Shalom all,

The number of IDF members killed in action since the beginning of the ground offensive is now up to 127.

Will we negotiate or will we not negotiate? That is the Question. It appears that the rumors flying around are correct and that attempts are being made to get new negotiations started. But, and there is always a “but”, Israel will not be negotiating from strength or from an equal bargaining position. 

Apparently, following initials contacts to see whether renewed negotiations for a hostage-release deal is even possible, Reuters reported yesterday, in part: “Two Egyptian security sources said on Sunday that Israel and Hamas are both open to a renewed ceasefire and hostage release, although disagreements remain on how it would be implemented. Egypt and Qatar, which had previously negotiated a week-long ceasefire and hostage release, insisted on expediting aid and the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing before any negotiations could begin…An Israeli official said aid had been allowed to enter Gaza, after Egyptian sources initially said it had been held up…Hamas is insisting on setting the list of hostages to be released unilaterally, and demanding that Israeli forces withdraw behind pre-determined lines…While Israel agreed on Hamas setting the sources said, it demanded a timeline and to see the list before setting the time and duration of the ceasefire [adding], Israel refuses to withdraw [and] Hamas says a complete ceasefire is a prerequisite to hostage release.” According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, referred to by The Times of Israel : The present “talks ‘are just the beginning’ and that the process would be ‘long, difficult and complicated’.”  

Aside from allowing Hamas to pick and choose whom to release, the above article continued that Israel is looking for the return of “elderly and sick men and the remaining women and children”, and has not “ruled out the possibility of offering to release more significant Palestinian prisoners, including those convicted of killing Israelis in terror attacks or masterminding them, if this leads to a significant deal”. 

The problems of the next negotiations, if, in fact, they will take place, elevate the position of Hamas. IT DECIDES who will be returned, even though Israel wants a timetable and a list of those to be released before any potential ceasefire takes place. Hamas breached the prior deal by refusing to provide a list of the women who were supposed to be released. It wanted to release some men and even some corpses. Israel refused to allow it to breach the agreement with impunity and followed through on its promise to renew military action. If Israel wants the remaining women and children, as well as the sick and elderly, but Hamas has the right to decide who it will release, then Israel’s wishes can be totally ignored. A family of four, including a ten-month old baby, can still be held hostage (even though Hamas claims that they were all killed when Israel bombed certain locations in Gaza). Moreover, and more importantly, we are setting ourselves up for yet an additional hostage release fiasco, maybe even two ore more. The next negotiations ARE NOT INTENDED to BRING THEM ALL HOME, NOW. There is little doubt that the soldiers, whoever is still alive, will be the last to be released, if at all. The leaders of Hamas realize that when ALL of the hostages are returned to us, it will lose the playing card that keeps Israel from pulling out all the stop to complete its mission of eliminating Hamas, wherever its leaders may be found.

War according to the Biden timetable. Is the Biden Administration pressuring Israel to end the Gaza War? Some say “yes”, the Biden Administration says “no”. U.S. officials, unnamed of course, reported that President Joe Biden gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until January 1, 2024, to wrap up the war. An article in World Israel News essentially presents a summary of the meeting that took place between Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser for the White House, and Prime Minister Netanyahu. The summary was reported by U.S. National Security Council Spokesman, John Kirby.
As Kirby relates it

:1.   Last Thursday, prior to the above meeting, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Jake Sullivan that the war would last for “more than several months”.

2.   Sullivan and Netanyahu spoke about “the next phase of Israel’s military campaign”.

3.   They also spoke about “efforts Israel is now undertaking to be more surgical and precise in their targeting and efforts that are taking to help increase the flow of aid”.

4.   Also discussed was the concern of the Biden Administration over the number of casualties of the war that have been reported by Hamas’s Health Ministry, notwithstanding that the numbers reported have not been independently verified.

5.   Then there is the goal that is stated in general, political terms, which the layman needs to have deciphered. “Kirby said that the Biden Administration would like to see a transition from ‘high-intensity clearance operations, which are ongoing now, to ultimately lower-intensity focus on high-value targets, intelligence-driven raids and those sorts of more-narrow surgical military objectives’.”  Would someone like to clarify exactly what message that statement is intended to convey? Are the “high-value targets” referring to Hamas leadership abroad that Israel should do away with, then declare victory and walk away, leaving Hamas alive and kicking? It will be like Israel declaring that evil wins and that there is finally a war that we cannot win decisively, particularly when that evil threatens our existence.

Obviously, any request or demand to finish the Gaza War by New Year’s Eve is a pipe dream. We will not be singing, “Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind.” Hamas is playing for time, hoping that the U.S. will substantially cease its support of Israel if Israel does not cease the war by the end of the year. Friends don’t pressure their friends to endanger themselves, their families, their communities and their nation. Or do they? I have often said that the problem with politics is, simply, politicians. And it seems that the self-serving nature of politics is alive and well in the “unbreakable” alliance that Israel and the U.S. share. But, is what is supposed to be “unbreakable”, actually “breakable”?

The answer would apparently be a reluctant “yes”. If asked why, the answer would be simply, “politics”.
Publicly declaring a deadline for the ending of the present war is a polite, but arrogant, way of telling Israel that it should cease from pursuing the goal of defeating Hamas. And, for that matter, Israel should not make too much of an effort to protect itself from Iran and its other two proxies, the Hezbollah terrorist organization and its cousin, the Yemeni Houthis. The three Iranian proxies affect major areas of concern for Israel – Gaza, Lebanon and the Red Sea.

Caroline B. Glick is well-known to the vast supporters of Israel around the world for her clarity and insight regarding Israel and what concerns Israel. In her article in Jewish News Syndicate entitled, Standing up to the American colossus , Glick deals with all three of the major threats against Israel and raises a significantly relevant question to events unfolding before our eyes:

“Why is the United States leveraging its position as Israel’s primary arms supplier and diplomatic shield at the United Nations—that is, its position as Israel’s ally—to compel an Israeli military defeat at the hands of Iran and its proxies, in a war that Israel rightly views as an existential conflict just as fateful as its 1948 War of Independence?

“The answer is politics.

“As the war in Gaza has progressed, President Biden’s political problems have multiplied. To win next November, Biden needs to secure the coalition of Democrats and Independents that elected him. But that coalition is split over the war. Most Independents support Israel. But according to a Wall Street Journal poll, 25% of Democrats support Hamas over Israel and only 17% of Democrats support Israel over Hamas. (Forty-eight percent of Democrats support Israel and Hamas equally). To win the election, Biden needs to rebuild his coalition and he can only do this by ending the war. And he can only end the war by forcing Israel to stand down, and so lose.

“Israel doesn’t have to accept this state of affairs. According to a Harvard/Harris poll, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enjoys significantly more public support in the United States than Biden himself. Israel itself is supported broadly by 81% of Americans. The Harvard/Harris polling data has several internal contradictions, but the thrust of the data makes clear that Israel enjoys the support of a broad cross section of American society, including key Biden constituencies.

“If Israel stands its ground and refuses to buckle to the administration’s bullying tactics, and if Netanyahu explains Israel’s position in a way the American public can understand, it will be able to maintain the support of the majority of Americans for its war effort and compel the Biden administration to stand with the Jewish state as we prosecute this life and death struggle to victory.”

Well said, Carolyn. Now, do Uncle Izzy’s leaders have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to Uncle Sam’s bullying? They don’t have to draw back in docile submission. They don’t need to be anxious. There is One who says, “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen.” (Isaiah 65:24). He longs to be gracious to us (Isaiah 30:18). We remain the people of His pasture and He is the Great Shepherd of the sheep. If only Israel would turn and ask Him for help.

The Dry Bones Blog – 18 December, 2023

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.

Marvin