Ron Dermer

2024-05-04

Representatives from Hamas, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States met on Saturday for talks on a possible hostage deal, while Israel delayed sending a delegation until the terror group gave a response to the latest proposal on the table.  Netanyahu opted not to send a delegation without consulting with War cabinet ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Mintier Ron Dermer were privy to the decision, according to media reports.  Egyptian sources said CIA Director William Burns arrived in Cairo already on Friday. KAN News reported that the US has pushed Israel to send a delegation to join the talks as protestors and relatives of the hostages rallied in Tel Aviv demanding that the government finalize a deal now. The rally was held amid a flurry of media reports that expressed optimism and pessimism regarding the potential for a deal, in a process that appeared to hit a crucial point, even as it remained stymied over a basic disagreement as to whether a deal would include an Israeli promise to end the war. Marching on Shaul Hamelech Boulevard in Tel Aviv. (credit: YAEL GADOT) Channel 12 reported that the US had given Hamas a guarantee that the deal would lead to the end of the war. An Israeli diplomatic source emphasized that Israel was determined to continue the war, irrespective of any hostage deal. Reports that “Israel agreed to the end of the war as part of a or that Israel would allow the mediators to provide guarantees for the end of the war are not true,” the source stated. “Up to this moment, Hamas has not given up its demand for an end to the war, thus thwarting the possibility of reaching an agreement,” the source said. Earlier the source issued a similar message, stating that “Israel will under no circumstances agree to the end of the war as part of an agreement to release our hostages.” “The IDF will enter Rafah and destroy the remaining Hamas battalions there - whether or not there will be a temporary lull for the release of our hostages,” the source stated. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Netanyahu has warned Hamas that Israel would embark on a military operation in Rafah within a week if there was no response to a hostage deal. Israel has viewed a Rafah operation as an important pressure lever to sway Hamas to make a deal for the remaining 132 hostages. It has been presumed that the first phase of what would be a three-phase deal would see the release of 33 of the hostages over 40 days, with a focus on the female, elderly, and informed captives, including the female soldiers. Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas official and advisor to Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, said on Saturday meetings with Egyptian and Qatari mediators had begun and Hamas was dealing with their proposals "with full seriousness and responsibility." However, he reiterated the group's demand that any deal should include an Israeli pullout from Gaza and an end to the war, conditions that Israel has previously rejected. "Any agreement to be reached must include our national demands; the complete and permanent ending of the aggression, the full and complete withdrawal of the occupation from Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced to their homes without restriction, and a real prisoner swap deal, in addition to the reconstruction and ending the blockade," the Hamas official told Reuters. The Hamas delegation arrived from the terror group's political office in Qatar, which, along with Egypt, has tried to mediate a follow-up to an initial hostage deal in November, that saw a brief lull in the fighting. Before the talks began there was some optimism over a potential deal. "Things look better this time but whether an agreement is on hand would depend on whether Israel has offered what it takes for that to happen," a Palestinian official with knowledge of the mediation efforts, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. Washington has urged Hamas to agree to the deal.  Hamas said on Friday it would come to Cairo in a "positive spirit" after studying the latest proposal for a deal, little of which has been made public. Israel has given a preliminary nod to terms which one source said included the return of between 20 and 33 hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a weeks-long suspension of fighting. That would leave around 100 hostages , some of whom Israel says have died in captivity. The source, who asked not to be identified by name or nationality, told Reuters their return may require an additional deal with broader Israeli concessions. "That could entail a de facto, if not formal, end to the war - unless Israel somehow recovers them through force or generates enough military pressure to make Hamas relent," the source said. Egypt made a renewed push to revive negotiations late last month, alarmed by the prospect of an Israeli assault against Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians have taken shelter near the border with Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. A major Israeli operation in Rafah could deal a huge blow to fragile humanitarian operations in Gaza and put many more lives at risk, according to UN officials. Israel says it will not be deterred from taking Rafah eventually and is working on a plan to evacuate civilians. Saturday's Cairo talks come as Qatar reviews its role as mediator, according to an official familiar with Doha's thinking. Qatar may cease hosting the Hamas political office, said the official, who did not know if, in such a scenario, the Palestinian group's delegates might also be asked to leave. The war began after Hamas stunned Israel with a cross-border raid on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 252 hostages taken. According to Hamas, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war started. Israel has said that at least 13,000 of the fatalities are combatants. Maya Gur Arieh contributed to this report. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-04

An Israeli official said that an Israeli delegation will not leave for Cairo until a response from Hamas is received on a , KAN reported on Saturday.   Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reportedly opposed to the departure of the delegation and would not accept any offer that would see the end to the Israel-Hamas war, even to achieve a hostage deal.  According to Israeli media, Netanyahu did not share his decision to not send the Israeli delegation to Cairo with war cabinet members Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, while ministers Yoav Gallant and Ron Dermer were privy to the decision.  Additionally, senior Israeli sources were reported to have said, "If we send a delegation led by the head of the Mossad to Cairo, it will be an indication of a positive development regarding the framework of the ongoing hostage negotiations." Israel and Hamas have engaged in several hostage negotiations mediated by several foreign actors, namely . However, none have proven successful since the initial hostage deal in November.  Another official stated that contrary to reports made by Arab media, the stipulation to end the war in Gaza in exchange for hostages is not on the table.  The source noted that the and destroy remaining Hamas battalions whether there is a temporary truce to release hostages or not.  Displaced Palestinians, who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, shelter in a tent camp, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip March 11, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/BASSAM MASOUD) Arab media has reported that Hamas will announce later on Saturday whether they agree to terms of a hostage deal mediated by Egypt, KAN noted in their report.  In response to Netanyahu's reported decision to hold back the negotiating team, Yesh Atid chairman and MK Yair Lapid called on Netanyahu to send the negotiating team to Cairo and push for the release of the hostages.  In his statement, Lapid said that the team should not come back without a deal and that returning the hostages is the most pressing task.  ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-18

The may be considering issuing international arrest warrants in the relatively near future against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials for alleged, N12 reported Thursday night. Around 125 countries are members of the ICC, including essentially all of Europe, and are bound by treaty law to honor the ICC’s arrest warrants, though there have been examples of countries protesting such warrants and refusing to honor them. The report was extremely puzzling given that the ICC has not decided all of the relevant it is supposed to decide before reaching an arrest warrants stage. For example, the ICC is first supposed to address the issue of complementarity, which is the legal question of whether Israel properly probes itself sufficiently such that the ICC would not have the right to address any war crimes complaints based on complementary or additional jurisdiction. There has been significant debate about this issue given that the IDF has a robust preliminary probes and criminal probes mechanism for investigating war crimes. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a vote on the state budget at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, March 13, 2024. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90) It carried out 32 criminal probes and around 500 preliminary probes regarding the 2014 Gaza conflict and is expected to carry out thousands of probes regarding the much longer and larger current war. The ICC might still decide that the probes do not lead to enough convictions or jail time, but this was always expected to be a process where Israel and its allies would weigh in over a period of months or longer, as occurred regarding the question of whether the ICC could recognize Palestine as a state to enable it to have basic jurisdiction from an ICC member state from 2019-2021. The Thursday report said Netanyahu met urgently with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Foreign Minister Israel Katz to address the issue and to appeal to Western allies to assist. In addition, the report said Netanyahu discussed the issue with top British and German officials who were visiting Israel this week. One way the ICC might avoid the procedural jurisdictional question of complementarity would be if it initially goes after Israel merely on a theory of war crimes relating to humanitarian aid issues. This would seem to be a longshot given that other than the first few days of the war when Israel was still enduring an invasion, the IDF has facilitated some amount of humanitarian aid. As the IDF’s position strengthened security-wise, that aid has grown. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan did accuse Israel in fall 2023 of slow-rolling humanitarian aid, arguing this could be a war crime. It was unclear at the time how he would make such a case given that Israel was permitting aid, and was arguing that security conditions were slowing the aid process. That said, the ICC could argue that Israel’s recent increase from 100-200 trucks of aid per day to over 500 trucks of aid per day shows that if the political will had been present in earlier months, more aid could have streamed through despite security challenges. Still, any case would need to prove that people are actually dying of starvation and not merely eating less or in danger of future food security issues. An alternative scenario could be that the ICC prosecutor will argue that a letter sent to Israel in 2021 to provide all evidentiary updates and other potential letters since could be used against Israel as saying that it has not provided a defense or its counter-evidence that it is probing, given that to date the IDF has said it is still months or more away from issuing probe results for even some cases. Yet, another scenario could be that the ICC prosecutor has carried out a secret evidentiary process before the ICC Pre Trial Chamber to get permission to issue the arrest warrants. It is also possible that the report is completely wrong or mischaracterizes certain more minor ICC developments or mischaracterizes the time frame for such developments. Neither the Prime Minister’s Office, the Foreign Ministry, the Justice Ministry, the IDF legal division, nor the ICC prosecutor’s office had responded by press time. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-17

Israelis were stunned by much that happened around the world immediately following Hamas’s savage October 7 attack. They were stunned by outpourings of support for Hamas in many cities around the world after the terrorist invasion – even before Israel began its ground incursion into the coastal strip. They were surprised at posters of the hostages being ripped off walls in cities and campuses around the world. They were shocked by a sharp spike in antisemitism. But what stunned them the most was the strong push for a that began within weeks of the most brutal attack on Jews since the Holocaust. For many, this seemed completely counterintuitive. The remains of a rocket booster that, according to Israeli authorities critically injured a 7-year-old girl, after Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel, near Arad, Israel, April 14, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/CHRISTOPHE VAN DER PERRE ) As Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said in an ABC interview in early December: “I know that everybody is racing forward right now to try to establish a The people of Israel don’t even understand that because we just suffered the equivalent of 20 9/11s. And I think the last thing you want to do is send a message to any terror group that the way you’re going to achieve some sort of aim is to perpetrate a massive terror attack.” In other words, forget that Gaza has for all intents and purposes been an independent Palestinian entity since Israel withdrew in 2005 and removed every army installation, soldier, and settler. Never mind that Hamas, which took control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in a 2007 coup, used the territory not to build a Palestinian Singapore on the Mediterranean, but rather an Iranian-backed launching pad for attacks on Israel with billions of dollars invested in sophisticated weaponry and a mind-boggling maze of underground tunnels from which to attack. Forget all that. The world, within weeks of Hamas’s barbarism, once again became intoxicated with the idea of a Palestinian state, thinking that this will be the magic potion, the panacea, the answer to all the Middle East’s problems. It began with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez saying in November that if the EU does not recognize a Palestinian state, Spain might do so unilaterally. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron then followed suit not long after, saying that the UK should consider recognizing an independent Palestinian state, including in the United Nations, after a Gaza ceasefire and long before – and here’s the rub – the outcome of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. “It could be something that we consider,” Cameron said. “What we need to do is give the Palestinian people a horizon toward a better future, the future of having a state of their own.” The PA, sensing the international mood, decided as a result to try something they tried and failed to do in 2011: gain acceptance as a Unless the Palestinians back down at the last minute, a Palestinian bid for full membership is expected to be voted on Thursday in the UN Security Council. The US, however, is expected to cast its veto. US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield hinted as much on Wednesday, saying she did not see a UN resolution recommending the PA become a full UN member as helping to lead to a two-state solution. “We do not see that doing a resolution in the Security Council will necessarily get us to a place where we can find... a two-state solution moving forward,” she said. Thomas-Greenfield, however, added that US President Joe Biden had said categorically that Washington supports a two-state solution and was working on the ground to get there as soon as possible. But that the US will not allow this measure to pass shows that despite tensions and disagreements with Israel over the war in Gaza and the settlements, the US has not abandoned its long-held position that the only way to get to a Palestinian state is through negotiations. The US remains committed to the idea that a workable solution cannot be imposed from the outside – something the Palestinians have been trying to do unsuccessfully for decades. Had Israel not come under attack from Iran on Saturday night, and had the world not been on edge since then, anxiously waiting – and debating – if and how Israel should respond, then this bid at the UN would have garnered much more attention than it has, both in Israel and abroad. But the Iranian attack has bumped the Palestinian UN bid down toward the bottom of the news cycle. Countries seeking admission to the UN need a recommendation by the Security Council and then a vote of approval from two-thirds of the members in the 193-seat General Assembly. When it became clear to the Palestinians in 2011 that they would not get the nine votes they needed in the Security Council to recommend full membership, they did not force a vote, although their application to the Security Council remained pending. Instead, they went to the General Assembly and won nonmember “observer state” status, similar to that of the Vatican. Earlier this month, the Palestinians renewed their pending application to the Security Council, and the Security Council committee on the admission of new members met twice last week on the issue. The committee, according to Reuters, issued a report on Tuesday, saying it was unable to make a “unanimous recommendation” on the application – something that happened in 2011 as well – all but dooming the bid. Nevertheless, this time – unlike in 2011– the Palestinians are likely to push for a vote to isolate the US on this issue and argue that the whole world wants to see a Palestinian state recognized by the UN, and only the US stands in its way. The PA blasted the US for its position on the matter, with spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh saying no less than regional and world peace and stability depends on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel Saturday night, however, showed just how vacuous Abu Rudeineh’s statement is – as if the Iranian desire to destroy Israel, or its hegemonic designs in the region, would disappear if only the PA received a state. On the contrary, one could argue that Iran would then try to control that state and turn it into a springboard for attacks by Islamic extremists against the Jewish state. Anyone doubting that need look only at Hamas and the Gaza experience. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-11

The commander of the United States Army’s Central Command, , will arrive in Israel on Thursday for coordination talks on preparing for a possible attack by Iran.  This visit comes in light of Israel’s alleged strike that killed Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards general Mohammad Reza Zahedi in Damascus last week, Israeli officials said.  General Kurilla will meet with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and against the backdrop of the joint preparation of the US and Israel against an Iranian attack using ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missiles against targets in Israel, which may further escalate the conflict in the region.  Senior Israeli officials said that Israel is also preparing for the scenario of an unprecedented missile attack from Iranian territory. In such a case, Israel is expected to respond with its own attack against Iran.  Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Israel made a mistake when it killed Iranian General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC in Syria and Lebanon. Lieutenant General Michael Kurilla testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on his nomination to become Commander of Central Command during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, February 8, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/BRENDAN MCDERMID) “Israel should be punished and pay a price for its mistakes,” Khamenei said. Gallant said on Wednesday, during a visit to an Iron Dome battery in northern Israel, that “those who try to attack us will encounter a strong defense, and immediately afterward, a powerful response on the ground.” In recent days, Israeli and American officials have held a series of consultations at all levels to prepare for an Iranian response, senior officials from both countries said. On Monday, Gallant spoke with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin about the recent Iranian threats. On Tuesday, there was a conversation on the subject between Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and US Secretary of State .  A senior Israeli official said that Israel emphasized to the US that it could help reduce the Iranian attack by conveying discreet yet public warning messages to the Iranians, as well as through displays of military force in the region.  Israel and the US have increased their coordination in recent days regarding missile and UAV defense in the region in anticipation of a possible Iranian attack, the Israeli official said. US President Biden sent a public warning message to Iran during a press conference with the Prime Minister of Japan at the White House and said that the United States will help Israel defend itself against Iran. “Our commitment to Israel’s security is an ironclad commitment,” stated Biden. An American security official refused to comment on Kurilla’s visit to Israel, saying that he would not comment on trips by senior officers for security reasons.  ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-08

Far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday over the IDF's scaling back troops from Gaza and reports that Israel is willing to make concessions in a hostage deal that it had not been willing to make previously. , who is Israel's National Security Minister, stated in a post on X that if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ends Israel's war against Hamas without an extensive attack on Hamas in Rafah, he will "cease to have a mandate to serve as prime minister." אם ראש הממשלה יחליט לסיים את המלחמה ללא מתקפה נרחבת על רפיח על מנת להכריע את חמאס, לא יהיה לו מנדט להמשיך לכהן כראש הממשלה. Smotrich, Israel's Finance Minister, summoned his party members for consultations on Monday over what he described as "reports over a general deal to end the war without defeating Hamas. Smotrich demanded in a letter that Netanyahu immediately convene Israel's National Security Cabinet, the statutory body with the authority to make policy decisions regarding the war. According to Smotrich, "The only forum that is authorized to make decisive decisions during wartime is the broad [National Security] cabinet. Unfortunately, this is not how things have worked, and we see decisions being made by the small [war] cabinet without approval and without updating the broad cabinet, under international pressures that harm the war's momentum and our security interests." FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich speaks at a meeting of his Religious Zionist Party parliamentary faction, last week, in the Knesset. Will the war bring an economic boom like the Six Day War, or a bust like Yom Kippur? There are arguments supporting both sides, says the writer. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90) The war cabinet is a smaller cabinet authorized to make tactical decisions in the war. It includes Netanyahu, , Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, National Unity Minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri, National Security Council chairman Tzahi Hanegby, and top security officials. Smotrich continued in his letter that he has been "warning for many weeks that instead of lowering the floor from the gas pedal, we need to increase the pressure on Hamas in Gaza, and this is the only way to bring back the hostages and defeat Hamas." Leader of the opposition, MK Yair Lapid, who is currently on a diplomatic trip in the US, wrote on X that his party would be willing to serve as a "safety net" for the government on a hostage deal. Lapid pointed out that his party, Yesh Atid, has 24 seats in the Knesset, far more than the 14 seats of both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich combined. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-04

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's daily diary records for 2023 were released on Thursday, revealing what the prime minister did and who he talked to as the events of Hamas's October 7 massacre in southern Israel unfolded. According to Netanyahu's diary, he received the first phone call of that fateful Saturday morning, warning him of Hamas's surprise assault, at 6:29 a.m., as rockets began hurtling toward Israel from the to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The phone call, carried out by Netanyahu's military secretary, was when the prime minister claimed he was first informed of the invasion from Gaza. Only 90 minutes later, as per the records, did Netanyahu leave his Ceasarea home en route to the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv for further security assessments. The diary states that US President Joe Biden was not the first world leader to call Netanyahu on the morning of October 7. Instead, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was the first to call Netanyahu, asking for an update on the situation in Israel's South. Later on that day, Netanyahu spoke with Biden, as well as with French President Emmanuel Macron.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, flanked by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (left) and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, holds a security assessment in Tel Aviv. (credit: HAIM ZACH/GPO) At around 11 a.m., four and half hours after Hamas's attack began, Netanyahu filmed a statement to the press outside the Defense Ministry offices, before holding a meeting at the Kirya at 12:30 a.m. with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, , National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and Construction and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf. In the afternoon, almost 10 hours after Hamas launched its invasion, Netanyahu met with opposition head MK Yair Lapid in Tel Aviv to brief him on the security situation, before convening the government at 6:00 p.m. At 8:30 p.m., the prime minister addressed the Israeli public in a statement. According to the records, Netanyahu finished his work day at 3:15 a.m. Despite many meetings and phone calls since October 7 being censored due to what the Prime Minister's Office said were "information security purposes," some of Netanyahu's diary entries provide an insight into the prime minister's psyche in the days following the October 7 massacre. The records revealed that on October 8, Netanyahu held numerous phone calls with a host of world leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and . He also spoke again with Biden and Macron. Later that day, the prime minister held a private meeting with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Dermer, Smotrich and Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter. Additionally, in the following days after the war broke, Netanyahu met with Israeli security experts, including retired Maj.-Gen. Ya'akov Amidror. Netanyahu also several times before he and National Unity head Benny Gantz joined the emergency wartime government early on in the war. The records also revealed that, before meeting with families of hostages taken on October 7, Netanyahu managed to squeeze in meetings with Amiad Cohen, the CEO of the Tikvah fund that payrolls the Kohelet Policy Forum, which is thought to have heavily influenced the government's proposed judicial reform last year. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-04

Energy Minister his belief that the US government is only changing their stance on Israel due to upcoming United States presidential elections, while at the Urban Corporations Convention in Eilat on Wednesday. He said, "The only change I see in the Americans' stance is because of the upcoming elections in the United States." Against the backdrop of strained relations with the United States amid discussions on the pending IDF operation in Rafah, Cohen said that "if America, our greatest friend whom I greatly appreciate, does not give Israel absolute backing - it has nothing to look for in the Middle East." Continuing to discuss the upcoming American elections and how this could possibly shift US foreign policy on Israel, the Energy Minister added, "Israel is a sovereign state, and we are the only democracy in the region. "The only change I see in the Americans' stance is because of the upcoming elections in the United States." Cohen also discussed the possibility of normalizing ties with , even without a Palestinian state. This was initially one of Saudi Arabia's red lines in entering a peace deal with Israel before the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war. This comes a day after National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reported sharp remarks in a conversation with Ron Dermer and Tzachi Hanegbi. Reports claim he is also set to embark on Saudi Arabia this week to discuss prospective deals with Israel with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. SAUDI CROWN Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets US President Joe Biden in Jeddah, last year. Strategically, the crown prince’s openness on the nuclear issue is the most reasonable way to handle the situation, says the writer. (credit: Saudi Royal Court/Reuters) "They very much want an agreement with Israel, and their primary interest is a defense alliance with the United States. There will be peace with the Saudis even without a Palestinian state." Eli Cohen served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2022 to 2024, and was replaced by Israel Katz early in 2024. He has been a member of Knesset since 2015. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-02

In a tense and critical video call, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly voiced serious reservations about Israel's proposed evacuation plan for Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip.  The call, which also included Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, highlighted deep concerns over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, particularly the looming threat of famine. According to Channel 12, which obtained quotes from the call, U.S. officials expressed skepticism about Israel's plan to evacuate over a million noncombatants in Rafah.  Sullivan emphasized that the proposed plan fell short of expectations and was deemed unfeasible. He warned that failing to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza could lead to the third famine of the 21st century, an outcome that the US could not accept. Blinken echoed Sullivan's sentiments, raising doubts about the effectiveness and timeline of Israel's proposed evacuation efforts. He reportedly remarked that at the current pace, it could take up to four months to complete the evacuation of Rafah. During the two-hour call, attended by other high-ranking officials from both sides, including Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog and Pentagon representatives, the U.S. officials emphasized the need for a comprehensive plan for Gaza's future. They stressed that any operation in Rafah must be accompanied by a credible strategy for post-evacuation stability and reconstruction. In response, Dermer and Hanegbi defended Israel's position, asserting that dismantling Hamas required military action in Rafah. They argued that such operations were essential for achieving the broader objectives of the conflict. Sullivan reiterated that without a robust plan for Gaza's rehabilitation and reconstruction, Israel would face challenges in gaining international support for its operations. He emphasized the importance of presenting a viable "day after" plan for Gaza, underscoring the need for a clear path forward beyond military action in Rafah. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-02

Israel must do more to protect innocent lives in Gaza, US Secretary of State said as he expressed his profound sorrow over Israel’s unintentional killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers during an IDF airstrike early Tuesday morning.  “We shouldn’t have a situation where people who are simply trying to help their fellow human beings are themselves at grave risk,” Blinken stated.  The Biden administration has “spoken directly to the Israeli Government about this ,” Blinken said in Paris during a joint press conference with French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne.  “We’ve urged a swift, thorough, impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened.   As we have throughout this conflict, we've impressed upon the Israelis the absolute imperative of doing more to protect innocent civilian lives, be they Palestinian children, women, and men or be they aid workers, as well as to get more humanitarian assistance to more people more effectively,” Blinken stressed. The seven aid workers who were struck down while delivering food “join a record number of humanitarian workers who have been killed in this particular conflict,” Blinken stated. US SECRETARY of State Antony Blinken holds a news conference in Tel Aviv, last week. (credit: Mark Schiefelbein/Reuters)  “These people are heroes. They run into the fire, not away from it. They show the best of what humanity has to offer when the going really gets tough. They have to be protected,” he stressed.  Over the past months, he and other US officials, including US President Joe Biden, have urged Israel to do more to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza and to ensure that it was safely distributed, Blinken explains.   The US has “worked to impress upon Israel the moral, the strategic, the legal imperative, of doing everything possible to provide humanitarian assistance to people who need it,” Blinken said. Israel has taken many steps to provide aid to Palestinians, he said, “but it is simply put insufficient.”  The US explained this to Israel when it met with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Washington last week and then again during the virtual talk on Monday with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Ron Dermer. “We have impressed again upon them the imperative of” humanitarian aid not just “getting into Gaza, but within Gaza” including to the North. between the army and humanitarian workers has to improve, adding that the lack of such coordination is a “perennial problem” along with the issues around deconfliction.” ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-02

An Israeli official told i24NEWS Tuesday morning that hostage and ceasefire will continue, adding that the atmosphere vis-a-vis the Egyptians was positive in light of additional flexibility that Israel is showing regarding the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip. According to the senior source, Israel now awaits the answer of Hamas. Furthermore, the head of Mossad, David Barnea, was not expected to join the talks at this stage. As for a virtual conversation between Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi with senior American officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Israel did not present operational plans about a military operation in Rafah at the meeting. This was certainly not something that pleased the Americans, and officials in Jerusalem were aware that the U.S. was still not satisfied with the information they received from Israel. The sides will try to work out these issues at the meeting to be held in Washington next week, the senior Israeli official told i24NEWS. According to a  released by released by the White House, both parties agreed "that they share the objective to see Hamas defeated in Rafah," and the Israeli side agreed to take American concerns "into account." ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-02

The National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and held a virtual meeting with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister, Ron Dermer, and National Security Advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi, discussing the Rafah operation. "The Israeli and US sides agreed on a common goal of defeating Hamas in Rafah," as reported by Politico. Regarding the cancellation of the last week, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed a desire to reschedule the meeting. After the White House revealed Netanyahu's request publicly, he denied approving the delegation to depart for Washington. Prime Minister Netanyahu during a press conference, March 31, 2024. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM) Concerns were raised about the , where over a million Palestinians seek shelter. The Biden administration emphasized that a Rafah operation could lead to significant civilian casualties and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. The meeting took place via a secure video conference, with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan leading the American delegation. The Israeli delegation was led by Minister Dermer and National Security Advisor Hanegbi, accompanied by senior officials from the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the IDF. A senior Israeli official stated that another meeting on the Rafah issue is planned to take place at the White House next week, with an expected Israeli delegation trip to Washington. This is a developing story.  ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-01

will be harmed by a military operation in Rafah that would further isolate it on the international stage, the Biden administration told its counterparts in Jerusalem during a virtual conversation on Monday. “The case that we are making about : It’s not just about the , it’s also about Israel’s long-term security interest,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington. He spoke as US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held virtual talks with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi about the pending Rafah operation. At issue for the US and the international community has been the over 1.3 million civilians in Rafah, many of whom fled there to escape bombing in the north at the start of the war.  Israel has insisted that it must conduct a major military operation in the area of that southern city by the Egyptian border to fully defeat Hamas. The US has insisted that the IDF could achieve the same results through targeted strikes. Palestinians at the site of an Israeli air strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 24, 2024. (credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90) Miller discussed the messaging that was presented to Israel with reporters, explaining that the Gaza war has taken a toll on “Israel’s standing in the world and its ability to influence countries around the world. “We think that a full-scale invasion of Rafah would only further that impact on Israel’s standing. “We’re going to make that case to them. Ultimately, they’re a sovereign country and they’ll make their own decisions. But we will lay out to them the way we see it,” he stated. It’s not enough for Israel to clear out certain neighborhoods or hospitals of Hamas without a long-term, sustainable security and political strategy, the State Department said on Monday, referencing Israel’s weeks-long operation at the Shifa Hospital. The US has not seen such a plan from Israel, spokesman Miller said. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in Washington that the virtual talks followed those held with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Washington last week. “The meeting is happening virtually because we understand... how important it is to have this conversation.”The US has been “very clear about our concerns about a military operation into Rafah,” Jean-Pierre said.There are “alternative ways of doing this,” she stressed. Dermer and Hanegbi had been scheduled to visit Washington last week to hold talks on Rafah, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled that trip to protest the US’s failure to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution on Gaza. The virtual conversation was instead of a Washington visit. Miller would not comment on whether they were a prelude to a Dermer-Hanegbi visit, noting that there would be more conversations on this issue. Jean-Pierre and Miller both defended Israel’s military operation against Hamas fighters at Shifa, which wrapped up on Monday. It marked the second time since the start of the war that the IDF has cleared Shifa Hospital of terrorists. The State Department wants to see hospitals be protected sites, but Miller said it’s concerning that Hamas fighters infiltrated Shifa again after the IDF’s earlier operation there. “You shouldn’t have to clear Hamas from a hospital once, let alone twice,” Miller said. “But, yes, we do have the concern that Hamas has been able to reestablish itself in a hospital that Israel had already cleared and that points to an ongoing challenge for Israel in the way it conducts its operations.” The State Department said it can’t independently confirm the number of Hamas fighters or civilians killed during the Shifa operation. The White House said Hamas also needs to be called out for operating out of hospitals and embedding themselves in the civilian population. The Washington talks between US and Israeli officials took place alongside hostage negotiations in Cairo. A senior political official said that the talks, which included an Israeli delegation led by the Mossad, showed “potential for real progress, but it is still very early for optimism.” Qatar and Egypt, with the support of the US, have been holding indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas for the release of the remaining 134 hostages. Political sources said Israel was waiting for a Hamas proposal to advance matters. On Sunday, the war cabinet said it could be flexible toward the return of civilians to northern Gaza as part of the deal.A senior political source said the proposal on the table for a six-week pause to the war in exchange for the release of some of the hostages tests Hamas and its Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar. “Do they want six weeks of humanitarian respite that will make it easier for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip – or do they want to continue dragging their feet in the way that causes severe suffering for their people,” the source said. Maariv contributed to this report.  ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-01

Finance Minister Betsalel Smotrich has declared his intention to vigorously oppose and work towards lifting Western sanctions imposed on Jewish residents of the West Bank accused of violence against Palestinians.  Addressing the press ahead of the weekly meeting of Religious Zionism party factions in the Knesset, Smotrich criticized the sanctions as unprecedented and unjust, targeting Israeli citizens 'solely for their settlement in he West Bank and their defense of national lands.' "We will not accept this and we will oppose it with all our strength," Smotrich affirmed, emphasizing his commitment to fighting against the sanctions until they are lifted. He noted progress in his efforts, stating that collaboration with the Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer has led to a significant reduction in sanctions by the U.S. government. This reduction includes the unblocking of bank accounts previously frozen for affected residents. "While this is a step in the right direction, it is not yet sufficient," Smotrich remarked, indicating his determination to continue pressing for the complete lifting of all sanctions. Last week, the United States clarified to Israel that its sanctions were not intended to compel Israeli banks to close the accounts of individuals targeted by the measures.  ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-01

Israel and the US are expected to hold a virtual meeting on Monday to discuss the 's alternative proposals for an IDF ground invasion of Rafah, four senior Israeli and American officials told Walla. The meeting scheduled initially for last week has transformed into a focal point of tension between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden. Last week, Netanyahu decided to cancel the delegation's trip to Washington in protest against the US not vetoing a decision in the calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages. However, a day later, Netanyahu began sending discreet messages to the White House expressing his desire to reschedule such a meeting. After the White House publicly revealed Netanyahu's request, the Prime Minister denied that he had approved the delegation to Washington. The Biden administration emphasized that an operation in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians reside, could lead to mass casualties of innocent civilians and worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, March 27, 2024. (credit: BASSAM MASOUD/REUTERS) Netanyahu's close advisor, Strategic AffAIRS Minister Ron Dermer, has told him several times in the past few days that he must send the delegation to Washington as soon as possible to avoid exacerbating the crisis with President Biden. A senior Israeli official said holding a virtual meeting would allow Netanyahu to "climb down from the tree" and discuss Rafah with the White House without sending a delegation to Washington. The meeting is expected to take place in a secure video conference call, according to senior Israeli and American officials. The White House National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, will lead the American side in the discussions and will be joined by other senior officials from the White House, the Department of Defense, the State Department, and the US intelligence community. The Israeli side of the talks will be led by Dermer and National Security Council chief Tzachi Hanegbi. Senior officials from the Defense Ministry and the IDF will join them. An Israeli official said that another meeting on the subject of Rafah is planned to occur the following week at the White House, and an Israeli delegation is expected to travel to Washington. The White House and the Prime Minister's Office declined to comment. Netanyahu said Sunday night at a press conference that he had not authorized his advisers to travel to Washington for talks on Rafah. However, he did not disclose that a virtual meeting between the parties is expected to occur Monday. "We will find a way to talk to the Americans about Rafah," Netanyahu said. Netanyahu said at the press conference that he approved the IDF’s operational plans for Rafah. This was the fourth time in the last two months that Netanyahu said this. "The IDF is preparing to evacuate the civilian population and providing humanitarian aid. This is both operationally and internationally correct. It takes time, but it will be done. We will enter Rafah and eliminate the Hamas battalions there," Netanyahu said. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-28

There have been plans for months for where to evacuate the 1.4 million Palestinian civilians from Rafah whenever would invade. To insider followers of the Israeli defense establishment, this was why the fight between Israel and the US over the evacuation always seemed somewhat artificial and potentially connected more to other issues. But it turns out there is a real sticking point: food, tents, and medical field hospitals. Israel and the IDF had detailed plans for evacuating the civilians to Al-Mawasi on the coast, to designated parts of Khan Yunis, which have already been cleared of Hamas, and to parts of central Gaza, which have already been cleared of Hamas.  The plans include specific safe corridors, which have also been mapped out. IDF soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, March 28, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) Additionally, the IDF moved most of the 1.2 million Palestinian civilians out of Gaza City mostly successfully, so it has managed a mass evacuation already, in addition to smaller but sizable mass evacuations from and parts of central Gaza. Also, Israel and the IDF were willing to stagger the invasion of Rafah into stages to make sure that most of the civilians left before major fighting took place. The fighting is also not a huge impediment for the IDF. Hamas's battalions in Rafah, whether they have 4,000 as previously said or 8,000 as Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said this week, are viewed as much weaker than those of Gaza City and Khan Yunis, which the IDF has already thoroughly taken apart. No matter how many boobytraps and tunnels Hamas has in Rafah, the IDF's new fighting tactics, from fully integrated warfare with the air force, tanks, and artillery to more highly armored troop carriers that can withstand RPGs to a plethora of tactics for fighting within tunnels, have proven their effectiveness. But IDF sources have now admitted that they had not fully taken into account that moving civilians from Rafah is completely different from the other evacuations in terms of food, tents, and medical field hospitals. To satisfy the US, it is not enough to move the civilians without them getting shot; they also need to have food, shelter, and access to medicine once they are moved. Rafah has been set up for such emergencies in the past and is ready for such an emergency now. A tent city, food, and medical care were all waiting to some degree and relatively set up for erecting and adding to the existing infrastructure and areas. The proximity to the border with Egypt, where much of the international aid is flown into, also helped. The three areas that the IDF would evacuate civilians to from Rafah are not. Al-Mawasi is not as set up for absorbing civilians in a way to keep them fed and healthy for an extended period, and battles between the IDF and Hamas have significantly destroyed the infrastructure in Khan Yunis and central Gaza. IDF sources have admitted, based on this, that if evacuating 1.2 Palestinians from northern Gaza took one to two weeks, depending on how one measures things, evacuating civilians from Rafah to much less hospitable and set-up areas will take many, many weeks (translate: one to two months.) It is not even clear whether Israel and the international aid groups can set up minimal sufficient shelter and supplies in that time, part of why the US is still pressing Israel for more targeted and limited strikes and invasions into select parts of Rafah which do not destroy as much of the infrastructure as what occurred in Gaza City and Khan Yunis, where whole neighborhoods simply no longer exist. Israel's problem with this is that Hamas would likely use any areas not being attacked to hide among the civilian population. Also, Hamas can use the evacuation of 1.4 million civilians to sneak many of its fighters back to areas that were previously viewed as cleared, precisely as many fighters used the evacuation of northern Gaza to flee South. Of course, there is also still operationally making sure Palestinians do not flee into Egypt - a red line for Cairo that could lead it to alter its relations with Jerusalem fundamentally. There may be no perfect answers, and some benefits of spreading out the evacuation over a longer time may enable making more adjustments in real-time as problems develop. One thing that is certain, however, is that as long as Hamas is not ready to cut another interim deal with Israel to release more hostages, there is no real option for Israel not to go into Rafah in some way. US resistance, as long as Jerusalem gets more serious about planning for the issues of food, tents, and medical care - is likely to recede. Whether the US will continue to back Israel as any Rafah operation plays out will then depend on the results: do civilians make it out alive, and are they able to continue to stay alive once moved or not? ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-27

30,000 was always an estimate for how many fighters Hamas had. We now know that the number was too low. Following numbers provided by Israeli defense sources, Israel has killed around 13,000 members of Hamas. Already back in early February, the IDF had wounded another 10,000 to such a degree that it was assessed that they would not be able to return to battle and had arrested another 2,300. The IDF has not provided updated wounded and arrest numbers since then, but simply adding together a series of public announcements regarding arrests, such as the more than 500 Hamas , at least around 3,500 would have been arrested to date. This means that at least around 26,000 Hamas members have been put out of action by Israel to date when adding together killed, wounded, and arrested totals. A march of Hamas in Gaza. (credit: REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah AJ/TC) Until Tuesday, Israeli defense sources had said that there were four and two left in central Gaza, leaving around 6,000 Hamas forces. Adding 26,000 and 6,000 would have broken the 30,000 total but could be considered close enough to be generally accurate. However, on Tuesday, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said that Hamas has 8,000 of its forces in Rafah. Adding an additional 4,000 to 32,000 brings us up to 36,000. But that is not the end of it. Recently, IDF sources gave a briefing indicating that around 70% of Hamas forces in Khan Yunis, out of an original 4,500, had been removed from the battlefield. That would leave at least 1,300 additional forces in Khan Yunis. Similarly, there have been reports that Hamas still had at least a few thousand forces left in northern Gaza. Adding all these numbers up, one comes closer to a pre-war Hamas force of 40,000 or more and the idea that it still has around 15,000 or more remaining forces. None of this takes credit away from Israel for having succeeded at taking apart 18 out of Hamas's 24 battalions and from having succeeded at removing - even with these new numbers - more than 60% of Hamas forces from the battlefield, an impressive feat. The truth is that even as almost all official channels from the IDF repeated the 30,000 number, a couple of high officials always let slip, in less regulated briefings, that the actual number was closer to 40,000. For this reason, when the Jerusalem Post assessed the overall numbers, it always gave two statistics: how much of Hamas was removed and remained based on a 30,000 number and a 40,000 number. Have new terrorists joined Hamas during the course of the war in a way that the IDF has been unable to measure? Was the decision to go with 30,000 to inflate the military's progress? If it was due to uncertainty, why did the IDF not repeat both numbers in official channels and briefings, in line with its usually conservative estimate policy? There has been at least one example where the IDF seemed to cave to political pressure on the numbers. Up until February 1, defense officials had said Israel had killed around 10,000 Hamas forces. By February 12, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was saying the IDF had killed 12,000 Hamas forces. Although multiple defense sources said the number was still closer to 10,000/10,500 in real-time, within days, the IDF had shifted its total to be consistent with what Netanyahu had said publicly. However, these numbers are not just part of the public relations war. need to make assessments about the future of the war and how long it will take to truly defeat Hamas (and what will be lost by the continuation of the war for that amount of time) based on cold-hard factual numbers and not based on wishful thinking. There is no question that, given an unlimited amount of time, the IDF could eventually eliminate Hamas as a fighting force. But time is not unlimited. Anyone who did not know that was reminded when the US decided not to veto the recent UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire. The US has made it clear that despite that vote, it still supports Israel's goal of defeating Hamas, but only within certain limits in its actions and probably only within a quickly closing time frame. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-27

The politics is getting out of control, and the question is whether it puts the fate of the hostages and the objective of defeating Hamas at risk.  insist that they were taken aback by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that he was calling off a trip to Washington by a delegation headed by National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, after the US refused to thwart a UN Security Council resolution which called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The Biden administration is familiar with the players in Netanyahu’s circle. Hanegbi and Dermer, the latter in particular, are the prime minister’s people. US officials acknowledge that with this decision to call off the trip, Netanyahu was “putting his foot down,” feeling increasing heat personally from the administration over how he is running Israel’s affairs. “ was here earlier this month, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is here now, [and] the defense establishments are in constant contact,” a White House aide argued. “Calling off the Hanegbi-Dermer delegation is political window dressing by the prime minister.” In response to the question of whether the administration was also acting politically – by supporting Israel but looking over its shoulder amid the president’s re-election campaign to make sure it didn’t alienate its electorate too much – a White House aide insisted: “Israel has no better friend than the Biden administration, in general – and regarding Gaza, in particular.” U.S. President Joe Biden, left, pauses during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. (credit: Miriam Alster/Pool via REUTERS//File Photo) On the one hand, the aide seemed to be charging that Netanyahu was not sufficiently appreciating the administration’s obstacle course in navigating its policy regarding Gaza, and that calling off the visit to Washington by his delegation only exacerbated the public impression “that the two countries are not on the same side.” On the other hand, the aide reiterated that “on the ground, our cooperation is not affected.” In a recent MSNBC interview, President Joe Biden charged that Netanyahu was doing more harm than good; he has also publicly questioned Israel’s . However, a White House aide insisted that the president’s endgame remains “the defeat of Hamas.” Yet, regarding Hanegbi and Dermer staying home, instead of visiting Washington at least right now, administration officials seem fine with holding high-profile contacts in the US capital with high-level Israeli officials who themselves have tense relations with Netanyahu. The president and his people are aware of domestic issues in Israel, including the resistance by Gallant and Gantz to Netanyahu’s moves on the matter of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) enlistment in the IDF. Within the Biden administration, there isn’t totally smooth sailing either. Officials have acknowledged that Vice President Kamala Harris has been the “weak link” in support for the Israeli campaign in Gaza. Yet, said one official, “she is toeing the line and in principle supports what the Israeli mission is all about,” even if her pronouncements at times “seem more blunt about what Israel is doing wrong.” Biden has stronger support for his Gaza policy, say aides, from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Some aides seem to hint that having Harris playing “bad cop” with some of her declarations on Israel allows Biden to hope he can placate those who say they would vote for him in November, but are threatening not to do so over what some even call his support for “genocide.” “Listen, the [UN] Security Council called for a ceasefire, but it also called for a release of the hostages,” argued a Biden aide. “We have not abandoned Israel, [and] we have not abandoned the Israeli mission in Gaza. We have also not abandoned the need for humanitarian aid and working toward the overall well-being of Palestinians in Gaza. “The question is what is the best way to achieve all these goals; it is challenging,” the aide said. “We want to work with the Israelis. We want to work with them on how to achieve victory over Hamas in general, and how best to achieve the aims of a Rafah operation in particular, but not in a way – as both the president and vice president have said – that would lead to a civilian bloodbath. And yes, we want the return of the hostages.” Biden’s re-election campaign advisers continue to watch the Gaza policy closely. The president is said to be feeling the heat over warnings he is receiving that he has a very thin tightrope to walk on: promoting his policy but not risking defeat in November. “Gaza is not the only reason for concern,” conceded a Biden political adviser, “but it’s a big reason.” Netanyahu’s announcement – calling off the visit by the Hanegbi-Dermer delegation to Washington to discuss Rafah policy and how to release the hostages – came as the prime minister was battling for his political life, warning coalition naysayers to the proposals regarding haredi military recruitment that if an agreement is not reached, the government would fall. So apparently, the US and Israeli landscapes both currently abound with political window dressing by the two leaders, Biden and Netanyahu. Such behavior is not rare in the political world, but right now, if these maneuvers by the president and prime minister do in fact get out of control, the ramifications could be extremely dangerous and deadly. The writer is op-ed editor of The Jerusalem Post. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-27

canceled a planned journey to Washington by high-ranking officials aimed at discussions about the Gaza war, following the United States’ abstention from vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution that demanded an immediate ceasefire on Monday. Senior officials, including Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, along with a COGAT representative, were scheduled for a US visit to advocate for the war efforts, as stated by the Prime Minister’s Office last week. Israeli reports indicated that the Biden administration intended to propose several alternatives for actions in Rafah to the visiting Israeli team. In reaction to the vote, the office said: “The US has backed down from its consistent stance in the since the beginning of the war.” The failure of the US to veto a draft of the resolution that advocates for a ceasefire without requiring the release of hostages represents a significant withdrawal from its former position, it said. Following the United States’ choice to abstain, the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for an immediate halt to hostilities in Gaza, marking a departure from the US’s earlier actions of vetoing three previous draft resolutions regarding the Gaza war.U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., March 11, 2024. (credit: David Dee Delgado/Reuters) On Monday, the White House expressed confusion over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to call off the delegation’s planned meeting in Washington. “We’re kind of perplexed by this,” national security communications adviser John Kirby said when asked for Biden’s reaction to the decision, The Hill reported. “A couple of points that need to be stated and, in fact, restated,” he said. “No. 1, it’s a nonbinding resolution. So, there’s no impact at all on Israel and Israel’s ability to continue to go after Hamas. No. 2… it does not represent a change at all in our policy. It’s very consistent with everything that we’ve been saying we want to get done here. And we get to decide what our policy is.” Netanyahu’s decision to cancel the meeting in Washington is a significant diplomatic blunder, signaling a worrying retreat from constructive engagement with a key ally. At a time when the intricacies of international relations demand nuanced and continuous dialogue, especially concerning conflicts that have far-reaching global implications, such a move can be seen as short-sighted. It forfeits a pivotal opportunity to articulate Israel’s stance directly to the US and to explore alternative strategies for the complex situation in Gaza. By choosing to disengage over the US’s abstention in a UN Security Council vote, a decision within the US’s sovereign right, Netanyahu’s action may inadvertently weaken Israel’s diplomatic standing and undermine potential avenues for resolution. It may also sabotage the quick release of the . The reaction to the US abstention, characterizing it as a deviation from a consistent stance, underscores a lack of appreciation for the fluid nature of diplomacy and international consensus-building. It’s critical to recognize that diplomacy often requires compromise and adaptability, traits that seem to be overlooked in favor of a more rigid approach to international disagreements. The decision to cancel the trip over a nonbinding resolution – particularly when the US clarified that its abstention did not signify a policy shift – suggests a missed opportunity for Israel to engage in constructive dialogue and perhaps to sway opinions or gain understanding in a forum of immense strategic importance. Lastly, how this cancellation was handled – coupled with the expressed confusion and disappointment from the US side – reveals a worrying disconnect between two longstanding allies. Effective diplomacy is predicated on open channels of communication, especially in moments of tension. By sidestepping this meeting, Netanyahu not only forfeited a critical platform for advocacy, he also sent a message that might strain the trust and cooperation between Israel and the United States. At a juncture where collaboration and mutual understanding are paramount, such a decision can only be seen as a diplomatic misstep with potential long-term ramifications for both the resolution of the Gaza war and the strength of Israel-US relations. Netanyahu, please, send your representatives to Washington. That is the right thing to do. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-26

Hamas political chairman, Ismail Haniyeh, claimed Israel is experiencing "unprecedented political isolation," following a resolution by the UN Security Council which called for a ceasefire in Gaza. “Although this resolution came late and there may be some gaps that need to be filled, the resolution itself indicates that the occupation [Israel] is experiencing unprecedented political isolation,” Haniyeh spoke at a press conference in Tehran, following a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other top officials. Haniyeh went to claim that Israel "is losing its political cover and protection, even within the Security Council," going on to strike out against the United States, saying Washington "is unable to impose its will on the international community."  Both Hamas and Iran celebrated the UN Security Council resolution, though calling for a ceasefire and the release of hostages abducted on October 7, the two were not linked as before. "US policy has been consistent to not accept a ceasefire that would be unconditional and not tied to the release of hostages. We're happy to hear from them that their policy hasn't changed, but unfortunately they were separated in this Security Council resolution," Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer posted on X, following an interview with Bloomberg. "Any resolution that Hamas and Iran celebrate is a bad one for Israel and the US," the former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. concluded. Haniyeh, in his statement, did not mention the resolution's demand to release hostages abducted during the Hamas-led October 7 attack and held captive in Gaza since, a key priority of the Israeli government. Included in the delegation was Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) secretary-general Ziyad al-Nakhala, all of whom met Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to discuss “developments related to the ongoing war on Gaza and all the variables related to the Palestinian issue,” according to a statement by Hamas. Haniyeh reportedly told Khamenei, “The Gaza war is a world war, and the American ruling body is the main accomplice of the Zionist crime because it is in charge of leading the war of the Zionist regime.” While Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that "Ayatollah Khamenei praised the steadfastness and resilience of the people of Gaza and expressed strong regret over the crimes of the Zionist regime, supported directly by Washington and some Western countries." ...قراءة المزيد

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