The Saudis hosted a joint summit of Arab countries and the Organization of Islamic States. The result was an expected call for a cease fire. What was absent was the inclusion of any active measures against Israel, a position supported by Iran. The Saudis were joined by several other Arab countries in blocking Iranian proposals. I wonder if this is because they recognize that Hamas is trying to make this a religious war rather than a classic political war. The classic definition says war is a continuation of diplomatic disagreements using other means (violence0. Religious wars do not allow for compromise. Many Western diplomats don’t seem to understand the difference.
The Israeli position is clear. No cease-fire without the return of ALL the kidnapped hostages.
CNN is still living up to the motto of reporting disinformation. They have parroted the Hamas claims that As-Shifa hospital has been attacked, that 3 newborns died due to lack of electricity, and that the hospital is encircled. All three of these claims are false. The IDF has left one side of the hospital open for non-combatants to safely evacuate. IDF has spoken directly to the hospital director about evacuation, and even promised to help. Those aren’t just empty statements. When some people tried to leave the hospital, Hamas sent an armed terrorist to shoot at them. The IDF killed him in order to protect the Palestinian civilians. The IDF is even accepting the risk that some terrorists may escape by posing as fleeing civilians. Last week several were found masquerading as patients in an ambulance carrying sick and injured to the south. CNN was quick to disavow connections to a so-called part-time free-lance photographer that accompanied the murderers through the fence, but they continue to use Hamas propaganda material without question. I cannot help but wonder what other “news” they present is tainted in a similar manner.
Another reserve officer who lived in a town in our regional council (the near equivalent of an American County) was killed in Gaza, He, and 4 of his soldiers were lost to a Hamas booby trap at one of the entrances to a tunnel. Urban warfare is hard, and subterranean urban warfare can be even more dangerous. The IDF has often been able to avoid these traps, but they remain potentially fatal. The funeral is this afternoon.
Wetherhorn 