Shalom all,

It’s been a while since a full post of The Week That Was went out. This was due to a “working vacation” related to our non-profit society, A Future and A Hope <afutureandahope.org.il> – whose website is presently being re-designed and updated. During the course of a month, my wife and I visited some congregations and Israel prayer groups in the United States and Canada where we met with old friends, as well as made new one. We delivered information regarding the work of the society and the situation in Israel, including an overview of why Israel is the focus of efforts to destroy her. Most of the places were receiving only minimal input about what is really happening here from places that were supposed to be media news outlets. While both of those countries have been loudly expressing concerns about the possibile expansion of Israel’s war against the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations into a regional conflict, few local television stations in those areas took the time to properly convey factual information about Middle East events. And when it actually was discussed, often it was limited to a passing blip cross the screen with a few words of what was supposed to be “news”. And sometimes, even what was mentioned was lacking in a few important essentials, such as facts. This is a sad commentary on what was once believed to be responsible journalism, which has deteriorated into manufacturing information that is interspersed with expressing opinion, instead of reporting real facts and adding a bit of commentary to them. I discovered that information about Israel was obtained from very limited sources, and taken as gospel truth, although often failing to cite the sources of the information reported and rarely containing explanatory comment or anticipated consequence of what was communicated. Like cold water to a thirsty soul is factual information to a person hungry for truth. 

A lot has happened over the course of a month. One hostage being held by Hamas was found by the IDF and freed, while the bodies of six more hostages were found by the IDF in a tunnel after they were executed by Hamas. Negotiations for the release of the hostages were on again, then off again, then on again. Increasingly larger demonstrations continued in Israel calling for the release of the hostages and pressuring the government to agree to the demands of the terrorists, whatever the cost may be. Demonstrations against Israel continued in places around the world, accusing Israel of every evil under the sun, while ignoring the responsibility of the monstrous evil that is called “Hamas” that prompted the present war. The Israeli air force destroyed thousands of rocket launchers in a pre-emptive attack in Lebanon, which prevented a massive missile attack against Israeli targets. Iranian weapon-manufacturing facilities were destroyed in Syria. Car rammings and car bombs continued in Israel. Fighting in Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank” of the Jordan River) intensified. Missile barrages and weaponized drones continue unabated from the Hezbollah affecting more and more communities in the north of Israel. And Turkey is chomping at the bit to get involved in the present distress of the Middle East. And more…

And while many in the world condemn Israel for its actions on the battlefield, even some of its “fair weathered friends”, others have a more seasoned perspective, noting that Israel’s war with Hamas is justified, but is complicated by the hostage issue. As noted in today’s The Jerusalem Post, a delegation of “high-ranking” foreign, military officials from various countries, seasoned veterans of modern conflicts, visited Israel. They got the facts and “gained rare insight into Israel’s military operations”, which “provided them with a direct understanding of the challenges Israel faces.” The above article quoted a former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan, Colonel Richard Kemp: “There’s no question that this war Israel is fighting in Gaza is probably the most complex battlefield any army has ever fought on…You have to consider the dense population and the extensive preparations Hamas has made over decades, including a vast network of tunnels. The large number of hostages held by Hamas also complicates the situation.” 

Retired Delta Force Lt. Col. Jeff Tiegs reported that they saw some of the Hamas tunnel network and that the IDF was drilling to locate more tunnels. His heart was broken when he saw an area that could have the site of a beautiful hotel, were it not for the devastation of Gaza over the last twenty years. He described the failure to develop Gaza economically as “a crime against humanity”.

Col. Tiegs was clear in expressing his opinion that Israel has to keep the pressure on Hamas until we break through and are able to recover the hostages, but noted that the urgency of saving the hostages has a higher priority than the defeating of Hamas. He added that part of the ruthlessness of Hamas’ strategy of warfare atrocity is “the barbarism of assassinating [the] hostages…It’s like a ‘Sophie’s choice’ for the Israeli army—an impossible decision between two objectives.”  

The conclusion of the group of military veterans could probably best be summarized by the statement of former British Army officer, Maj. Andrew Fox, who now serves as senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst: “The events of October 7 justified the war. But the hostage situation complicates things. It’s an inherent paradox between defeating Hamas and rescuing the hostages. It may come down to choosing one.”(emphasis mine). That’s exactly what I have been contending from the outset of the Gaza War. We cannot exert 100% to both of those efforts. One has to give way to the other. Put another way – Which choice is the one that will be for the greater good of the nation and people of Israel? Defeating a ruthless, totally immoral enemy that is committed to the destruction of Israel, knowing that another one will eventually raise up to take its place, or trying to negotiate for the release of the hostages (Israel’s weak spot) in stages, in the hope of returning all who remain alive (with no guarantee that they will all be returned), in exchange for releasing terrorists, who are serving multiple life sentences for the planning and murder of hundreds of Israels? Both are fraught with danger. The present leader of Hamas was included in the “trade” of over 1,000 prisoners for one Israeli soldier. Israel needs Solomonic wisdom.

The rest of the above article touches on the situation with Hezbollah, as well as the growing violence in the area of the “Palestinian” Authority with “car bombs, IEDs [improvised explosive devices], and weapons” and the concern by the IDF over the possibility of a third Intifada. It is worth the read.

While eyes are focused on Israel and her actions, Iran and its proxies are getting minimal condemnation. Hamas puts the people of Gaza at risk, using them as human shields and placing its weapons, as well as its command centers, in the middle of what are supposed to be humanitarian “safe zones”. The strings to the puppets of the 3-H Club (Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis) are being pulled by Iran, who is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and is, more or less, getting a free pass. Israel is learning, although it took a long time for her to be educated, that slowly slowly, it will end up standing alone against Iran. Our “friends and allies” speak of their support of Israel against terrorism. But, instead of acting against Iran, the greatest terrorist entity in the world, our friend and ally who spoke of an unbreakable bond between Israel and the U.S. is releasing an estimated $100 billion (yes, billion) that will undoubtedly be used to continue its terrorism against Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, as well as the US. There are none so blind as those who will not see. And what about Iran’s fraternal twin brother, Qatar, who is the major financial benefactor of Hamas to the tune of some $6 billion, not to mention its financial involvement in anti-Israel demonstrations on university campuses? It is difficult to explain Israel’s decision to allow Qatar to serve as chief negotiator with Hamas. Qatar’s press releases refer to renewed “cease-fire negotiations”, whereas Israel’s press releases refer to renewed “hostage release negotiations”. Are we not paying attention to the emphasis placed on words? Apparently not. If the U.S. and other militarily-strong countries do not act quickly against Iran and Qatar, just to name a few, we’ll wake up one morning with a nuclear Iran and then we’ll ask each other how we could have missed the writings on the wall. By then, it will be too late. The present Gaza War can end quickly and Hamas will be forced to yield, if the sources of its funding are cut off. This is where Israel’s “friends and allies” can make the greatest contribution to ending the war. As Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said during his interview on Fox News two weeks ago while speaking about the murder by Hamas of American-Israel Hersh Goldberg-Polin: “He was murdered by Hamas. Hamas [couldn’t] care less about the hostages or the Palestinians. And if you want the hostages home, which we all do, you have to increase the cost to Iran…Iran is the Great Satan here. Hamas is the junior partner. They’re barbaric, religious Nazis, Hamas…They [couldn’t] care less about the Palestinian people. I would urge the Biden administration and Israel to hold Iran accountable for the fate of remaining hostages, and put on the target list oil refineries in Iran if the hostages are not released.” He got it right. Hurt them economically and the fallout will reach Iran’s proxies in the Middle East.

The war in the north continues unabated. Hezbollah has unleashed dozens of missiles throughout the entire day and mushroom clouds were seen even over the Sea of Galilee. Sirens blared in most of the northern cities and towns. Hezbollah’s “support” of Hamas began on October 8th, one day after the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people in the Gaza Envelope and took over 250 people hostage. As a result of the steady bombardment, tens of thousands of residents in northern communities had to vacate their homes and are living in temporary residents. They wonder how long they will continue to be refugees in their own land. According to an article in The Times of Israel today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is expected to bring a motion before the security cabinet on Sunday to make their return back home an official war goal.” But, it is not clear whether this “official war goal” is related to the present Gaza War, or the expected land operation against Hezbollah. 

In this latter regard, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, speaking to members of the IDF in the north following an operation simulating ground combat in Lebanon three days ago, said here and here: “The center of gravity is shifting to the north. While we are wrapping up our missions in the South, an important task remains in the North: to restore security and allow residents to return to their homes…In the South, I gave the order to proceed after three weeks. The same will happen here, and you must be ready to execute that mission when the time comes…This arrow is ready to be fired, and we will know when to release it…Use this time wisely to prepare.” And as Israel expresses readiness for a ground operation against Hezbollah, the terrorist organization, that has entered the fray in support of Hamas, is, apparently, now treating that readiness as an “existential” threat. That could well be one of the main reasons why it has launched unrelenting missile attacks to northern Israel throughout the course of the day. There is no doubt that the situation is escalating, not only with words, but with action as well.

Notwithstanding the multi-faceted military engagements that occupy our attention almost a year after October 7th, Israel is still doing what it does best – coming up with ideas, inventions and discoveries that will be of benefit to all mankind. This time it is the development of a system that will extract clean water from the air. You can read briefly here.

There are times when we simply don’t know in which direction to turn or how to deal with situations that are beyond our understanding or control. At such times, our best solution is to remember the words of the Psalmist: 

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth…He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper…The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. (from Psalm 121)

And above all, remember: Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.

Marvin