The big news today is actually appearing in most of the media. Hamas is going to release 4 bodies tomorrow and 6 live hostages on Saturday followed by 4 more bodies next week. I don’t know why this should be such a cause for celebration. My focus is on the fact that they never should … More Truce 19 Feb
Again, before proceeding, a couple of notes: First, Hezbollah has sent 5 drones into Israel in the past few days, only one of which was reported in the news. Second. IDF air strikes that killed a Hamas leader took place in Lebanon, not Gaza. Losing the 1956 Sinai war to Israel did not keep Nasser … More Truce 18 Feb
Before returning to the diplomatic history of the Arab-Israeli conflict there are a couple of recent updates that need to be mentioned. First, US Secretary of State is visiting the region. He apparently told Israel that the US will back them up on whatever actions they choose to take, He is now heading to Saudi … More Truce 17 Feb
Many Arab states and organizations (that includes Hamas, Fatah, and Hezbollah) have never accepted the idea that Jews should have a state of their own. So, today, I’m going to start with the international acceptance of the idea at the end of World War One. One of the consequences of that war was the de … More Truce 16 Feb
Everyone is playing the “grab the Headlines” game. Hamas started by saying they would delay releasing hostages. Trump then said ALL the hostages out by Sunday. Netanyahu modified that asking for only 9 live hostages. Now Hamas is back to “let’s all abide by the original agreement” I.e., We’ll release 3 on Saturday. Iran found … More Truce 14 Feb
One of the least impressive remarks I heard this morning was from a commentator on Sky News (UK). He said if Trump’s proposals go through it means the end of the 2 state solution. I have always been amazed at how so many countries still cling to that idea, and try to blame Israel for … More Truce 12 Feb
I may have to change the title of the blog entry this goes into. Hamas is threatening to delay release of hostages because of what they say is violations of the cease fire agreement by Israel. Not surprisingly, Israel says they have been meticulously abiding by the terms, and it is Hamas who is in … More Truce 11 Feb
Hamas (and others) continue to release threatening statement based on “if Israel does …” A lot of main stream media keep reporting this nonsense as if it were factual. At the same time, Hamas has been sending people into areas where the IDF has warned them not to enter. When that happens, IDF forces do … More Truce 10 Feb
Israel received 3 hostages yesterday as part of the “Deal”. All 3 were badly undernourished and looked a lot like some of the prisoners released from camps at the end of World War 2. The Hamas propaganda apparatus claimed Israel was starving Gazans. Well, this is what starvation really looks like. If you saw the … More Truce 9 Feb
I wrote this in 2022. n the Jerusalem Post in 2022, in the section “Word on the Palestinian Street” there was an important comment. Farha Abu Al-Hija said “The Palestinians have proven throughout the years that they will not give up or surrender”. This must not be taken as a sign that there is no … More Truce 9 Feb – 2
Wetherhorn 