The hostages return was marvelous. Beware of Trump ‘dealmaking’
Hamas will not voluntarily disarm. Not now. Not ever. Hamas is a terrorist death cult whose only purpose is to recover all modern Israel by murdering every Israeli man, woman and child.
Though weakened over the last two years, Hamas is regaining strength, resources, and fighters. I’d offer that we need more information with regards to who exactly is helping fund Hamas’ resurgence. Iran? Russia? Turkey? Qatar in its role as a double agent? Who else? Support for Hamas is coming from somewhere. Perhaps the Trump regime already knows…
I have no doubt that Hamas is already planning ways to repeat October 7. Two years of brutal war led by Netanyahu and his fellow Jewish Supremacists has not offered Israel any more security than before it started…and maybe less. In the meantime, I expect that Trump and his real estate developer diplomatic team still envision Kushner’s ‘Gaza Riviera.’
Trump evidently gave Hamas his ‘permission’ to re-enter and police areas of Gaza as the IDF has pulled out. This is also not conducive to their eventual disarming or the demilitarization of Gaza.
Perhaps it represents a kind of set up which will allow Netanyahu and his coalition to fully resume its destruction of Gaza in the knowledge that Hamas will not back down. Hamas may now be slightly empowered by Trump’s letting them be back on the street, armed and exercising their murderous authority without alternatives.
Getting the hostages home was a magnificent event. But I worry greatly about whatever ‘deal’ Trump may have made with Hamas…and the Israeli hard Right. That he has the attention span of a coked-up squirrel with a brain as damaged as is now the East Wing of the White House, expect violent words such as Trump’s promise a couple days ago to ‘eradicate’ Hamas if they didn’t maintain the ceasefire paired with more performance politics rather than any action or legitimate follow through.
And the Christian Zionists who fund and support Trump, Netanyahu and violent Israeli settler groups still envision their Dominionist mission to recover all the mythical biblical lands of Israel.
Recall when Trump and his then lapdog, Mike Pompeo, freed thousands of Islamist fighters from Afghan jails as Trump personally pushed Pakistan to free the then second in command of the Taliban. How did that work out?
Recall when Trump literally handed Afghanistan back to the Taliban unconditionally based on Taliban demands and threats which were dangerous and not functional. But Trump had a thought of being able to use this as a foreign policy ‘victory’ in the 2020 election he ultimately lost.
That didn’t work out either.
Trump sold out the very many Afghans who worked with the US and the US military in Afghanistan. Trump forever doomed that nation’s women and girls. Trump then deliberately left this calculated mess for Joe Biden who then was forced into the massive airlift out of Afghanistan based on the catastrophic ‘deal’ and timelines Trump made with the Taliban.
in his increasingly disconnected brain, Trump does whatever he thinks will get him the most attention in the moment and/or push the distractions needed to pursue background but primary agendas. Israel should expect no less
Hamas has not been providing security in Gaza but is reinitiating its reign of terror on citizens and resuming its occupation of that tragic territory. The same world community who was correctly horrified by the excessive brutality of Netanyahu and his coalition in Gaza, have suddenly gone quiet in the face of open, and videoed, atrocities by Hamas against Gazan citizens.
We’ve barely heard from any of these ‘pro-Palestinian’ people, groups or even the nations who granted ‘Palestinian statehood’ directly challenge and make demands of Hamas towards creating a ‘state.’ Another reality not identified is that Hamas would consider an independent Palestinian state an anathema to its own goals and objectives which are not, and have never been, Palestinian independence.
That Netanyahu must be held accountable is true. He took what was a just war and turned it into misdirected slaughter and wanton destruction. And he still refuses to identify a functional plan but seems to be turning Israel into a vassal state, not to the US, but to Trump. The ‘plan’ is held by the extremists in Netanyahu’s Faustian coalition who continue to expect full Jewish resettlement of Gaza.
While I’ve been writing this commentary, and as predicted, I see in the Times of Israel that ‘two West Bank annexation bills get initial nod, with MKs rebelling against PM.’ This, with Vance and Trump’s real estate diplomats in Israel. This, even though Trump ‘forbid’ Israel to annex the West Bank or Gaza. Remember back when Netanyahu formed his coalition but said not to worry since he would still be the last word?
2 West Bank annexation bills get initial nod, with MKs rebelling against PM as Vance visits
And no attention has thus far been paid to the West Bank where violent fundamentalist Jewish settlers continue to escalate their attack, assault, and murder of Palestinians with impunity towards taking control over Palestinian towns and land. This must also end for any true sustained truce in Gaza to happen. But it won’t as it is aligned with the Jewish hard Right, and Christian Zionist, agendas.
I doubt if any Arab nation would be remotely interested in becoming part of the new ‘stabilization force’ in Gaza organized by Trump, his son in law, Jared Kushner and fellow real estate developer, Steve Witkoff. Perhaps El-Sisi, Egypt’s dictator, might show some interest for the aid money Trump has been sending to Egypt. But nobody is going into Gaza to extend Israel’s fight with Hamas
To the author of the linked article, I just wanted to share that the 20-point peace plan came from Joe Biden – not Trump. One of the few things Trump remains good at is using the work of others and taking credit.
I would also argue that the IDF has been on a ‘full court press’ in Gaza for 2 the past years now, which hasn’t worked. As a result, Hamas now has 20,000 fighters rather than 30,000 but will continue to reconstitute itself.
Netanyahu’s first plan of containing Hamas in Gaza failed miserably as demonstrated on October 7. His second plan of a war of ‘annihilation’ against Hamas in Gaza has also failed. His only real plan was to keep the war going while pandering to his far-Right coalition members. I think part of any deal made by Trump didn’t ignore their priorities
Despite Netanyahu’s war of annihilation in Gaza, Israel’s security and stability has not improved even though Gaza has been almost destroyed. In fact, Israel is arguably less safe and stable as a result. It’s clear from the beginning, and even more so now, that Netanyahu’s strategy was abysmal and at least borders on, if not crosses the line of, war crimes.
We don’t need another massive assault on Gaza. What we need is a completely different construct and strategy. Israel’s strategy against Hezbollah was brilliant. This was the sort of planning which should have gone into the war against Hamas.
But the only way this vitally important change can get started is to force Netanyahu and his coalition’s resignation to call new elections. Then Netanyahu and his key players must be held fully accountable.
