Shalom all,

The number of IDF deaths since the beginning of the ground offensive has now reached 247. The total number of IDF deaths since October 7th stands at 587. We still don’t know how many hostages are still alive or who they are.

Hostage negotiations stalled, again, and Hamas doesn’t know where the hostages are. During the last round of talks just over a week ago, Israel demanded that Hamas provide a list of the hostages that are still alive. The representatives of Hamas balked at the request. As a result, Israel refused to continue in the talks. But, this past Monday, there was suddenly an apparent willingness on Israel’s part to agree to the basic terms laid out by the Egyptian, Qatari and U.S. participants in the negotiations. What was needed was the consent of Hamas. And then came the bombshell! Basic Naim, a political official of Hamas, who was interviewed by the BBC, said that Hamas didn’t provide a list of living hostages because it doesn’t know who they all are and where they all are. In his words, “We didn’t until now submit any list. But first of all, technically and practically, it is now impossible to know exactly who is still alive and who has been killed because of the Israeli bombardment or who has been killed because of starvation because of the Israeli blockade…[adding that the hostages] are in different areas with different groups and therefore we have called for a ceasefire to be able to collect the data.” He repeated that Hamas would not agree to conclude a hostage release / prisoner swap without an end to the war and a complete withdrawal of IDF troops from Gaza. The rhetoric of Hamas officials continues to blame Israel for the deaths of hostages. The representative added a new, absurd claim, that hostages died from starvation “because of the Israeli blockage”. This is an insult to everyone with even half a brain, like the Hamasnikim. Why is it that only the hostages have died from starvation, but Hamas fighters and officials apparently never go hungry? Multitudes of humanitarian aid trucks have been pouring into Gaza, but they are taken over by Hamas terrorists, and others, at gunpoint. Lest we forget, there is no humanity exhibited by Hamas. Their concerns are from first to last the members of Hamas and the continuing existence of their terrorist organization. We should not be surprised that they don’t have any real concern for the well-being of the hostages, but use them as pawns for negotiation. 

At 18:30 this evening (6:30 p.m.), Hamas announced that in addition to the three hostages who were reported to have been killed last week, another four male hostages were reportedly killed, with Hamas blaming their deaths on Israel. The numbers of hostages continues to dwindle, 2, 3 and 4 at a time. More statistics to be added to the massacre committed by Hamas on October 7th. One can only imagine what is happening with the 19 women and, particularly, the soldiers, who remain in Hamas captivity. Hamas has consistently refused to allow the International Red Cross to visit the hostages and to provide much-needed medical assistance to some of them. Although the families of the named hostages were informed by the IDF, Israel claims that the report of Hamas is psychological warfare and that there is no proof of the deaths that were reported.

In an article in The Times of Israel and in the Ynet News site in Hebrew today, Vice President Kamala Harris did it again, apparently parroting the present policy line of the Biden administration. She was interviewed today by the American CBS and was asked to differentiate between the government policy and the people of Israel, while being questioned whether Israel would be endanger if the U.S. ceased providing military aid to Israel. Her response was: “It’s important for us to distinguish or at least not conflate the Israeli government with the Israeli people. The Israeli people are entitled to security – as are the Palestinians. In equal measure…And our work as always as the United States is to do what we must, and what we always have, to stand for the security of Israel and its people, and also to do what we have done behind closed doors and in public around forcing a better path forward in terms of what’s happening currently in Gaza.” She added: “This conflict has to end as soon as possible, and how it does so matters. We need the hostages out, we need humanitarian aid to so in and ultimately we need a two-state solution.”  The Hebrew site has minor variations of Harris’ comments. 

The Dry Bones Blog – 8 March, 2024

There is a sense of single-minded blindness that has gripped the members of the Biden administration, who think that a two-state solution is really a solution that will bring about peace and harmony between Israel and so-called “Palestinians”, who are less interested in having their own state than they are about removing the State of Israel from the land of Israel. There is an old saying that “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” It is, indeed, difficult to try to force understanding on someone who chooses to remain ignorant. 

The senior policy makers in the U.S., along with those in many other countries, either failed to pay attention in their classes that discussed the history of the Middle East, or they willfully choose to ignore such history and even try to deny it. Establishing a “Palestinian” state alongside Israel is doomed from the start. Israel will never willingly agree to cut away its heartland and give it to an enemy that is sworn to Israel’s destruction. Apparently, the U.S. and other countries that are pushing for the establishment of a “Palestinian” state totally ignore what the criteria are for recognition of a people group as a state, none of which exist regarding the people in Gaza or those living under the “Palestinian” Authority in the Biblical areas of Judea and Samaria, commonly referred to as “The West Bank” (of the Jordan River). This has been reported in previous posts and may be discussed again in future posts, but need not in this one. 

From the “Palestinian” perspective, all of the land that constitutes the State of Israel is “occupied”. This ideology stems from the Islamic belief that any soil where Islam has placed its foot becomes holy to Islam, even if the Islamic presence is later removed. So, the chant “From the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea” is a call for the elimination of the State of Israel, which would, from an Islamic point of view, cleanse the land and make it ready for the appearance of the “Mahdi”, or the messianic savior in Islam. 

The fantasy of a two-state solution will only serve to bring an enemy closer to our doorstep and give it legitimacy as a nation-state, with all of the privileges that such an entity would possess. To say that it would pose a greater danger to Israel than that presently existing would be an understatement.
Ron Dermer, a member of the War Cabinet and Minister of Strategic Affairs, and former Ambassador to the United States, in an interview with Jewish News Syndicate, stated, in part: “Anybody talking about a Palestinian state right now is living on another planet because it will be the greatest reward for terrorism. That the international community will reward somebody for doing what was done on Oct. 7; would be a complete disaster. If tomorrow, there would be a Palestinian state, it would be a clear and present danger to the Jewish state.” The interview is worth reading.

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan is literally around the corner. Initial considerations for restricting access to the Temple Mount have fallen by the wayside. The government of Israel has caved into international pressure to allow the Temple Mount to remain open for worshippers, without “major” restrictions. Threats of an all-out holy war have, apparently, succeeded to convince Israel that the last thing we need right now is an expanded holy war with presently uninvolved players. This is clearly a reversal of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plans expressed last month, which were intended to put limitations on visitation to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.  In the words of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir: “Hamas’ celebrations on the Temple Mount = total victory”. He also indicated in a separate statement: “The decision to permit visits to the Temple Mount during Ramadan similar to past years, against the recommendation of the police and against my advice, shows that Prime Minister Netanyahu and the mini-cabinet think that nothing happened on the 7th of October. This decision threatens the security of Israel’s citizens.”   Disruptions in and around the Temple Mount during Ramadan will clearly make a presently bad situation considerably worse, which appears to be one of the goals of Hamas.

We will soon see how this works out. Past experience shows that even in the best of times, the month of Ramadan is problematic and can easily become a spark that ignites the entire region.

Did you know that there is a UN sexual violence envoy? Apparently, the formal title is: “UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict”. Well, that representative, Pramila Patten, led a special mission team through Israel and reported that there was “clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment has been committed against hostages.” She called on Hamas to “immediately and unconditionally release all individuals held in captivity and to ensure their protection, including from sexual violence.” In presenting her findings to a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York, Ms. Patten added that there are “’reasonable grounds’ to believe that such violence is still ongoing against those hostages still in captivity in Gaza.”  The above article noted the response of Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN: “It took the UN five months to finally recognize the horrifying sex crimes that occurred during the Hamas on onslaught of October 7,” Erdan said in a statement. “Now that the report of the sexual atrocities and abuse that our hostages are going through in Gaza is being released, the shame of the silence of the UN — which is not even holding one hearing on the issue — is crying out to the heavens.” Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, voiced strong opposition to the failure of the Secretary-General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, for the failure to call a meeting of the Security Council “to declare Hamas a terror group and place sanctions on its supporters”, adding that Guterres did not say even “one word” over the report of the sexual atrocities, concluding with: “Guterres, wake up.” The time has come for not only Guterres, but for the rest of the world to consider whether the UN has any socially-redeeming value in world affairs today.

I am aware that the news media in many locations fail to give an accurate account of what is happening here. So, for those who may still question whether or not the Hezbollah terrorist organization is actively engaged in military conflict with Israel, I am attaching a link to some of the fireworks that took place in the north of Israel this past Wednesday. The situation may soon get worse, as it was reported that the grandson of Hassan Narallah, the Secretary-General of the Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon earlier this week. And Ramadan begins tomorrow night (Sunday, March 10, 2024) and will continue until Tuesday, April 9th. We certainly live in interesting times.

May your week be safe and remember: Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.
Marvin