Shalom all,

The number of IDF members killed in action since the beginning of the ground offensive is now up to 137.

I did not write yesterday. I needed a break.

“It’s not your fault.” – It was not the kind of response that one would have expected from members of a family, whose son was one of the hostages tragically killed in a war zone in Gaza by the IDF. Iris Haim, the mother of Yotam Haim, one of the three hostages mistakenly killed during an IDF operation near Shejaiya, in a recorded message to the soldiers in the the unit that killed him, said : “I am Yotam’s mother. I wanted to tell you that I love you very much, and I hug you here from afar…I know that everything that happened is absolutely not your fault, and nobody’s fault except that of Hamas, may their name be wiped out and their memory erased from the earth…And don’t hesitate for a second if you see a terrorist…Don’t think that you killed a hostage deliberately. You have to look after yourselves because only that way can you look after us…At the first opportunity,  you are invited to come to us, whoever wants to. And we want to see you with our own eyes and hug you and tell you that what you did — however hard it is to say this, and sad — it was apparently the right thing in that moment. And nobody’s going to judge you or be angry. Not me, and not my husband Raviv. Not my daughter Noya. And not Yotam, may his memory be blessed. And not Tuval, Yotam’s brother. We love you very much. And that is all.”  That incredible statement reflects more than just compassion, understanding and forgiveness from a family dealing with the sorrow, grief and pain of loss. It expresses the spirit of the nation that recognizes that the country is at war, that the IDF has placed itself in the line of danger, risking and giving the lives of our soldiers for the sake and protection of all of Israel, so that all of our families can live out our lives and sleep in peace. It is not only a verbal expression of love, it is love in action. We salute the entire Haim family. May the memory of Yotam be blessed!

Renewed negotiations? Hamas is not interested, at least for now. – Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, in an interview with a Lebanese television channel, said on October 24th, that if given the opportunity, Hamas would repeat the October 7th attacks many times, until Israel is exterminated. We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do it twice and three times. The Al-Aqsa Deluge [the name Hamas gave its October 7 onslaught] is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth…Will we have to pay a price? Yes, and we are ready to pay it. We are called a nation of martyrs, and we are proud to sacrifice martyrs.”  Now, he told the Qatari owned media conglomerate, Al Jazeera, that the terrorist organization is not interested in another hostage release deal, even if there would be a pause in the fighting for three weeks. “Some people are looking for a small pause — a pause here and there for one week, two weeks, three weeks…But we want to stop the aggression [completely]…Because I think Israel will take the card of the hostages, and after that they will start a new round of mass killing and massacres against our people. I think we will not play this game.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday (Wednesday) that the U.S. is working to negotiate another hostage-release deal, that Israel also wants, but that “the problem is Hamas”. He added that there’s no expectation for such a deal to take place immediately, but that the U.S. is “pushing it” and hopes the discussions and negotiations “lead somewhere.” 

But, in the backdrop of attempts to negotiate another deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said earlier this week that Israel would not prematurely end the fighting in Gaza and that we would not cave in to pressure to do so, adding that media conjecture that a ceasefire is about to take place is “detached from reality.” He added, “We are continuing the war to the end. It will continue until Hamas is eliminated – until victory…Whoever thinks that we will stop is detached from reality. We will not stop the fighting until all of the goals that we have set are achieved: The elimination of Hamas, the release of our hostages and the removal of the threat from Gaza…All Hamas terrorists, from the first to the last, are dead men walking. They have only two possibilities. Surrender or die.”

So, negotiations are proceeding for another hostage exchange, that the U.S. is pushing for, with the assistance of Egypt and Qatar (who is the primary financial backer of Hamas and provided protection to senior Hamas officials still living in its territory) and with the hope that negotiations will lead somewhere. Part of the deal will undoubtedly include another ceasefire, possibly an extended one. Hamas doesn’t want partial ceasefires. It was a total cessation of hostilities and is not interested in renewing negotiations in the absence of an end to the war. Netanyahu says, “surrender or die”, and Israel will continue the war and achieve its goals. If what Netanyahu says is true, why is Israel willing to continue to negotiate? Is talk of “victory” against Hamas just another political statement that sounds good, but is empty in reality? At least one prominent columnist and author thinks so.

Daniel Pipes is the President of the Middle East Forum. In his excellent article, The Rapid Return of Israel’s Disastrous Policy, appearing in Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2024 , Pipes premises that “Understanding the mistakes that led up to the Hamas massacre provides a basis to evaluate Israel’s long-term response to that day [October 7th]” and contends that “the presumptions behind those mistakes remain in place and will not change unless Israelis adopt a radically different attitude toward the Palestinians.” He walks us through the changes in attitude, and therefore, in policy, relating to the deadly massacre that took place two and a half months ago in the communities that make up the “Gaza Envelope”. Specifically, the language of the government, as well as of the population, went from initial shouts calling for victory in seeing Hamas destroyed, to a willingness to make painful concessions in order to free the hostages, which outweighs the destruction of Hamas.
Noting that initial calls for “Victory had become a matter of consensus, or so it appeared.” He added: “But did that ferocity signify a fundamental shift in outlook or just a passing surge in emotions? Mounting evidence suggests the latter. American novelist Jack Engelhard noted in late November about the mood in Israel: ‘I am so damn depressed. … I hardly hear any talk of victory anymore.’ Indeed, the robust rhetoric of victory following Oct. 7 ended as abruptly as it began, replaced by negotiating with Hamas over terms for the release of just some of the hostages. More profoundly, Israeli officialdom and public alike showed signs of hastily reverting to the attitudes and policies that had led to Oct. 7.” Pipes points out that those policies rested on the assumption of economic benefit and that fact that Israel is strong enough to be able to make concessions.

He discussed the ill-advised first hostage deal, pointing out that despite calls to eliminate Hamas and the inability to negotiate with the evil that is Hamas. Pipes also mentioned some of the terms of the deal, as well as its implications, which included a comment from an Israeli Colonel, Shai Shabai: “Hamas’ ‘continued hold on the hostages has one object: to use endless negotiation in order to undermine the dismantling of its political and military power’.” The article went on to speak of Netanyahu’s concession to Qatar that Israel’s “Mossad would not go to the emirate to kill Hamas political leaders” residing in Qatar. But, it also specifically noted that even some family members of hostages argue that the only way to get the hostages released is to pursue Hamas “with all of our strength, without interruption and without surrendering to their demands, as if they are the victors.”

Pointing out that Israel’s mood quickly returned to business as usual, Pipes concludes his article with the following words: “This reversion also fits a much larger pattern. From 1882 until the present, the two feuding parties to this conflict have compiled extraordinary records of sterile continuity. The Palestinians maintain a mentality of rejectionism (no, no, and never to everything Jewish and Israeli), while Zionists stick to conciliation (accept us and we will enrich you). The two go around and around, hardly evolving or making progress. Change will only come when Israelis break with the traditional Zionist mentality and seek Israel Victory.” I would recommend reading the article in its entirety. It is clear and factual and definitely speaks to the situation existing today. It would be wonderful if Israel’s leadership would read it and reconsider its ways. Sometimes, we need to go back to the beginning in order to remember where we need to arrive at the end.

Finally, the media quickly jumps on every opportunity to show that some Jews are opposed to the continuation of the Gaza War and call for its end. Publicly opposing the Gaza War, and the manner in which Israel is fighting that war are counter-productive and damaging and both align with and add to the attacks of our enemies. In this regard, I would recommend a reading of Jeffrey Cahn’s blog that was reproduced yesterday in The Times of Israel. I note, in particular, Cahn’s last paragraph under point “3” of the five points mentioned in his article: “War, as they say, is hell — always. Demanding only Israel wage bloodless war is denying only Israel, and Jews, the right to defend ourselves. This double standard has a name: antisemitism. By playing into this narrative, Jews ourselves are supporting this classic antisemitic trope.”

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing,

Marvin