Shalom all,

“We are patient and willing to wait to free women and children from the clutch of the savages in Gaza, but let there be no doubt: the elimination of Hamas is neither only a military matter nor only a political one; it is a moral imperative: We must eradicate evil from the world after it showed its nature in the atrocities it committed against our sons and daughters. This mission touches on the roots of our existence both as a nation and as the state of the Jewish people and transcends present-day political or diplomatic considerations. The vast majority of Israelis are determined that their leaders and soldiers complete the mission…Furthermore, we must also be careful not to cooperate unwillingly with the psychological terror being employed against us as the hostages are released. We may become addicted to watching the live broadcasts and forget our ultimate goal: to concentrate on defeating the enemy in a way that leaves no doubt in the Middle East about the fate of those who dared to do such a thing to the people of Israel.” (Dror Eydar, Jacob shall flee no longer, Israel Hayam, 3 December, 2023)

In an interview last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked about the controversial statements that he was provided with opportunities to eliminate leaders of Hamas, including Yahya Sinwar, but refused. He avoided answering, saying it would not be appropriate to reveal security information at this time. But, he added: “When the circumstances allowed it, we eliminated many leaders, both of Hamas and of other terror organizations, and we will complete the task now.” It is important the the nation follow through with this goal, inasmuch as Deputy Hamas chief Saleh Al-Arouri told Al-Jazeera last night (Saturday) that Hamas’s absolute condition for releasing the remaining hostages was two-fold: that the IDF ends it military operations in Gaza and that Israel releases ALL “Palestinian” prisoners from our jails. This, he said, was a final decision and it would not be compromised.

For a week, the nation ceased to pursue its war against evil incarnate. It was a week that saw 105 hostages released, in exchange for Israel releasing about 315 “Palestinian” prisoners, many of whom were involved with Hamas or other terrorist organizations in one way or another. It was a week when the nation wept for joy and sorrow – joy, and even exhilaration as hostages were released from the clutches of terrorists who love death and lack any semblance of a moral conscience; sorrow, accompanied by pain and anguish, over those who remain hostages to this day. It was a week of nerve-racking anticipation of the names that would appear on the lists of hostages to be released and of heart-breaking grief resulting from hope deferred. It was a week of national psychological distress when delays were announced regarding the release of hostages. It was a week of being manipulated by one egotistical, power-crazed terrorist, who demanded that we provide humanitarian relief to an inhumane organization. It was a week during which the government of Israel breached its commitment to the nation, in order to bring about the release of some of the hostages, who were severely abused in many ways, beaten, kept in cages and minimally fed for 50 days, underground, with minimal daylight, and not allowed to shower. It was a week of seeing family members embracing one another and being reunited after more than a month and a half of separation. It was a week of learning of the continuation of the war crimes committed by the terrorists against the hostages. It was a week when the nation wanted the ceasefire to continue, so that more hostages would be released. It was a week when the nation was in favor of the war continuing, so that Hamas would be defeated. It was a week of contrasts, of horror and relief, keeping people glued to their televisions to see with their own eyes that hostages were, in fact, being returned. It was a week during which, on the whole, the hearts of the people continued to beat as one when Hamas violated the terms of the deal that was reached and returned to launching rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

The Jerusalem Post’s Herb Keinon, in an article worth reading, put it simply, like this: 

“In its 75 years of existence, Israel and Israelis have gone through much. They’ve experienced war and peace, hostages captured and hostages released, and wicked, wicked acts of terrorism. They’ve never experienced a week like this...

“Israelis have dealt in the past with emotional peaks and valleys, with the intermingling of joy and sorrow, with national highs and lows. However, little compares to the current situation, where, on a national level, the removal of the metaphorical Band-Aid is being done at an agonizingly slow pace. It was a week with an ordeal that never ended… (emphasis mine)

“All over the world – in the streets and in the corridors of power – there were calls, many of them hateful and downright antisemitic, calling for an end to the fighting in Gaza. All over the world, there were demands for a permanent ceasefire.

“But not in Israel…

“In Israel, along with the tremendous emotional upheaval, there remains robust and wall-to-wall support for the war… 

“There may be disagreement over whether the primary goal of the war should be incapacitating Hamas or facilitating the return of the hostages. There may be differences over whether these two objectives are complementary or contradictory. But there is strong agreement that since neither goal has been met, once the humanitarian truces designed for the hostage releases conclude, the war needs to be restarted.“

Keinon quoted Haim Jelin, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the communities that suffered the most from the devastating assault of Hamas, who stated during a television interview: 

“[The] government must direct the IDF to eliminate terrorism. Without that, there will be no settling of the Negev. This is not a war for our region but for the character of the state: how Israel can eliminate terrorism in a manner that all our neighbors will understand and see. This is what we need to do, not be afraid. Will there be diplomatic pressure? Yes, there will be. But they humiliated all of Israel. Everyone, the whole state.” (emphasis mine)

Truly, it was a week like no other week in Israel’s history.

Yesterday, I mentioned that U.S. Vice-President, Kamala Harris, said that Israel has the right to defend herself, but the IDF has to stop killing civilians in Gaza

There’s an old saying that “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Clearly, as a representative of the United States, she should not criticize Israel when the U.S. behaved the same way that it is now saying Israel should not. The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, at Brown University, conducted a “Costs of War” Project, regarding the Post-9/11 wars conducted by the United States. Direct and Indirect War Deaths. According to the Project’s findings: Over 940,000 people have died in the post-9/11 wars due to direct war violence, including over 432,000 civilians. In addition, another about 3.6-3.8 million people were killed indirectly.

As stated by author and journalist, Nadav Shragai: “We are grateful for the US, but the additional demands it has made that constrict Israeli activity have to be rejected. Even if the whole world criticizes and condemns the IDF, one of the most ethical armies in the world, it is preferable to absorb 100 condemnations than to lose 100 soldiers.” So, inasmuch as we don’t tell the United States how to fight its war, it is only fitting and proper that they should not tell us how to fight ours. I think this is a proportionate response – from one friend to another, of course. (emphasis mine)

Two days ago, on the TWTW Post for the 56th day of the Gaza War, I mentioned that Almog Boker, an award-winning journalist for Israel’s Channel 13, reported that one of the freed hostages was held in an attic by a teacher from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), based in Gaza, who ignored the medical needs of the hostage. UNRWA took offense at Boker’s report, claiming that it was “unsubstantiated”, as well as “harmful and presumably gratuitous” and “may amount to misinformation.” In its Tweet on “X” (formerly Twitter), UNRWA stated, in part: “In the absence of credible information to support this claim, UNRWA requests that the journalist immediately deletes the post.” Boker’s response to UNRWA’s statement was direct and to the point: “[S]urvivors of Hamas captivity are beginning to share their stories. One of them testified he was held hostage and starved by an UNRWA teacher. That’s not an ‘allegation.’ That’s a survivor testimony, and more testimonies are coming.”

Reader comments to UNRWA’s allegations of innocence and lack of involvement with Hamas, as shown in the above link, list among other things: “The headmaster of an UNRWA school was a terrorist”; “UNRWA teachers celebrated Oct 7 massacre”; “UNRWA teacher holds hostage in attic” (reported by the Washington Examiner) and included a link to a film by David Bedein in Jenin, about UNRWA’s policies and practices.

And finally, some vehicles entering the Gaza Strip, purportedly containing humanitarian aid from outside sources, were discovered to contain another item that Hamas would find extremely helpful: surveillance drones!  I’m sure Hamas was looking forward to receiving that particular item of “humanitarian aid”.

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing!

Marvin