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In my last posting I examined changes in the Middle East – in the main brought about by Israeli actions – that offer real hope for better days ahead. What I wrote still stands. Assad is gone in Syria; Hamas and Hezbollah are substantially weakened, as is Iran.
However, as I observed in that posting, these changes do not mean we are home free. If only! The truth, of course, is that we must still grapple with a variety of problematic situations.
And as we consider them, it’s often difficult not to conclude that we are dealing with a world gone mad.
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We begin with this, which truly has the mark of lunacy about it:
Prime Minister Netanyahu will not be attending the ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz because of the likelihood that the Polish government would arrest him in accordance with the order issued by the International Criminal Court. That order was issued because the Court had decided that there were “reasonable grounds” to conclude that Netanyahu had committed “war crimes” in Gaza.
Herb Keinon commented cogently on this situation (emphasis added):
“…Think of that: Poland, upon whose soil millions of Jews were killed, would detain the leader of the Jewish state for taking actions to protect the country from those seeking to destroy it. And this is based on an arrest warrant issued by a court that lacks jurisdiction over Israel.
“The moral bankruptcy here would be staggering.”
He then cited Netanyahu’s words at a commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz here in Jerusalem four years ago:
“Auschwitz and Jerusalem. An abyss and a peak. Auschwitz, extermination; Jerusalem, revival. Auschwitz, enslavement; Jerusalem, freedom. Auschwitz, death; Jerusalem, life.
“Auschwitz…is also the ultimate symbol of Jewish powerlessness. It is the culmination of what can happen when our people have no voice, no land, no shield.
“Today, we have a voice, we have a land, and we have a shield. Today, our voice is heard…”
However, observed Keinon, “if…Poland would seriously consider arresting Netanyahu, then it would mean that Israel’s leader would not have a voice at an event commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz. The irony of that would be astounding, undermining the very purpose of the commemoration and underlining how both historical truth and present-day truth – in Orwellian fashion – have been flipped on their head.” (Emphasis added)
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-834495
There we are: truth flipped on its head.
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There is a time for standing up to do what is right, and now is such a time, writ large. Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán immediately said Netanyahu would not be arrested in his country.
A meagre handful of others, motivated by political considerations, followed half-heartedly: France, Italy. Those many others who would arrest our head of state should hang their heads in shame.
I am picking up different reports regarding whether it will be Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar who will represent Israel at this event, or Education Minister Yoav Kisch. President Herzog will not be going. Keinon suggests that it would be most appropriate if Israel sent no one. Good thought.
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Then there is the matter of a nativity scene that was set up in the Vatican, which included baby Jesus resting on a keffiyeh, which is the symbol of Palestinian Arab resistance. It had been gifted by the Palestinian Higher Committee of Churches Affairs and its intent, of course, was to show Jesus as a Palestinian.
Pope Francis prayed before this nativity scene before it was taken down by the Vatican in the face of wide-spread objections. This is not, in my opinion, a minor incident. It represents a basic falsification of Jewish history intended to minimize Jewish presence in the Land. It is, quite simply, an outrage.
David Parsons, senior vice president and spokesman for the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, has written an article that effectively addresses the seriousness of this historical distortion.
“This crèche not only denigrated Jewish heritage, it also undermined core tenets of the Christian faith…the manufactured lie of a ‘Palestinian Jesus’ must be discarded completely, as it is a deceptive narrative…”
https://www.jns.org/vatican-reversal-on-nativity-display-is-a-setback-for-palestinian-jesus/
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Nor should we neglect mention here of the fact that Israeli Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ronen recently made a surprise visit to Ofer Prison to assess the conditions of security prisoners held there – terrorists [Nukhba] who attacked on October 7.
Minister of Housing Yitzhak Goldknopf (head, United Torah Judaism) had it right when he stated, “As long as our brothers and sisters are suffering from cold and poor conditions in Hamas captivity without the Red Cross visits, the State of Israel should not allow visits to check the conditions of the Hamas monsters imprisoned in Israel.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/400730
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has responsibility for conditions in the prisons, was appropriately outraged when the Supreme Court, in response to a petition from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), raised questions about what is provided to these terrorist prisoners. He made it clear that under his leadership the Prison Service provides the minimum legally mandated, marking the end of the “era of feasts.” “The Supreme Court,” he declared, “has become the guardian of these Nukhba scoundrels who slaughtered, raped, burned and kidnapped our sons and daughters.”
This is lunacy of a particularly troublesome nature because it occurred from inside of Israel. And not just inside, but from a major institution. It is a reflection of a pathetic left-wing mentality (most definitely not a majority opinion in the country.)
Most of these terrorists would likely have been killed on capture if not for the fact that they were held in order to secure intelligence when interrogated. And, indeed, often intelligence was secured. So, we give them beds and basic food. It is my understanding that ultimately many of them will be tried.
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More troubling than all of the above, I believe, is the situation regarding the hostages held by Hamas. On October 7, 251 hostages were taken, including young children. At present, it is said that they are holding 100, only some of whom are alive.
As my readers are aware, there are negotiations going on – reportedly for the release of women, children, and those over 50, not for all those held in captivity. Specifics are unclear, which is as it should be. For, among the many problems I am seeing is a tendency on the part of media to report on “details” that turn out to be inaccurate. Netanyahu has urged people to rely only on official government sources. In any event, as the negotiations are in process, it is premature to report details. This is a situation in flux.
The result of the inaccurate reporting is not just confusion but in some cases the raising of false hopes. It is not just media sources, but in some instances also government officials who have been responsible for this. We are told that Hamas is more forthcoming than ever, that perhaps 80% of the issues have been resolved, that it’s looking fairly hopeful, etc.
But that does not mean Hamas will in the end agree to terms that are acceptable to Israel, or that the outstanding 20% of unresolved issues can be sufficiently dealt with. Apparently, Hamas has yet to even supply a list of the live hostages who would be released. Without this, nothing will happen.
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It is difficult to imagine the suffering endured by the families of those held in captivity, as their hopes are raised and then dashed. My heart is with them.
And yet, the response of many of these families and those who support them has been counterproductive. I cite here the opinion of Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Yisrael (Robert) Aumann, one of the world’s leading experts on Game Theory (emphasis added).
“I don’t know all of the details of the deal, but it doesn’t sound good to me. This whole campaign that we have seen since October 7th is in my opinion very negative and raises the price of the hostages. You aren’t supposed to raise the price yourself and make the deal impossible.
“If we sign now on a deal with their conditions, which includes dozens of terrorists in exchange for one hostage, who can go and kill more Jews, they will also demand that we surrender in the war and withdraw from Gaza and the Philadelphi Corridor and that will cause more wars in the future.
“The conditions themselves will cause many more casualties. For Gilad Shalit, they made a deal, and there was a lot of pressure to make it. Thank G-d we got him back but we paid with hundreds of other losses and in fact, the current war is the result of that deal. [Sinwar and others involved were released for Shalit.]
“…what’s especially infuriating are the signs that we see on the streets. What is this question: ‘If it were your father?’ The state has to care not only about a specific father but for all our fathers and children. Not only for the hostages.
“We have to embrace the hostages’ families, care for them, console them, love, and embrace them, but we cannot sacrifice ten times more abductees for those who were already abducted. Game theory is based on an incentive. We want to give the other players incentives to do what’s good for us. Here we’re giving the other side incentives to do what’s bad for us.”
Put simply, families of the hostages and their supporters go out on the street and insist that Netanyahu stop the war now, as Hamas demands, in order to get the hostages back. Hamas sees this and perceives that Netanyahu’s position has been weakened by the protests and holds out for more.
But surrendering in this fashion will bring deaths to more people in the future than those whose lives might be saved in the deal.
It is a deplorable, untenable situation because we are dealing with subhumans without conscience who use our people as pawns. That’s why they took hostages: to have bargaining pawns.
We are doing well in Gaza: Hamas is failing. To stop now, withdrawing from Gaza and making it possible for Hamas to regroup and once again secure smuggled weapons – because that is the only possible way to secure the release of all of the hostages – would be a mistake of very considerable proportions.
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Netanyahu has said it many times before and reiterated his position last Friday: “I’m not going to agree to end the war before we remove Hamas. We’re not going to leave them in power in Gaza, 50 miles from Tel Aviv. It’s not going to happen.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/401074
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I find a recent statement by Benny Gantz deplorable: “Whenever the negotiations start working, Netanyahu works against the negotiations. Netanyahu, you have no mandate to once again scuttle the return of our hostages for political reasons. Recovering the hostages is the right thing for our security, humanity, and national pride.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/401121
He’s wrong, of course. The right thing for our security, our humanity and national pride is eradicating the terrorist entity that massacred 1,200 of our people and swears they will do it again and again. Has his thinking become so left-wing that he imagines if we are nice to Hamas, and allow them to remain standing, they will be good to us?
He accuses Netanyahu of acting for political reasons. But consider this: a recent poll indicates that Netanyahu’s Likud party is gaining strength, in good part at the expense of Gantz’s National Unity Party.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/400708
Is it possible, just maybe, that Gantz’s attack on Netanyahu was motivated by political considerations? Sigh…
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I end today with a delightful, on-the-mark cartoon by Ya’akov Kirschen that echoes my theme of lunacies.
A great deal more to consider very soon.
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Please, pray with a full heart…
[] for the safety of the Jewish People everywhere,
[] for the continued strength and courage of Israel’s leaders as they make the hard decisions,
[] for the safety of our soldiers in battle as they fight a righteous war,
[] and for the rescue of the hostages.
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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.
