked, but this is the Hamas caucus. They never speak out against Hamas, but they take a billion dollar funding opportunity for a defensive weapons system for Israel. And that becomes the basis upon which they draw their line in the sand.

And the problem with this is, they are drawing lines in the sand, and it looks like Congress goes right along with it, or at least the House. They're calling the shots in the House Democrat caucus. Look, the leader of the Democrats, Steny Hoyer, wants to say that this is just a handful of members. Well, if it's just a handful of members, go back to what Jordan talked about. Be a leader of your party, leave the language in there, say we're standing with Israel and you can vote with us or you can vote against us. You can't just say this is a handful of members when what they insist on, Jay, is what you do.

All right, folks, we come back. We want to take your calls on this, 1-800-684-3110. It's the first time I've seen a major vote by Congress where the issue, whether or not the progressives and Democrats could come together and get this passed, was defunding a program that Israel relies on to defend its citizens. They had an offensive weapons program, a defensive program to defend itself against terrorists, and that was too much for the Hamas caucus.

They took it down, and I think they took the Democrat party down with them when it comes to Israel. The challenges facing Americans are substantial. At a time when our values, our freedoms, our constitutional rights are under attack, it's more important than ever to stand with the American Center for Law and Justice. For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines protecting your freedoms, defending your rights in courts, in Congress, and in the public arena. And we have an exceptional track record of success.

But here's the bottom line. We could not do our work without your support. We remain committed to protecting your religious and constitutional freedoms.

That remains our top priority, especially now during these challenging times. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at ACLJ.org, where you can learn more about our life-changing work.

Become a member today. ACLJ.org. Only when a society can agree that the most vulnerable and voiceless deserve to be protected is there any hope for that culture to survive. And that's exactly what you are saying when you stand with the American Center for Law and Justice to defend the right to life. We've created a free, powerful publication offering a panoramic view of the ACLJ's battle for the unborn.

It's called Mission Life. It will show you how you are personally impacting the pro-life battle through your support. And the publication includes a look at all major ACLJ pro-life cases, how we're fighting for the rights of pro-life activists, the ramifications of Roe v. Wade 40 years later, playing parenthood's role in the abortion industry, and what Obamacare means to the pro-life movement. Discover the many ways your membership with the ACLJ is empowering the right to life.

Request your free copy of Mission Life today online at ACLJ.org slash gift. Welcome back to Secular. So you've got these members of the Hamas caucus led by AOC, Ilhan Omar, Alana Presley, Rashida Tlaib, Jamal Bowman, Cori Bush, Betty McCollum, Pramila Jaipel, from different states around the country. They flex their muscles on this to say, we are not getting this spending bill through if you have support for Israel in that spending bill. And Nancy Pelosi said, okay, we'll take the spending, we'll take the support for Israel out. That's a shocking move in Washington. I think it's the first time it's actually happened where this squad, whether or not some side bill gets passed with Democrat support, where this Hamas caucus was able to stand up to Nancy Pelosi and take this anti-Israel action. The thing that's so shocking here is, first of all, you're talking about $1 billion. You're talking about a defensive system that's been in place for a number of years successfully, and it's reduced the number of casualties in Israel.

There's broad-based support for this system. Yet these two, four, six, eight members of what Jordan calls the Hamas caucus, and this is kind of where they are, they never condemn Hamas, wanted to make sure that expenditure, Wes, was out of the bill, even though, from a military standpoint, it is simply a defensive mechanism for Israel's defense from incoming rockets. Hamas absolutely has absolutely no offensive capabilities.

It's strictly defensive. Just a few months ago, Hamas fired over 4,000 rockets into Israel. Those Hamas rockets have one purpose, and that is to kill Israeli civilians. This group of people in our own Congress, they do not want Israel to be able to defend themselves, and yet this system not only saves Israeli lives, it saves Palestinians too.

And this whole issue is indicative of just how mean-spirited and how irrational the left-wing Democrats are in their hatred, not only of Israel, but their hatred of Jews. And then one other quick thing I'll say, Jay, this billion dollars is not just to resupply the rockets. We have a long-term relationship where we share technology and research concerning the Iron Dome.

The Iron Dome was originally created by Israeli scientists. What we did, because it was so good, it was better than some of our own anti-missile systems, we joined with them in research and development. So this billion dollars is not just for supplies, it's continued research and development, because the same concept, the same system is what the United States military also uses to defend Americans as well. So it's absolutely irresponsible, it's irrational.

So it's really research and development that would help us. Absolutely. This is not only anti-Israel, it's anti-American. But part of the problem here, Jordan alluded to this, Harry, is that you have a minority, I mean eight members of Congress that are in this caucus that are basically holding targeted the expenditure for the defense of Israel. And the House leadership buckles.

Absolutely. So I would hold Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer responsible, because they have buckled under pressure from the Hamas Hezbollah pro-Taliban caucus in Congress. And so the Democrats continue to claim that they care about saving lives, but they really don't care about saving Israeli lives. And given the Biden administration's decision to leave Americans behind in Afghanistan, apparently we don't care about American lives. So I think at the end of the day, what we have is a failure of leadership. We have a failure of leadership in Congress in the form of Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer.

We have a failure of leadership within the Biden administration. And I think at the end of the day, we can conclude that many progressives in Congress are now openly expressing their hatred of Israel, but they also are expressing their hate of American commitments to defend an ally. So what does this do? So, for instance, presume that the Iron Dome is not fully funded. This then exposes the lives of Palestinians to violence, because Israel would have to perhaps send in troops if indeed there's another conflict. So at the end of the day, this policy makes no sense unless you are simply expressing your vitriol and hatred toward Israel. I'm going to ask this to Jordan and Than because I'm trying to, politically, what is in this for them? There's nothing politically in the short term.

I think, Than, this is a long-term play. They see that these members of Congress, listen, it's gone from four to eight. Their friends have been taken out in primaries by these members of Congress.

They're for real. Whether they like their policies or not, I think that the Nancy Pelosi's, the Chuck Schumer's of the world, the Steny Hoyer's of the world, see the writing on the wall that if the Democrat party keeps moving this way, this is the direction it's going, Than. It's going to the direction of the AOC's and the Hamas caucus.

It's going away from the alien eagles of the world who got defeated by a member of this Hamas caucus, Jamal Bowman. So that's, Than, I think they're trying to placate to save themselves. They probably want, these are very old members of Congress. They can save themselves for another ten years.

They've probably saved their career. But I think that's what they're looking at is their upcoming elections. Yeah, Jordan, this is where the energy is in the Democrat caucus. Look, the pure numbers of the number of members who might have been calling for this funding to be removed might be low, Jordan, but just by evidence that the fact that the leadership actually followed through and took the action that they were requesting suggests to me, doesn't just suggest to me, Jordan, I think it plainly tells me that the vast majority of members inside the Democratic caucus know that they need to speak to this base. You know, we want to say only eight members asked for this, but Jordan, if Nancy Pelosi or if Steny Hoyer had stood up and said, no, this is not what we're about. This is a clean CR with a debt ceiling increase. We're going to leave the funding in there.

And then you have to cast your own vote. Jordan, if they were willing to do that, then I would give them a pass on this. They were the ones that took it out, though. They might not have been the ones that requested it, but they were the ones that took it out. And it's because that's where the energy is inside their party.

I mean, do you think about how this has changed and the impact of this? Because the Democratic Party used to have a pretty pro-Israel team. That was the one thing the Republican Party and the Democratic Party were pretty similar on was support for our allies, and one of those allies was Israel. But we have seen this anti-Israel sentiment that's been building on the college campuses, been building in the left's world.

It's been building where they recruit candidates to run. Ultimately, they didn't put a stop to this radical stuff on campus. It's like the CRT hating Israel, pro-Semitism, pro-human rights abusers like Hamas and their actions that they take.

Very radical thought, the idea of pro-conflict as well. And now they're reaping what they've sowed. It's the beginning. This is just the beginning of reaping what you sow when you've got eight members of Congress. But here's how important that eight is. When you take that eight out, there's 212 Democrats left and 212 Republicans. The Republicans aren't going to help you.

This won't pass. So the reality is the people of Israel suffer. Our own national security suffers.

And the short-term benefit of this is some kind of political win. But I'm thinking, who is the base that likes this? Well, it's the ultra-left progressive base that is anti-Israel. Right. And I don't think that reflects the majority of the American people.

No. I think most Americans, they're going to remember this come midterm elections. And they should. And hopefully this will be part of what causes the leadership to flip in the House of Representatives.

But this whole issue, it's so irrational. This missile system is what kept Israel from launching a major ground defensive when they had over 4,000 rockets fired into Israel because they knew they could defend themselves. So this is indicative to me that the left, they do not want peace in the Middle East. They hate anything related to Israel, even if it saves lives and promotes peace.

And it's really all we need to know about where the Democrat Party is going. It's a shame and it's sad, and I know not all Democrats agree with them, but they are allowing it to happen. Yesterday, when this resolution passed, not one Republican voted for it because they stood on the principle that Israel is our ally. They're the only democracy in the Middle East. And it, as you said, it impacts not only Israeli security, but ours as well. And they voted against it, but the Democrats went along with this. It's irrational.

It's irresponsible. You know, folks, we are, again, I want to take your thoughts on this too. If you want your thoughts to get out of Facebook, Periscope, YouTube, wherever you're watching the broadcast, or you want to be on the air with us at 1-800-684-3110. When we come back, I think there should be a little action taken for those of you willing to do it. So I would like to contact these eight members of Congress and let them know that we know that they have embraced Hamas, embraced terrorism, and abandoned our ally Israel.

And I'll go through with you what I think is the best way to say it on the phone, not to be threatening, not to be mean. But let's light up the phone numbers in these offices, not just AOCs either. You know, those offices get plenty of phone calls. But these lesser squad members who are not as well known, who let her kind of take the heat and they stand behind it, let's make sure we call their offices first.

Make sure they're the ones getting the pressure. So we come back from this break. I've got some action for you to take. I also encourage you, as always, to go to ACLJ.org. That's ACLJ.org. A lot of information there about all the different work that we're doing as an organization. There's what we talk about on the air. There's all the different things we're doing at the American Center for Law and Justice. That's online at ACLJ.org. If you want to talk to us on air about this issue, how the squad has been able to impact the Democrat Party. Do you believe the Democrat Party is now the anti-Israel party in America?

I want your thoughts on that. 1-800-684-3110. That's 1-800-684-3110. We have a very powerful publication offering a panoramic view of the ACLJ's battle for the unborn. It's called Mission Life. It will show you how you are personally impacting the pro-life battle through your support. And the publication includes a look at all major ACLJ pro-life cases. How we're fighting for the rights of pro-life activists. The ramifications of Roe v. Wade 40 years later. Play on parenthood's role in the abortion industry and what Obamacare means to the pro-life movement. Discover the many ways your membership with the ACLJ is empowering the right to life.

Request your free copy of Mission Life today online at ACLJ.org slash gift. The challenges facing Americans are substantial at a time when our values, our freedoms, our constitutional rights are under attack. It's more important than ever to stand with the American Center for Law and Justice. For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines protecting your freedoms, defending your rights, in courts, in Congress, and in the public arena. And we have an exceptional track record of success.

But here's the bottom line. We could not do our work without your support. We remain committed to protecting your religious and constitutional freedoms.

That remains our top priority, especially now during these challenging times. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at ACLJ.org, where you can learn more about our life-changing work. Become a member today.

ACLJ.org. Alright, so this is the number you call if you would like to express your displeasure with these members of the Hamas caucus. So the number for the House operator, it's 202-224-3121. That's 202-224-3121.

So jot that down. That can connect you to any of these members of Congress. Who are they? Who are the ones that stood up to take this funding away from Israel's defensive Iron Dome, which is so critical to Israel's defense? It also de-escalates conflict in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians.

Of course, there's AOC. And if you want to call that office, go ahead. I think let's focus some more time on some of these other members of Congress, like Ilhan Omar and Ilana Presley and Talib Bowman, Cori Bush, McCollum, J-PAL.

I want you to call and say this. I shame on you for supporting Hamas, for supporting terrorists, and for taking this anti-Israel position in Congress. Don't scream, don't shout, don't make threats. Just shave on you for embracing terrorism and embracing this anti-Israel, anti-U.S. ally policy approach in Congress. You know, we're talking about a billion dollars, which, and let's face it, in the course of a budget of the size of the United States, it's not a lot of money, Harry. It's not. We're talking about that money being allocated to a system that we developed with Israel that is a defensive mechanism for Israel. So when incoming rockets come on, their civilians are protected, which also then Israel doesn't have to respond as aggressively as they might have to otherwise, as Wes said.

But then I look at these eight members of Congress, and this is the replay. They call it anti-Israel, anti-Zionist. This is anti-Semitic. And they'll say, oh, no, we're not anti-Semitic. Well, of course they are.

This is a rehash. This is a replay of everything that the progressive left is trying to do. They do it in the college campuses. Now they're doing it in the halls of the United States Congress.

I think you're precisely correct. And keep in mind that many of the people that were in university 10, 20 years ago are now indeed in Congress. So if you look at the halls of Harvard, if you look at the halls of Yale, Princeton, and Stanford, the Marxist left has focused and fomented its hatred of both truth and freedom. And that has led to hatred of Israel. They have reclassified Israel as not a functioning democratic constitutional democracy, but instead they've reclassified Israel as an apartheid state. And with an apartheid state, what do you get?

You get victims. And so victimhood has become a clarion call of the left. And so now these individuals in Congress, the Ilhan Omar's, the Ayanna Pressley's, they are now able to enforce their hatred and their bigotry toward Israel.

Why? Because they have the power to block common sense legislation that would protect Israeli lives and Palestinian lives, but at the end of the day they are able to express one thing only, their hatred of Israel. Well, and this is not just anti-Israel. This is pro-terrorist.

Think about that. We have members of Congress that have taken a firm stance pro-terrorism. What do Hamas and Hezbollah have in common with ISIS, the Taliban, and Al Qaeda? All of these groups call for the destruction of Israel and the destruction of the United States. So it's a betrayal of Israel in the U.S. to be sure, but it's also pro-terrorist.

And not only that, we have a Democrat President in the White House. Just last week, and this relates to this missile defense system, we told Saudi Arabia, our ally, our Arab allies, betrayal of Arab allies too, we are removing our missile defense systems from Saudi Arabia, even though they are regularly attacked by the Houthi rebels from Yemen. Last week. And what was the reason for that? Why in the world did Joe Biden say, you know what I'm going to do? Saudi Arabia, who we finally got a good relation with and they've got a good relation with Israel, they may be the next signature to the Abraham Accords quite possibly.

Why would you do that? You do that for the same reason that this is happening, and that is because we criticize Saudi Arabia for their involvement with the war in Yemen. We are not taking away their offensive capabilities. We are taking away their ability to defend themselves, and we're doing the exact same thing with Israel. You know, I think that, again, this idea that it's okay for – remember, it's okay to act this way.

It's okay to take these positions. Let me just remind you who they are. Why do we know Ilhan Omar's name?

Well, it was not because she was wielding any power when she first came to Congress, it was because she was making statements that were shockingly pro-terror and anti-Israel, even anti-American. Take a listen to this. A throwback at a CAIR fundraiser. Remember the Council on American-Islamic Relations?

March of 2019 by 22. Far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen. And frankly, I'm tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. CAIR was founded after 9-11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties. Some people did something. Islamic terrorists affiliated with Al Qaeda took commercial aircraft and turned them into weapons, killing 3,000 American civilians in an act and declaration of war. Some people did something. Who speaks at the Council on American-Islamic Relations anyways?

That's just another statement. But my question, Ben, I go back to you on this, is meanwhile, they've got the leadership of the Democratic Party in tow here. Yeah, look, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Hoyer, they're also responsible for this.

They might want to pin it on these eight members that requested it, but they took the funding out. And Jay, I really think our listeners need to think about this in the context of what is happening in the region more globally. Remember, the Biden administration was just saying, just last week, they were saying that the leverage we have over the Taliban, in the very same reason that 9-11 was planned and orchestrated, their leverage over the Taliban, Jay, was that the United States would provide funding for them. So I think the fair question to ask these members of Congress, Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer, is why would you rather fund the Taliban than our greatest ally in the region, Israel? Because, Jay, that's the dynamic here. You know, we got the second half hour coming up with the broadcast. We can take more of your phone calls at 1-800-684-3110.

That's 1-800-684-3110. This is all coming with the backdrop of the Taliban requesting access to address the United Nations. They want to put forward their spokesperson as their permanent representation. These were the guys who, you know, those Muslims who did something. This is them, the Taliban. So it's kind of coming full circle.

She played it down like that. The Biden team's willing to work with the Taliban. They've already showed that. And now the Democrat Party is willing to turn their back on Israel.

This is a dream for Ilhan Omar, a dream for AOC and Rashida Tlaib. So we come back on secular. Let's get into it that way as well.

What else is happening surrounding all these moves? It's very serious what they were able to do here. I do believe Congress will be able to get something passed. But it is a shame that we are now in a position where we add to the partisan list of issues where we can't actually share common ground. Is that the Democrat Party, I don't care what they tell you, is the party of Hamas. It is the party of terrorism. It is the party of Islamic radicalism.

It's the party of the squad. They have the control right now. The Republican Party is the only party standing up for Israel. This is a new paradigm in Washington, D.C. The shift has now happened from just being a protest voice to actually getting what they want and the defunding of an Israeli program.

We'll be right back on secular. For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines protecting your freedoms, defending your rights in courts, in Congress and in the public arena. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at ACLJ.org where you can learn more about our life changing work. Become a member today.

ACLJ.org. Talking about freedom. Talking about freedom.

We will fight for the right to live in freedom. Keeping you informed and engaged now more than ever. This is secular. And now your host, Jordan secular.

Welcome back to secular. So what are we talking about today? You might have seen the news. This is a big deal.

It's a big deal. So I mean, right now in Fox News, they're showing the Iron Dome at work. They're showing how this defensive military system. This is not a offensive military system. We provide Israel, which, by the way, if we wanted to, we could and I'm sure there are.

But this is defensive. So why would the squad, even if they are the Hamas caucus, what a system that actually limits additional conflict, limits civilian casualties on both sides to be inoperable. Because Hamas can't do any real damage to Israel so long as the Iron Dome is functioning. Realize that for a second.

That's the only rationale for the Iron Dome defunding, is that you want the Hamas rockets to be able to hit the civilians in Israel. So shame on AOC. She gets so much shame.

She loves the attention. But remember these other members of Congress, maybe they don't get as much attention. Yeah, you've got your Ilhan Omar, your Alana Presley, Corey Bush and Rashida Tlaib.

But there's also Jamal Bowman, Betty McCollum out of Minnesota, Pramila J. Powell out of Washington State. You know, that all forced, well this is the idea, Nancy Pelosi bowed down to the Hamas caucus. She kissed the ring of the terrorists. She said, we will strip the funding of the Iron Dome so that you, special squad, Hamas-loving, radical socialists, remember these are all terms they embrace, don't have to vote either for a spending bill or against it because it has something in there where Israel can defend itself. You cannot use an Iron Dome rocket or missile and say shoot this into some Hamas terror group. Now the military still has to respond that way in Israel. That's not what this system does. But it certainly limits the need for civilian, the need for a massive response by Israel.

And usually they can limit their response, which means limited casualties, including civilian casualties. But that legislation to fund the Iron Dome will now have to be separate. To me, when eight members of the Democrat party can make a move like this and fundamentally shift, fundamentally shift the Democrat party's position on support for Israel that has been there for decades, but we know has been under assault, it's just when it was four of them, that wasn't enough votes.

It now is. Eight votes is enough to sink something in the House of Representatives right now, especially a partisan bill. Republicans, do not rush to save them.

Don't help them. Let everybody take in how bad it is that Nancy Pelosi, shame on her, and Steny Hoyer, did what a few junior members of Congress, running their mouth with policy that will be the end of the Democrat party long term. If this is the party they're going to continue to embrace.

And Thad, it does appear that in Washington, the writing is on the wall that this is the new Democrat party. And that's why the Pelosi's of the world who are on their way out, however long that may be, and the Schumer's of the world are just hoping they get to keep their seats so long as they still want to be in Congress. And they don't want to be thrown out, not by Republicans in their districts or states, but by a radical insurgent candidate like one of these Hamas squad members. Jordan, it really signals a problem that is going to go well beyond this vote because it's abundantly clear now that the House of Representatives cannot pass any pro-Israel measure without the support of Republicans. And Jordan, why aren't they going to get the support of Republicans? This is a larger issue, but look, it was Democrats that forced us into this budgetary process of reconciliation. Of course Republicans aren't going to raise the debt limit, which was also in this bill, in order to pass $3.5 trillion of spending. So it's a double-edged sword, Jordan.

They can't pass anything pro-Israel without Republicans, but they've pushed Republicans out of the room. This is not the last bill that this is going to be an issue on. Alright folks, we will take your calls as we come back. 1-800-684-3110.

To talk to you on the air. We'll be right back. We remain committed to protecting your freedoms, defending your rights, in courts, in Congress, and in the public arena. And we have an exceptional track record of success.

But here's the bottom line. We could not do our work without your support. We remain committed to protecting your religious and constitutional freedoms.

That remains our top priority, especially now during these challenging times. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at ACLJ.org, where you can learn more about our life-changing work.

Become a member today. ACLJ.org. Only when a society can agree that the most vulnerable and voiceless deserve to be protected is there any hope for that culture to survive. And that's exactly what you are saying when you stand with the American Center for Law and Justice to defend the right to life. We've created a free, powerful publication offering a panoramic view of the ACLJ's battle for the unborn.

It's called Mission Life. It will show you how you are personally impacting the pro-life battle through your support. And the publication includes a look at all major ACLJ pro-life cases, how we're fighting for the rights of pro-life activists, the ramifications of Roe v. Wade 40 years later, playing parenthood's role in the abortion industry, and what Obamacare means to the pro-life movement. Discover the many ways your membership with the ACLJ is empowering the right to life. Request your free copy of Mission Life today online at ACLJ.org slash gift. All right, welcome back to Secula. We are going to take your phone calls as well, 1-800-684-3110.

That's 1-800-684-3110. Let's go to Carol in Virginia online, too. Hey, Carol. Hey, there. Hey, thanks for being on Secula.

You're on the air. Yes, sir. I appreciate you guys. Thank you.

Thank you. Yeah, I was saying how much I appreciate the Iron Dome. My wife and I lived there for three years in Israel. And about two years ago, there was about a week that Hamas was shooting rockets at Israel in a big way. One night, I think there was 300 or 400 rockets, and I was in a hotel. And, you know, the building shook. I could hear the jets going over the building. But, of course, I prayed. I said, Lord, how is everything? And I felt safe, and I felt like with the Iron Dome that, you know, the Israelis were perfectly capable of protecting us. I was in Tel Aviv at the time. Well, I think, Carol, this is the great thing about the Iron Dome. Wes, the way that this works, people do have a sense of peace.

It's taken out. I'll tell you the big difference. Early travel to Israel, there would be two issues that you'd always want. One was on-ground terrorism hot. Were people being stabbed? Was it a wave of this, like an intifada, the suicide bombings?

So there's that aspect. Then there's the terrorist groups trying to use these crude rockets. And Israel, they were being utilized. And Israel, along with the United States, developed this system, which is very specific to a need that Israel has, because it's very close proximity.

You don't have a lot of space to use large arms, or else your own citizens would be in danger, too. But tell people about how it works, because this was a joint U.S. plan. It wasn't like Israel just did this on its own. It's always been about the U.S. working with Israel on this. We use some of the same Israeli technology now in our own missile defense systems as well.

And one other quick thing, too. The rockets that were very crude and rudimentary before are not that way anymore, because Iran has provided Hamas and Hezbollah with technology. Their rockets are a lot more deadly than they used to be. But this anti-missile defense system that Israel is using is strictly defensive. And here's how it works. When a rocket or a missile is fired into Israel, this system, which has radar connected to it, knows that it's been fired. It tracks it.

It computes what the trajectory is going to be, where it's going to land. And then a counter missile is fired from this system, and it shoots the rocket out of the sky. We're not talking about what we call in the military counter-battery fire, where we're shooting where the missile was fired from. We're actually shooting at the missile with the Iron Dome system so that it explodes in the air. And 99% of the time it explodes over Israel, because by the time the Iron Dome system computes it, it's already over Israeli territory.

As you said, the space is very small there and very close. And so all it is doing, it's not shooting people. It's shooting rockets fired by Hamas that are being shot at people. And I think this more than anything recently should help the American people to realize that we've absolutely had enough. There should be no equivocation when it comes to the defense of Israel and also keeping faith with our Arab allies in the region. No vacillation when it comes to the defense of the United States.

I've never said this before. I've always questioned the left's judgment on many things, especially as it's related to Israel and to our own national security. I question not only their judgment, Jordan, I question their patriotism. Well, you know, this is interesting because, Harry, Blake on Facebook writes in, this goes to the patriotism too, because this issue is, if this system went inoperable.

I do believe, I'll go to theater, but I think that there will be legislation eventually through to get this funding back. It's just the idea that the Democrats can't do this together anymore, that it's no longer just something you can take for granted, that Democrats, for the most part, other than these eight extremists, feel like they can still be pro-Israel. I feel like the eight extremists, they think are going to keep doubling and multiplying and tripling, and that's who they're going to be having to deal with, especially the House side with younger members of Congress. But Blake on Facebook wrote in, could defunding the system make a war more likely? I mean, Harry, this is what we keep talking about, is defunding a system like this, if it went offline, Hamas has been able to launch these rockets, kill Israeli civilians, and then Israel's going to respond in a much bigger way than it has in the past, which will kill a lot of civilians in Gaza.

Absolutely. So basically, what the Hamas caucus in Congress has done, particularly if this goes through and the Iron Dome system is disabled in Israel, this will mean that the Hamas supporters in Gaza, the Hezbollah supporters in Syria and elsewhere, they will now be on the front lines because the Israelis have pledged to defend their territory by any means necessary, and so that means they would have to send in ground troops, there would be more civilian casualties in Gaza, more civilian casualties perhaps in the Golan Heights and elsewhere. And so at the end of the day, the progressive Hamas caucus has basically declared war, if you will, not only on the Israelis, but also on the Palestinians.

But why? Because the progressives, the Hamas caucus is drowning in their own vitriol, their own hatred of Israel, and effectively their own hatred, I think as Wesley correctly points out, of the United States. So at the end of the day, they want to destroy America's strongest ally in the Middle East because they believe so strongly in victimhood, they are prepared to see a wider range of bloodshed going forward.

Dan, let me ask you this before you get into the issue of the Taliban trying to get the U.N. as well. Ultimately, legislation should pass here that gets, because I want to make sure people understand here, that there should be legislation, maybe stand alone, that gets this funding to Israel. We don't know exactly what that will look like, but supposedly there's some Democrats that are going to be trying to rush to have this in by the end of the week. Yeah, I think the funding is going to pass eventually, Jordan.

We don't know exactly how. I mean, Leader Hoyer has said he wants to put an emergency funding bill on the floor this week and have it to pass. That would, of course, take Republican votes. Jordan, if it's strictly funding for the Iron Dome, Republicans would be more than happy to support it, so I think that could be an option. Maybe it could happen down the road in an omnibus appropriations bill or a continuing resolution, but Jordan, even after I say all of that, I mean, this sort of underscores my concern about how dangerous this is when Democrats have unified control over government, because they are going to have to have Republican votes, no matter how they put this forward. I mean, look, when this concern, outlandish as it is, came up from these progressives, Democrat leadership could have said, OK, here's what we're going to do. We're going to leave the Israel funding in there, but we're also going to take the debt ceiling increase off.

We'll put that on our reconciliation package. We'll move it with Democrats only and the increased spending. We'll get Republicans to help us pass this funding bill, this continuing resolution with the Israel funding.

Jordan, they didn't choose to do that. That was clearly a lower priority to them than pandering to the progressives. So to your question, will this funding pass eventually? Yes, but Democrats are going to have to get it to a posture where Republicans can vote on it.

And at this point, Jordan, they have chosen not to do that. So, again, that's why I say this is going to be a continuing problem on every funding bill that comes forward. You know, so this again, folks, I just want everyone to understand a continuing problem. And back to you, Thad, I think more Democrats like this will get elected.

This is the trend we're seeing. Now, every district is not perfect for a Hamas squad member. But there are a lot of districts out there where someone who might consider themselves a liberal Democrat and be pretty far left, it's not enough for them. They're not enough of an activist socialist, which is what they really are. They're outside the Democrat Party. I would compare it, Jordan, to what we saw among pro-life Democrats over the last 15 or 20 years. I mean, look, and I think it extends well beyond the districts where a, you know, an anti-Israel candidate is attractive to that district. Because now if you look at districts where a pro-life Democrat would be responsible to that district, why don't they win those primaries now, Jordan? It's because the funding base, the activist base inside the Democrat Party will not allow it to happen even in districts where it might appeal to that particular electorate.

So look, I see this going down the same track. I think it'll start with districts where maybe this kind of candidate maybe does have some appeal. But Jordan, if it follows the track of pro-life Democrats, we will end up in a place not too far down the road, by the way, where the Democrat activists and the party base itself will go into districts where it doesn't make sense and will get involved in primaries and say, you will not get the nomination inside this party, even though you could win in a general election.

So Jordan, I'm really afraid it sweeps all across the country. When we come back from the break, the Taliban is trying to get a move in at the UN. Surprise, surprise, that spokesperson they've had in Doha, he has now been appointed by the Taliban as their main UN representative. What will the UN do?

Well, talk about when we get back from the break. They're going to be in a unique spot here because the world is saying, you know, they're relying on, they're working with the Taliban. At what point do you have to recognize them, at least let them be there as a representative?

The former Afghan representatives would no longer be the right representatives for the country, or will the UN say no to these radicals? We'll talk about it, but it is happening as we speak in New York at the UN right now. Only when a society can agree that the most vulnerable and voiceless deserve to be protected is there any hope for that culture to survive. And that's exactly what you are saying when you stand with the American Center for Law and Justice to defend the right to life. We've created a free, powerful publication offering a panoramic view of the ACLJ's battle for the unborn.

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ACLJ.org. Welcome back to Sekulow. So with all this, you know, the anti-Israel work, again, we're going to watch that very closely. The action item for you, I think, is to really, you know, put some shame on these members of Congress, shame on them for supporting terrorism, for really embracing their title as the Hamas caucus. They walked right into it with saying, you know, we're not going to vote on this funding bill, Nancy Pelosi, which requires only Democrats needing the support for, unless you defund Israel's defensive Iron Dome weapon.

Now, what we're going to watch carefully is that this wrong gets corrected. But for the Democrat Party, not just long-term, but short-term as well, this, I think, is a huge problem. Because if you keep putting Ford out of touch, they're not even like academics themselves. They were just out of school, just out of indoctrination camp, and they've been indoctrinated by the far, far left. They are utilizing the Democrat Party apparatus.

Remember, almost every single one of them, I think all the ones that we talked about, all eight, are Democrat socialists. They are a different political party. But if they can take over the mechanisms and the reins of the Democrat Party to their advantage and to utilize it, well, that's what they want to do. And that's why you see the Democrat leadership. They had a final question on this, but this is the kind of, to me, that final capitulation to the AOC crowd. This is exactly what they've wanted all along, is for Nancy Pelosi to have to kiss their rig. Yeah, I mean, you said we're going to watch and see when they take over the mechanisms of the party. I mean, I would suggest to you, Jordan, I think they just did it. I mean, look, because there were other options available for Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer. They could have taken the debt ceiling increase out. They could have moved it over to reconciliation.

No, they said, OK, this is what you want. We're going to get it. So I think they've already done that, Jordan. And I would say looking forward, I think you're looking at two things. Number one, and probably the most urgent one, is the fact that we need another option to get this funding approved.

I'm with you. I think that will happen. But it will take Republicans. You cannot get it through with only Democrats. And then longer term, Jordan, I think you do have to look at that trend. Look, it's a good thing for our best ally in the Middle East region, Israel, to have support inside of both parties. But I really think that is cratering inside the Democrat Party. We've got to watch that going forward.

And Jordan, you know this better than anybody. I mean, the ebb and flow of politics. There will be unified control of government for Democrats again at some time in the future. This will be a hazard should that take place again. It's one we're going to have to watch for.

Yeah, I know. So I want to switch to this because we're going to stay on this. Obviously, we have an office in Israel. This is a very key issue to us. But the second issue up, which I wanted to get to briefly today, and we're doing a lot of work at the United Nations, is the Taliban. They're seeking that same spokesperson that we've gotten used to seeing in Doha. They have put him forward as their UN ambassador. And now the UN is trying to figure out what to do. They were going to have the old Afghan group address the UN, but I don't know that that makes any sense. They have no power anymore, Wes, but they're going to try to put forward. Now the UN is going to have to decide if they're going to acknowledge, recognize the Taliban. I don't think it'll happen this week, but it's a real issue now. Yeah, it is.

It is. It'll go to the credentials committee at the United Nations to decide whether or not to admit the Taliban as the representative of the Afghan people. It is crazy. I know from 1996 to 2001, when the Taliban took over Afghanistan initially, they were not allowed to have a representative at the UN and to represent the country of Afghanistan.

Hopefully that will be the case now. What I find remarkable about this, there are several things that are actually remarkable about it, but think about it. The Taliban, which facilitated the attack on America, which included New York City and the Twin Towers, would actually have their representative living in New York City, being a representative at the United Nations. That is just absolutely unbelievable.

It is remarkable and not a good way. And what I found troubling today, and hopefully this is not where it ends, but they asked the United States representative to the UN how they felt about it, about the Taliban's petition to have their person recognized. And they said at this point, the United States has no opinion on the Taliban's nomination of the rep to the UN. No opinion.

That's good, Harry, right? They have no opinion whatsoever. They have no feeling about it, which means I think they don't want to take the lead at the UN, but if the UN takes the lead, they're not going to stand in the way. I think that's correct.

I think Wesley's analysis is spot on. Essentially, the American government, under the Biden administration, has basically surrendered to indoctrination within university campuses. They live and they breathe ideology, particularly radical ideology. And they are now prepared to cave, to allow the Taliban's representative to take office at the UN close to the 20th anniversary of 9-11. That is hugely ironic. It's hugely paradoxical.

But it illustrates one thing and one thing clearly, that the Biden administration is an administration without principle. You know, we're working at the UN. CC Hall just addressed the UN on the persecution of Christians. I want you to see our work at the UN. Take a listen and watch it. And the next speaker is the European Center for Law and Justice.

Thank you, Madam President. The violence against religious minorities by the Hindu majority in India has been rapidly increasing. Christians are a particular target because Christianity undermines India's millennia old caste system. Several Indian states have enacted anti-conversion laws to stop the people of lower castes and tribes from converting to other religions. Hindu nationalists often use these laws to perpetrate violence against Christians. As the UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief noted in 2008, anti-conversion laws in India offer legitimacy to those who stir up mob violence. Unfortunately, despite the special rapporteur's observations 13 years ago, anti-conversion laws have continued to operate as a tool for religious suppression and violence. The incidents of religious suppression and violence against Christians in India are too numerous to mention, but several may be found in our written submission. Regrettably, all too often, violence against religious minorities has the tacit approval or even assistance of government actors. Christians in India should have the freedom to practice their faith and share the good news of Jesus Christ without fear of suppression and violence.

This council should take swift action by calling on India to repeal the anti-conversion laws and ensure that all of India's citizens can peacefully express their religious beliefs. And I just wanted to show people that because this is during COVID, you know, people got used to those videos, they kind of see a small version of us in the room, maybe in Geneva itself, making these presentations for the last two years, we've all been doing them by a video CC that latest one I know I've got one coming up soon as well on Afghanistan. But just for our audience, it shows that our work, even at these international bodies, probably the most difficult places to continue work during a pandemic with so much of it was shut down, it's starting to reopen now to somewhat, but our work has continued.

Yeah, your dad talks a lot about the ministry of presence that's taken a different form over COVID. But Jordan, we talk a lot about I actually think this administration ahead, it's going to be more important now than ever to to have that presence at the United Nations, because the position of the United States is not going to be the one that we can stand behind more often than not. So yeah, CC statement this week, yours is coming up on Afghanistan, I think we've got two others on Pakistan and Burma that are coming. Jordan, it's going to be important for our voice to be heard because the United States voice, I think we're going to hear a lot of we have no opinion on that it's going to be a lot like voting present at the Security Council rather than vetoing.

We saw that during the Obama administration. Looks like we're headed that way again. As always, I encourage you check out ACLJ.org. That's ACLJ.org.

We will talk to you next time on Secular. For decades now, the ACLJ has been on the front lines protecting your freedoms defending your rights in courts in Congress and in the public arena. The American Center for Law and Justice is on your side. If you're already a member, thank you. And if you're not, well, this is the perfect time to stand with us at ACLJ.org, where you can learn more about our life changing work. Become a member today. ACLJ.org