Important information. Please read this to the end and share broadly.
On Saturday, Hamas released four more hostages – four brave women soldiers who had served border lookout functions near Gaza:
Yes, there was great joy in the nation at their release. Yes, I watched pictures and videos of their reunions with their parents, and I cried. One would have to be made of stone not to be moved.
See the first 1:45 minutes of this video for the reunions of all four:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYLT9IYAgFE
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But the emotional dissonance roiling inside of me was so great that tears threated to well up, as well, for all that was wrong with the deal that brought them out. How did we get here, I asked myself, and where are we going?
How did we go from threats against Hamas made by Trump before his inauguration to the pressure that was subsequently put on Israel, and not Hamas, by Trump’s “excellent negotiator” Steve Witkoff? I will have a great deal more to say about him below, none of it pretty.
Had strong pressure been applied to Hamas, we might have gotten these young soldiers out at a far lower cost. Or no cost, were Hamas sufficiently frightened.
As it was, the “cost” was 50 terrorists from our prisons for each hostage. That is, 200 terrorists released to bring out four soldiers. The price of civilians is “cheaper”: 30 terrorists freed for each hostage returned. This is not simply ugly, it’s obscene.
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I do not believe Trump is anti-Israel or seeks to harm Israel. He’s done some very good things for Israel. In his first term certainly, with moving the Embassy to Jerusalem and much more. And now, lifting sanctions that Biden had placed on some Jews in Judea & Samaria, and lifting a partial embargo that Biden had placed on weapons to Israel – including 2,000-pound bombs.
But he is not ideologically a supporter of Israel. He is a deal-maker with a hugely inflated ego who will advance situations that he believes enhance his reputation. The impact on Israel becomes irrelevant in this diplomatic calculus. What we have seen with the push on us for a ceasefire before the inauguration is merely a hint of what we will probably have to contend with going forward.
Deals cannot be made with terrorists/Islamists – with those advancing evil ends. Not deals that will hold. Their ethic allows, even encourages, breaking a deal if it serves their ends. Hamas has already broken the deal with regard to who was released this past Saturday (more on this below).
To rush into such deals is a major diplomatic/strategic error, an approach that is short-sighted. Trump may feel it enhances his reputation as a “peacemaker” when a deal is concluded that he can take credit for. But he fails to consider the repercussions down the road, when it may turn out that he was no “peacemaker” at all.
I am particularly mindful of this right now with regard to Iran. Trump is seen by many analysts as a “transactionalist.” What some had concluded (I was among them) was that Netanyahu might have reluctantly, painfully decided that if we swallowed the bitter pill of the truce with Hamas, a grateful Trump would then agree to assisting Israel in attacking Iran – and taking down Iran had the priority.
But we can no longer assume this to be the case:
Last Thursday, a journalist asked Trump about assisting Israel in attacking Iran. His response:
“It would really be nice if that could be worked out without having to go that further step. Hopefully that can be worked out. Iran hopefully will make a deal…” He indicated that Witkoff, a “really good negotiator,” would be deeply involved here. (Emphasis added)
I read this, and thought, Heaven help us!! He is considering a deal with Iran to enhance his role as a “peacemaker,” and thus sidestepping the need for military attack. But how oblivious to the realities can he be? Iran cheated in the course of the deal that Obama had struck and has continued to cheat in terms of moving ahead with nuclear development. Does Trump really believe that Witkoff might be capable of structuring a deal with Iran that could hold? Or has he not even thought about it seriously?
Should Iran develop a nuclear weapon it would be too late to say, oops, the deal wasn’t good. There is no wiggle room here, and this is a very dangerous situation.
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What redeems this situation is Israel’s response. In a congratulatory letter to new US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz (pictured) wrote:
“Iran and its partners continue to threaten… regional and global stability. The upcoming months present us with challenges that require military readiness and opportunities that allow us to further our strategic goals.”
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-839300
Katz was implying that Israel was preparing to hit Iran. He certainly suggested in the letter that US cooperation would be appreciated: “I am confident that together we can succeed, creating long-term stability and a better future for the region.” But in no way did he condition our readiness to act on a nod from the US. We would do what we deemed was proper to do. And notice that he spoke about “long-term stability.”
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There is another, more immediate instance in which Israel has signaled an important determination to act independently as needed for our national security:
The ceasefire deal in Lebanon has come to an end. The IDF has been operating in south Lebanon during the two months of the deal, cleaning out caches of Hezbollah weapons and working to drive Hezbollah north. Hezbollah has not honored the terms of this ceasefire, noted Israel, nor has a weak Lebanese army – which was required to drive Hezbollah back behind the Litani River.
And so, declared the IDF, we must remain longer in south Lebanon, cleaning out further caches of weapons. Otherwise, Hezbollah will retrieve those weapons to use once more against Israeli citizens in the north. In the two months of the ceasefire, the IDF had uncovered “more than 30 weapons storage facilities and caches…found in and around [a] village, containing rocket launchers, crates of munitions, missiles and launchers, explosives, RPG launchers, AK-47 rifles, hundreds of rockets and mortars, grenades, Kornet missiles, and sniper rifles…The weapons were located inside residential buildings, courtyards, kindergartens, and basements.”
Last Thursday, the Trump administration said it was necessary for the IDF to honor the ceasefire terms and get out of Lebanon by Sunday. Trump was not concerned with providing Israel with wiggle room here for the sake of Israeli security. He was playing the role of a “peacemaker” who enforces ceasefires.
The response from the Prime Minister’s office: We’re not leaving. “The withdrawal process of the IDF is conditioned on the Lebanese army deploying in southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani…the ceasefire agreement has yet to be fully enforced by the Lebanese state…
“The State of Israel will not endanger its communities and its citizens and will insist on the complete implementation of the war objective in Lebanon – the return of the Israeli residents safely to their homes on the north.”
And so, just today, the White House announced that there would be an extension of the ceasefire until February 18.
https://www.jns.org/lebanon-truce-extension-urgently-needed-us-says/
The lesson: Israel cannot think in terms of a transactional US president but must stand tough in order to protect our rights!!
Please, consider sending a very brief note to Prime Minister Netanyahu, saluting him for his strength and urging that he stand strong at all times. Do not overwhelm with long statements.
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This need for strength in countering US wishes that are not in Israel’s long-term best interest will be exceedingly important with regard to the ceasefire in Gaza.
We are currently in the first, six-week stage of a temporary ceasefire, which involves release of some hostages, with corresponding release of terrorists, many with blood on their hands, and a partial pullback of IDF troops. The second stage involves a permanent ceasefire and pullout of the IDF. As this would permit a resurgence of Hamas, and invite another October 7, it is not something that can be considered.
It is likely that we will enter into negotiations for the second stage, something that the Qataris have already been pushing for. But negotiating does not mean we will come to acceptable terms.
The refusal of Israel to proceed to the second stage is an absolute necessity. But it is certainly not likely to sit well with Trump, as it deflates his “peacemaker” image. Perhaps even more significantly, it will not play well with Steve Witkoff. And here we come to the exceedingly critical heart of the matter (emphasis added):
“The truth is painfully clear: Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s envoy on the hostage issue, has been bought and paid for by Qatar, compromising American foreign policy and endangering Israeli security at a critical moment in the war against Hamas…
“Let’s be crystal clear about Qatar’s role in this mess. They are Hamas’s sugar daddy, bankrolling their terrorism while cynically posing as peace brokers. Qatar funds anti-Israel demonstrations on American campuses, harbors Muslim Brotherhood leaders, and birthed the very ideological cesspool that spawned Hamas, ISIS, and Al-Qaeda. Now they’re exploiting the ceasefire to pump millions of gallons of fuel directly into Hamas’s hands – fuel that will power their terrorist infrastructure, not help civilians.
“The ceasefire deal Witkoff helped ram through appears precision-engineered to keep Hamas in power. Qatar is now flooding Gaza with ‘humanitarian aid’ that flows straight into Hamas’s coffers, strengthening their military capability and political control. This isn’t humanitarian assistance – it’s a terrorist resupply operation wrapped in humanitarian packaging…”
Read the full article, which includes a description of how this came about:
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“President Trump’s special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff appeared on Fox News Wednesday, where the host, Dana Perino, read him a quote from a senior Hamas official who told the NY Times, ‘We are prepared for a dialogue with America in achieving understandings on everything.’
Witkoff responded: “I think it’s good if it’s accurate…”
“Pundit Mark Levin was aghast, tweeting: ‘Say what? Witkoff said it is good if the United States talks directly with Hamas?’
“…Witkoff told Fox News that a ceasefire in Gaza was a critical step toward expanding the Abraham Accords. Asked about potential new members of the Abraham Accords, Witkoff suggested Qatar…”
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/us-news/did-trumps-envoy-just-push-detente-with-hamas/2025/01/23/
You see, then, where this is going. At the end of this post, I include a link to a Caroline Glick podcast with Yigal Carmon, founder of MEMRI, about the involvement of Qatar. It provides a clear, in-depth (and blood-chilling ) picture of what we are dealing with.
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Witkoff is due here next week, to see what is happening with the ceasefire – the ceasefire he seeks to extend so that Hamas can remain standing. I used to deplore visits by Secretary of State Blinken. Who would have believed that I would prefer him now to Trump’s envoy.
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Returning to the matter of the hostage release this past Saturday:
The written deal was for the return of civilian women first, before soldiers. But Hamas reneged on this, providing four female soldiers and not releasing Arbel Yehud, a 29-year-old Israeli female civilian kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 along with her boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, who is not yet slated for release.
Hamas was ready with excuses, saying Arbel Yehud was in the hands of PIJ, and could not be located. There are conflicting stories about her release next week, or even at the end of this week. According to Israeli sources, no agreement on her release has been reached.
One of the speculations as to why a fourth woman soldier (it is not clear to me which one) had been substituted for Arbel: this allowed Hamas to secure the release of 20 additional terrorists.
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There is evidence that Hamas doctored the appearance of the released hostages so that they looked better than expected. They fed the women well some weeks before the release, used makeup on them and gave them mood enhancers.
As counterpoint to the joy expressed in the nation, there is the pain of the families of people who had been killed by terrorists and now see their release. Among those released was Mardawi Tabat, who was serving 21 life sentences for having been involved in the deaths of 21 people – arranging for bombing of a bus, sending out suicide bombers, etc.
And Kasem Waill, a Hamas leader. He was sentenced to 35 life sentences for participating in the Moment Café and Hebrew University attacks in the city, which claimed the lives of 11 and 9 people respectively, and that of Club Sheffield, where 15 people died and 50 were injured.
Imagine all of this if you can, please.
Some 70 of the most serious offenders who were released were deported via Egypt to neighboring countries, including Qatar and Turkey. A small number was sent to Gaza. The rest – just over 120 – was allowed to return to their homes in Judea & Samaria and eastern Jerusalem.
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“Prof. Israel Aumann, Nobel laureate, has denounced the policy of recovering hostages in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the release of terrorists. He further suggested that alongside the terrorists, Israel begin releasing prisoners suspected of crimes against Arabs as well.
‘We are releasing terrorists who have killed dozens of people, which is very bad because after their release they will kidnap and kill many more Jews than the number of hostages. This is obvious. I don’t know what the logic is in this.
“’…at least we can express our displeasure with it by releasing Jewish prisoners, among them Amiram Ben-Uliel, who has no evidence against him for the Duma case. They were able to convict him only on the basis of a confession extracted from him by means of very severe torture…’
“Aumann was shocked to know that Israel cannot determine which of the hostages will be released and Hamas can precisely determine which prisoners it wants to release and at what stage. In the face of all these, the release of Jewish prisoners would be seen by him as an Israeli protest.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402960
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And here the must-see podcast:
https://www.jns.org/israeli-expert-sounds-alarm-over-qatars-double-game/
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I ask for prayers for Israel’s wellbeing – for the wisdom and strength of our leaders and the safety of all Am Yisrael.
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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.
