Hamas did return the body of Shiri Bibas after admitting the unidentified body they originally sent was not Shiri. They also released 6 hostages on Saturday, forcing others who remained captive to watch the staged ceremony of the handover. Both of these actions look to me like intentional psychological warfare ploys. The Israeli Forensics Institute … More Truce 23 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
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
When you can’t criticize someone for what they say you can just make up something they did not say and go after them for that. Many are attacking President Trump by deliberately distorting what he said about resettling Gaza Palestinians. What I heard did NOT include any mention of forcing anyone to leave. Of course, … More Truce 6 Feb
Meanwhile, in Lebanon: Hezbollah appears to have made a deal with the Lebanese Government. Hezbollah fighters remain south of the Litany river. The Lebanese Army was supposed to supervise their withdrawal, and handle (destroy) any weapons or fortifications left behind, Israeli forces would then withdraw from Lebanese territory. This is how I understood the (renewed) … More Truce 27 Jan
I mentioned last time that Hamas has neither tanks nor an air force. They also do not recognize that there are any rules for war, humanitarian or other. In this they differ from (moderate?) mainstream Islam. But even Muhammed was known for violating truce agreements when it was advantageous for him. Hamas does not follow … More Truce 26 Jan
Any truce or cease-fire agreement can only be maintained if BOTH sides actually abide by the conditions agreed upon. This means that both sides must benefit. For Israel, the latest truce is designed to get Hams (and their partner the Islamic Jihad) to release hostages they took on 7 Oct 2023. For Hamas, it is … More Truce 23 Jan
Wetherhorn 