Before we look at the politically absurd – maddening – situation we are dealing with, I report on a terror attack that took place on Friday afternoon at a bus stop near the Re’em Masmiya Junction, near Kiryat Malachi in the northern Negev.
Two were killed: Yishai Gartner, 23, a yeshiva student from Modi’in Illit and Sergeant First Class (res.) Ori Yaish, 27, a reservist from Modi’in (on the left below).
Four others were wounded, two critically — a boy of about 16 and a man of about 65, and two moderately – a woman of about 65 and a 52-year-old man .
The terrorist, an Arab from Shuafat in eastern Jerusalem, was killed by an armed civilian. Once again, a legally armed civilian steps up to stop terror.
https://www.jns.org/terrorist-wounds-israelis-near-kiryat-malachi/
Said Prime Minister Netanyahu: “This attack reminds us that the entire country is on the frontline.”
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We all know better than to expect consistent rational, reasoned thinking in the political, diplomatic arena. There are too many diverse factors at play, too many competing motivations. But what we are seeing from the Biden Administration now is extraordinary in its irrationality. All logic – or perhaps I should say all straight talk – has been tossed aside.
Biden has declared multiple times that he supports Israel’s goal in eradicating Hamas in Gaza. Just days ago, he held an extensive phone call with Netanyahu. According to the White House readout of this conversation:
“The President reaffirmed our shared goal to see Hamas defeated and to ensure the long-term security of Israel and its people.”
Got that? “shared goal to see Hamas defeated…”
But Biden is doing his utmost to prevent Israel from defeating Hamas. We must go into the Rafah area to take out the last remaining Hamas battalions. If we don’t do this, they are not defeated.
Netanyahu says that “Not fighting in Rafah would mean losing the war; I won’t let that happen.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-february-17-2024/
Biden first attempted to stop the IDF from going into Rafah by claiming that since we had no plan to secure the safety of the civilians there, we could not go in.
Netanyahu replied that we did have a plan, with tent cities to be set up further north.
https://www.jns.org/israels-rafah-evacuation-plan-15-camps-of-25000-tents-each/
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Biden then upped his demand. On Friday he insisted that there had to be a “temporary” ceasefire to get the hostages out before the Rafah operation. “My hope and expectation is that we’ll get this hostage deal…The deal is being worked on now.”
https://www.jns.org/biden-must-be-temporary-ceasefire-before-rafah-operation/
There are several problems with this statement. First, there is no deal being worked on. Biden surely knows this. Hamas has continued to make outlandish demands that Israel will have no part of. If we are going to wait for a successful resolution of negotiations, we’ll be waiting a very, very long time.
Actually, Israel has stopped participating in the talks in Cairo because the demands by Hamas continue to be, as our prime minister said, “delusional” —complete withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza, release from our prisons of senior terrorists with blood on their hands, international guarantees that they would remain standing, etc. And now Hamas says they will stop negotiating with the US, Qatar, and Egypt.
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Add to this the fact that what Biden wants is not a “temporary” ceasefire. He has said repeatedly that he hopes a temporary ceasefire would become permanent. His statement is duplicitous.
Last week, in a press conference after meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan, he said the US was working on a hostage deal that would see a pause of at least six weeks, “which we could then [use] to build something more enduring.”
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As to the claim that only a negotiated ceasefire will secure release of the hostages, this past week the IDF put the lie to this assumption:
In the small hours of last Monday morning, in a complex operation involving the IDF, the Shin Bet and Israeli police, two hostages being held by Hamas in the heart of Rafah were rescued. Fernando Marman, 61, and Luis Norbeto Har, 70, both Argentinian-Israelis who are part of the same extended family from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, were brought out alive.
“Israeli forces entered the compound clandestinely and used explosives, heavy fire and highly intimate intelligence about the exact placement of the hostages versus their guards to rescue Marman and Har without Hamas being able to kill them first.”
Please note: they were held in the home of a “civilian.” One of the “innocent” ones, surely.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-786433
Other family members had been taken captive and were released earlier. They were taken to Sheba hospital to be checked and were greeted by grateful relatives. Luis is on the left in the picture below.
Their rescue does not mean that the IDF is now able to rush in and bring out the remaining hostages that are being held, one, two, three. But this does change the dynamic.
In addition to which, our military people keep saying that pressure on Hamas is the best way to secure release of additional hostages.
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And then, with all I have written above, there is this to be thankful for: Algeria has drafted a resolution about to be brought to the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza; a vote is expected on Tuesday.
It will be vetoed by the US. “US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the text could jeopardize ‘sensitive negotiations’ aimed at brokering a pause in the war.”
Not sure what “sensitive negotiations” she is referring to, but OK.
There are indications from a Washington Post report that the US is hoping to announce a Palestinian state right after successful negotiations for securing the hostages. Thus the great eagerness for these negotiations to succeed.
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Egypt has been solidly against a major IDF operation in Rafah, which is immediately adjacent to the border with Egypt. The fear is that civilians will break through from Rafah into the Sinai.
Now from reliable sources, we learn that that “construction work currently taking place in eastern Sinai, is intended to create a high-security gated and isolated area near the borders with Gaza strip, in preparation for the reception of Palestinian refugees in the case of the mass exodus of the citizens of Gaza Strip.”
This is not preparation for voluntarily receiving Gazan civilians – a stance that would have helped alleviate current concerns. It is in anticipation of a worst-case scenario in which the civilians break through into Gaza.
The camp will be eight square miles in size and accommodate 100,000 people, who will be prevented from moving freely elsewhere in the Sinai.
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Let us turn now to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, whose positions are even more maddening than those of Biden.
I have written repeatedly in recent days about Blinken’s comments regarding a “reformed” and “revitalized” PA, which would form the basis for a Palestinian state.
My last post addressed the fact that because of the PLO Strategy of Stages, such a “reform” would be cosmetic only.
https://arlenefromisrael.info/from-israel-what-does-the-pa-want/
But it’s much worse. Mahmoud Abbas who is chair of the PLO and acts as president of the PA, isn’t even pretending – isn’t even behaving as if he is working on positive reforms. Quite the contrary.
Abbas and other powers-that-be in the PA have announced the desire to merge with Hamas, incorporating Hamas as a faction within the PLO.
“The Palestinian Authority is inching closer to an agreement that would see Hamas terrorists become part of the Western-backed leadership in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, Arabic media outlets reported on Tuesday.
“Sources in Ramallah told Sky News Arabia that Hamas approved a three-phase plan leading to ‘complete reconciliation [with Fatah]’ and the Gaza-based terror group joining the Palestine Liberation Organization, which controls the Palestinian Authority, under a ‘unified Palestinian-Arab vision.’”
https://worldisraelnews.com/real-progress-in-unifying-hamas-and-pa-says-abbas-aide/
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There has not been a single word from Blinken about the fact that this merger would run contrary to all notions of genuine PA “reform.”
If this weren’t all so serious, we might laugh at the fact that he says Arab states are working on “revitalizing” the PA.“
Revitalizing it how? “…so it can be more effective in representing the Palestinians.”
What this apparently means is if the people in the PA areas are OK with Hamas – and polls show they are, that what Hamas did on October 7 made them proud – then it’s just fine if the leaders of the PA want to merge with Hamas.
Re-education in the PA for peace? Nah.
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As the Biden Administration is promoting the placement of the PA in Gaza at the end of the war, this would bring Hamas back in even if Israel defeated it.
Blinken is not above arm twisting in an attempt to achieve his goals. There is “an extraordinary opportunity” in the coming months for Israel to normalize ties with its Arab neighbors, he said on Saturday, at a Munich Security Conference.
“Virtually every Arab country now genuinely wants to integrate Israel into the region to normalize relations…to provide security commitments and assurances so that Israel can feel more safe.
“And there’s also, I think the imperative, that’s more urgent than ever, to proceed to a Palestinian state that also ensures the security of Israel.”
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjx8escia
Translation: Israel can have the benefit of normalization with all Arab countries including Saudi Arabia. All that is required is for Israel to recognize a Palestinian state and allow it to rule in Gaza, which will increase Israeli security.
This position represents a betrayal of Israel and puts the lie to all of Blinken’s statements delivered early on in the war regarding having our back.
It is shameful.
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Thank Heaven, then, for our clear-eyed leaders with backbone.
At today’s Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu said:
“In light of remarks that have been heard recently in the international community about an attempt to unilaterally force a Palestinian state on Israel, today I submit for government approval a declarative decision on the issue.”
The statement subsequently submitted by the prime minister was made in coordination with War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz and Cabinet Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
“Sa’ar said that the reported U.S. proposal for a ‘firm timeline’ on the creation of a Palestinian state “would be like the sacrificing of Czechoslovakia in 1938,” referring to the Munich Agreement and West’s attempted appeasement of Hitler prior to WWII and the Holocaust…
“Energy Minister Eli Cohen, who was foreign minister until last month, told Army Radio that ‘if the price of expanding [the Abraham Accords] is a Palestinian state, then I’ll give up on the peace agreements.’”
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The statement that was released says (emphasis added):
[] Israel utterly rejects international diktats regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians. A settlement, if it is to be reached, will come about solely through direct negotiations between the parties, without preconditions.
[] Israel will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. Such recognition in the wake of the October 7th massacre would be a massive and unprecedented reward to terrorism and would prevent any future peace settlement.
https://www.jns.org/cabinet-to-vote-on-measure-rejecting-intl-recognition-of-pal-state/
This was unanimously passed by the full Cabinet.
Be forewarned then about false news that has come out saying Netanyahu would agree to a Palestinian state for the sake of normalization with Saudi Arabia.
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The good news today is the fact that our leaders are holding strong. Much more soon.
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Keep praying to Heaven for Israel, my friends. Pray for the strength and wisdom of our leaders, for the safety of our soldiers, and for the rescue of our hostages. Pray with a heart filled with hope.
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© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
