Releasing Murderers to Free Hostages is as Immoral as it is Shortsighted

In Israel, Hamas, and the Islamic Concepts Dar al-Islam Versus Dar al-harb, I explained why ceasefires, "two state solutions," and any step short of the total defeat of the Islamists will be disastrous for Israel and the West: 

Hamas' surprise attack on Israel is a brutal demonstration of a reality that many people have refused to accept, and that some people--despite of all of the evidence--will still refuse to accept: there is no "two state" solution that will resolve the war between Israel and her enemies because this war has nothing to do with helping Palestinian Arabs and everything to do with killing as many Jews as possible. The barbarism at the core of radical Islam will not be cured by any concession made by Israel short of complete dissolution of the Jewish State--and even if that tragic outcome happened, radical Islam would not be placated but would instead turn its full attention toward the United States and other democratic countries that are part of the Dar al-harb--the portions of the world that radical Muslims have yet to conquer, with the emphasis on "yet": they believe that such conquest is promised to them by Allah, and they will not rest until they achieve such conquest, transforming all of the world into Dar al-Islam (territory governed in strict accordance with Islamic law, which means--among other things--no freedom of speech, no freedom of religion, no freedom of the press, no independent judiciary, and very limited rights for women and any other minority group not favored under Islamic law). 

While Hamas' October 7, 2023 mass casualty terrorist attack was still taking place, I made several predictions about what would happen next, and I am sad to report that all of my predictions came true (albeit on a more extended timeline than I expected, because I never imagined that Israel would let this war drag out for more than two years before declaring victory upon retreating): 

Unfortunately, Israel will achieve--at best--a pyrrhic victory over Hamas, and that victory will be accompanied by a wave of international condemnation of Israel followed by calls for Israel to trade more land for peace.

The broad outline of events for the next few weeks is sadly predictable:

1) For the next 24-48 hours, America and many Western countries will express sympathy for Israel.

2) After 48 hours at most, attention will shift to Israel's allegedly "disproportionate" response, and both sides--but mostly Israel--will be urged to "act with restraint."

3) Most media outlets will present false narratives about alleged "legitimate Palestinian grievances" that supposedly justify Hamas' attacks. Few people will have the courage to publicly state the truth: 

There has never been a sovereign country called Palestine, nor is there a distinct Palestinian people. If you don't believe me, then consider the words of Zuheir Mohsen, who was a high-ranking PLO leader in the 1970s. In a March 1977 interview with the Dutch newspaper Trouw, Mohsen declared:

The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan.

The word Palestine has nothing to do with Arab or Islamic history, but it dates back to the Latin name that the Romans gave to Judea (the second Jewish Commonwealth) after conquering and subjugating the Jewish people (and the Latin name is derived from a Greek word). After destroying the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, the Romans renamed the city Aelia Capitolina, and they proudly printed coins bearing the words "Judea Capta." The Roman Empire was long ago consigned to history's dustbin, but the Jewish people are still here and the Jewish people have reestablished their historical state in their historical land. We know when the first Jewish Commonwealth was founded (roughly 3000 years ago), we know its approximate and fluctuating borders, we know that Jerusalem was its political capital and main religious center, we know when that state was conquered by the Babylonians (roughly 2500 years ago), we know when the Maccabees established a second Jewish Commonwealth (roughly 2200 years ago), we know when the second Jewish Commonwealth was conquered by the Roman Empire (roughly 2100 years ago), and we know when the final Jewish revolt against Rome was defeated (less than 2000 years ago). We know that the people in the first and second Jewish Commonwealths spoke Hebrew. 

In contrast, the notion of a distinct Palestinian Arab nation is quite recent, and has no historical basis. The PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) was founded in Cairo, Egypt in 1964, with funding and support provided by the Soviet Union. What exactly was the PLO founded to "liberate"? In 1964, Egypt controlled Gaza, while Jordan controlled Judea and Samaria plus the eastern portion of Jerusalem. If the PLO had been truly interested in creating a Palestinian national state in Gaza plus the West Bank then why was the PLO conducting terrorist attacks against Israel, a nation that had no control over the areas that the PLO supposedly wanted to "liberate"? Of course, the reality is that the Soviet Union helped create the PLO to destabilize Israel and thus increase the Soviet Union's influence and power in the region. This was all about oil and about expanding Communism's reach, and had nothing to do with helping "Palestinians" or creating a "Palestinian" nation. That is why the PLO and other Arab/Islamic terrorist groups are still waging war against Israel decades after Israel gave up control of Gaza and of portions of the so-called West Bank: the goal is not creating a "Palestinian" state but rather destroying the Jewish State. The PLO has not even attempted to create a functioning government in Gaza, because the PLO was not created to govern, does not know how to govern, and has no interest in governing. 

This is a tragedy not only for Israel, but also for the innocent Arabs who are not terrorists and who just want to live in peace; being placed under the control of the PLO was the worst thing that happened to those Arabs, but many media outlets would rather blame Israel than examine and explain historical truths.

Until the nations of the world, the U.N., and major media outlets speak truth to power about both Israel and about the Palestine myth, there will never be Mideast peace.

4) In three to six weeks, Israel will declare victory. That victory will result in some form of limited ceasefire or Israel ending major military operations--but Gaza will still be governed by Hamas, and large portions of Judea and Samaria will still be governed by the terrorist organization that calls itself the Palestinian Authority, even though there is no such country as Palestine and the only "authority" that this terrorist organization exercises is waging war against Israel.

As I predicted, the world turned against Israel and placed unreasonable demands on Israel while justifying Hamas' crimes against humanity; as I predicted, Israel declared victory without winning the war, and accepted a ceasefire that did not dismantle Hamas or the kleptocratic Palestinian Authority that rules parts of Judea and Samaria that Israel foolishly conceded as part of the Oslo Accords.

After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to release 2000 terrorists in exchange for Hamas releasing 20 live hostages and 28 bodies of hostages, Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir spoke truth to power when addressing American envoys Jared Kusher and Steve Witkoff: "Would you make peace with Hitler? Hamas is Hitler. They want to kill us." 

Just a glance at the list of terrorists released by Israel is as heartbreaking as it is infuriating:

The list includes several terrorists involved in the Ramallah lynching in 2000, one of the most severe events in the history of Palestinian Arab terrorism. Among those to be released is Baher Dar, sentenced to 11 life sentences for his role in the Tzrifin suicide bombing in 2004 and other attacks in Tel Aviv.

A terrorist previously released in the Shalit deal, who was later re-arrested at Shifa Hospital in Gaza after returning to terrorist activities, will also be released.

Ibrahim Alikem — the murderer of Ita Tzur and her 12-year-old son Efrayim in an ambush near Ramallah in 1996 — will be released after serving a life sentence and being re-imprisoned a decade after his first arrest.

Fares Ghanem, sentenced to nine life sentences for eight murders, will be released. Along with him, the kidnapper and murderer of Yuri Gushchin, as well as Atiyah Abu Samhadga, who raped and murdered a Jewish woman, will be freed.

Among those to be released are also Jafar Al-Zaatari, a senior Hamas operative responsible for several suicide bombings; the murderer of Dalia Lemkus; Iyem Kammamji, arrested in 2006 for involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Eliyahu Asheri and one of the escapees from Gilboa Prison in 2021; and Hussein Jawadrah, who murdered soldier Eden Attias at the age of 16.

Riyad Al-Amour, a senior member of the Tanzim terrorist organization, will also be released. He was convicted for his role in the deaths of nine Israeli civilians and IDF officers, including Brigadier-General Yehuda Edri, as well as for the murder of three Palestinian Arabs suspected of collaboration with Israel.

Additionally, Nabil Abu Hadir, who murdered his sister, and the head of Tanzim in Tulkarm, who participated in dozens of shooting and bombing attacks, will be released.

The perpetrator of the 2002 Neve Yaakov attack, in which policewoman Galit Arviv was killed and eight police officers and civilians were injured, is also expected to be released.

The murderers of Shin Bet coordinator Haim Nachmani, the handlers of the suicide bomber responsible for the Carmel Market attack, and the head of the Islamic Jihad military wing in Jenin, Iyad Abu Al-Rub, will also be included in the deal.

Among the released will be Israeli terrorists, including the perpetrator of the murder of 11 Israelis in a Line 20 Jerusalem bus attack in 2002. Also included are Emad Shahada, who raped and murdered a teen; Arafat Zeer, who orchestrated the At-Taniel suicide bombing; and Iman Kurd, who stabbed two police officers in 2016 and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Other releases include Ahmad Mahmoud Ali Ka’abna, who murdered Hagit Zavitzky and Liat Kastiel; Hamdallah Ali, a senior Hamas figure in Judea and Samaria, released in the Shalit deal and later re-arrested at Shifa Hospital; and Hazam Awad, a senior Fatah operative behind a series of deadly attacks.

Taleb Mahamrah, a senior Fatah member who murdered five Israelis and other Palestinian Arabs, as well as Ismail Hamdan and the head of Tanzim in Bethlehem, Adnan Abi'at, will also be released. In addition, Musa Safen, who murdered his mother for marrying a Jew, and the murderer of Chief Sergeant Moshe Dayan, are included.

Among the released is Nader Abu Turki, previously freed in the Shalit deal, who recruited a suicide bomber and carried out a shooting attack. After his release, he became a key liaison between Hamas in Turkey and Hamas in Judea and Samaria; he will not be deported. Ahmad Siyag, who stabbed a female soldier four years ago, and Zaid Ghanidi, head of a terror cell in Hebron recently thwarted by Shin Bet, will also be released.

In Raw deal, Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, Esq. laments Israel's decision to set free terrorists:

The Entebbe rescue was the last time that Israel could present itself to the world as a nation that does not kowtow to terrorists, and that was almost fifty years ago. Since then, we have become one of the most courageous fighters and at the same time, one of the most craven appeasers of terror in the world. We know it, the enemy knows it, and the enemy knows it so well that he will repeat this tactic when it suits him and then repeat it again.

It is good that Nazi sympathizers were unaware of this in the early 1960’s or they would have simply kidnapped one hundred Jews and demanded the release of Adolf Eichmann in return...

What is wrong with us? We console ourselves that this weakness shows our compassion and concern for life but true compassion and concern for life also demands deterring future murders and kidnappings. Instead, we are encouraging it, even incentivizing it. We can pat ourselves on the back that we are not releasing "that guy," whoever he is, or Nukhba this or that, but eventually we will. We know it, and certainly they know it, so who are we fooling, and why are we inciting our enemy to do whatever it takes to free Barghouti and other assorted terrorists, rapists, murderers, and kidnappers, in the next round? Why play that macabre game when we know we will lose?

We have repeatedly announced to the world that Jewish blood is cheap. We are among those who cheapen it, if this is the best strategy we have. PM Netanyahu has successes on his ledger, but among his most compelling failures is being the prime minister who negotiated the Sinwar deal (freeing 1200 terrorists including the October 7 mastermind in exchange for one soldier) and then freeing thousands more in the deals of the last two years. The Arabs will kidnap and murder again; it is not a question of if, but when. The only real question is how many and, of course, who?

Who will be the next Jewish victims of Arab terror and kidnapping?

If Netanyahu once (1987) authored a book entitled, "Terrorism: How the West Can Win," he could now write the sequel, "Terrorism: How it got the better of Israel." For that alone - the failure to deter this tactic and instead habituate the world to expect this Israeli capitulation to terror - he should be driven from political life. This does not come from any anti-Netanyahu bias; I respect what he has achieved as I can criticize what he has failed to achieve.

Note that the Midrash (Breisheet Raba 55:8) teaches that just as hatred distorts a person's view of reality, so does love. Those who hate whatever Netanyahu does simply because he does it are psychologically similar to those who love whatever Netanyahu does simply because he does it. Neither are thinking that much...

We see today that in a war between the civilized and the savage, the civilized can never win. They can at most stalemate because at a certain point - sometimes earlier, sometimes later - the denizens of the civilized society turn against the war, preferring the soothing fantasies of peaceniks to the harsh facts of real life. Similarly, in negotiations between the civilized and the savage, the savage will always win because he is unencumbered by any moral notions.

Witness this oddity, a first in history: those who claim to be victims of "genocide" have stridently and consistently opposed an end to that "genocide," and instead are driving a very hard bargain against the alleged perpetrators of the genocide. That is unprecedented; all prior victims of genocide just wanted it to stop, and quickly. It makes one wonder… 

No one should forget that after Netanyahu surrendered the Hebron Hills to the PLO, a terrorist sniper murdered 10 month old Shalhavet Pass; her blood--and the blood of all Jews murdered by terrorists after Netanyahu gave up land and/or set free terrorists--is on his hands, as will be the blood of those murdered by the terrorists Netanyahu is setting free now.

Israel has a pathetic history of turning imminent victory into humiliating defeat by releasing terrorists instead of defeating her enemies, and Israel's Gaza policy has been eyeless, clueless, and senseless for decades because that policy has focused on "mowing the lawn" instead of winning the war.

The sad, brutal reality of human nature is that violence is often necessary for survival, because non-violence when faced with an enemy that has genocidal intent is equivalent to suicide. In Understanding the Full Dimensions of Hamas' October 7, 2023 Mass Casualty Attack in Israel, I described how Israel's war in Gaza should end: 

The facts documented above point to several important conclusions/action items:

1) In order to survive, Israel must destroy Hamas, because Hamas has demonstrated the ability and inclination to inflict mass destruction on Israel.

2) Any ceasefire in Gaza helps Hamas to regroup, and is therefore an existential threat to Israel.

3) In light of the significant support and collaboration that Hamas receives from the civilian population in Gaza, Israel must strongly consider what is the most humanitarian way to relocate most or all of that civilian population elsewhere; most wars involve population transfers to protect the innocent and minimize the likelihood of more warfare, and there is no reason that this war would be an exception. After World War II, population transfers of millions of people took place, and something similar happened in the Indian subcontinent after India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh became independent countries. Humanitarian population transfer is the best way to not only protect Israel but to also remove Gazans from the current war zone so that Israel can destroy Hamas with as few civilian casualties as possible.

In this context, it should also be remembered that--as I previously documented--after the creation of the modern State of Israel the Arab/Islamic countries expelled almost 1,000,000 Jews. Those Jews have never been compensated for their suffering or for their lost property. In essence, the Arab/Islamic countries already did an involuntary population transfer affecting Jews, and the population transfer process can now be completed--in an orderly, humane fashion--regarding Gaza (and this should be seriously considered for the hotbeds of Arab/Islamic terrorism in Judea/Samaria as well).

4) Israel faces a significant human and financial cost to rebuild everything that Hamas destroyed. Therefore, the Arab/Muslim world must foot the bill to pay whatever it costs to help Gaza's civilians now, and to relocate them to new homes out of Gaza at the earliest opportunity. The extensive sponsorship that Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States provide for sports--including but not limited to auto racing, chess, and golf--demonstrate that those nations have more than sufficient funds to pay for this. Those states depend on American military muscle to survive, so it should not be difficult for America to persuade those states to do their part: the simple message is "Pay your share to fix a problem created by terrorists who you have funded and sheltered, or we will withdraw all military support and leave you to your own devices vis a vis Iran." By the way, delivery of that same message would provide sufficient incentive for Qatar--which sponsors Hamas and shelters many of Hamas' leaders--to pressure Hamas to unconditionally free all of the hostages that Hamas is holding in Gaza.

The tears of joy accompanying today's release of the remaining 20 living hostages in Gaza will inevitably be followed by tears of lamentation after the terrorists that Netanyahu set loose rape, abduct, and slaughter more victims. Who will have the necessary courage and power to hold Netanyahu and Trump accountable when that dreaded day happens?

The Ceasefire is a Perverse Farce: Israel Must Win This War Decisively, or Israel and the West are in Grave Danger

In the latest of a series of disgusting Hamas propaganda events presented in conjunction with the International Red Cross, Hamas transferred four caskets to Israel today. The caskets purportedly contained Ariel Bibas (who was four years old when terrorists murdered him in Gaza), his brother Kfir Bibas (who was 10 months old when terrorists murdered him in Gaza), the children's mother Shiri, and Oded Lifshitz (a grandfather who was 84 years old when terrorists murdered him in Gaza). It should be emphasized that forensic examinations proved that the Bibas children were murdered in captivity, and did not die in an airstrike, contrary to the propaganda that Hamas has spewed for over a year and that Hamas boldly put on the banner that they proudly displayed at today's propaganda event. Forensic investigators also determined that the body that was supposed to be Shiri is in fact not Shiri, and does not match the identifying characteristics of any of the hostages. 

Congratulations, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu--you just traded terrorists to Hamas in exchange for a random dead body. President Trump keeps talking about "unleashing hell" on Hamas, but all that has been unleashed so far is humiliation on Israel for agreeing to this dangerous foolishness, and humiliation on the United States for brokering this deal.  

Congratulations, "Free Palestine" and "From the River to the Sea!" advocates--you are the proud supporters of child-killing terrorists who bring their own children to celebrate the deaths of Jewish children, and who pledge to kill more Jewish children in the future.

This flagrant (and ghoulish) violation of the ceasefire's terms should be met by an immediate, appropriate Israeli military response. This ceasefire is doomed to be a disaster for Israel (and the rest of the West), as were previous lopsided exchanges of murderers for hostages/dead bodies. 

In Israel Must Not Repeat the Mistake of Releasing Terrorists, I urged Israel to not agree to a ceasefire and to not release a single terrorist:

In the wake of Hamas's October 7, 2023 mass casualty terrorist attack, I explained the Islamic concepts of Dar al-Islam versus Dar al-Harb, and I defined what victory must look like for Israel: 

1) Hamas is eliminated as a functioning terrorist, military, and political entity.

2) Hamas' state sponsors--including but perhaps not limited to Iran and Qatar--must pay reparations for the killed, for the injured, and for the destruction of property.

3) All hostages held by Hamas must be released immediately and unconditionally.

Israel has fought Hamas--and Hezbollah, Iran, and the Houthis--for over a year and has failed to accomplish any of the above goals while losing over 800 soldiers in combat. It is not enough to kill a few top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders and to kill or capture several thousand foot soldiers, because doing so did not eliminate Hamas as a functioning entity, did not punish Hamas' state sponsors, and did not secure the unconditional release of all hostages.

Israel has a pathetic history of turning not quite victory into total defeat. In 2011, Netanyahu signed off on a deal with Hamas, releasing over 1000 terrorists in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas. One of those released terrorists was Yahya Sinwar, the architect of Hamas's October 7, 2023 mass casualty terrorist attack during which Hamas killed more than 1200 people and took more than 250 hostages. One lesson that Sinwar learned while he was incarcerated in Israel is that Israel will pay almost any price in exchange for hostages, and that is a major reason that the October 7, 2023 attack included plans to take hostages.

While we mourn the Bibas children, Lifshitz, and all of the other murdered hostages, we should not forget the Simon Tov family and the many other men, women, and children who were massacred on October 7, 2023. Their blood cries out to us; we owe it to them, and to potential future victims of Islamist bloodlust, to win this war as decisively and quickly as possible.

I previously discussed how "postmodern" concepts have wrecked Israel's military, and I offered a battle plan for the future:

Israel should abandon postmodern military doctrines that have repeatedly failed to yield desired results, and embark on a better, bolder path:

1) Scrap all of the "precision-guided munitions" and revert to using good old-fashioned "dumb" bombs. Israel's enemies would then directly pay the heavy price of attacking Israel, and they would know that Jewish blood is no longer cheap.

2) Stop bragging about military successes (real and imagined). Move in silence. Don't let the enemy know what to expect, and don't tell the enemy afterward what you did or did not do.

The harsh reality is that Israel and the West will either defeat the Islamists, or the Islamists will force the world to submit to Islamic law. This war will not be ended by negotiations or concessions, and it certainly will not be ended by delusional postmodern military doctrines focused on "effects" and deterrence.

President Trump should be commended for supporting Israel's right to "unleash hell" in Gaza, but those words are meaningless as long as the United States sponsors ceasefires that enable Hamas to rearm. Further, President Trump must confront Qatar for its primary role supporting Islamist terrorism. Qatar is a major part of the problem, and most assuredly is not an honest broker for peace. 

Israel's survival and the United States' status as the leader of the Free World both depend on the total defeat of the Iran-Qatar-Hamas-Hezbollah alliance. It should be glaringly obvious that this war is not about land, and it certainly is not about helping Palestinian Arabs or creating a state for them. Egypt occupied Gaza from 1948-67 and did not even attempt to create a Palestinian Arab state there, and Jordan similarly controlled Judea and Samaria from 1948-67 without attempting to create a Palestinian Arab state there. Why should Israel be expected to be "more Arab" than the Arabs? The Arabs know that "Palestinian nationalism" is just an inversion of the historical truth that Jews are the indigenous people of the Land of Israel, and that is why they never tried to create a Palestinian Arab state.

Anyone who still supports a "Two State Solution" is delusional at best, and evil at worst. I have already described the history of the Land of Israel and the fact that there has never been a Palestinian Arab state:

Much has been said and written about the "Palestinian" nation and about "Palestinian " rights. I agree with anyone who fights for the basic human rights of every single human being, but I have some questions about Palestine as a nation. When did a sovereign country named "Palestine" exist? What was its capital, and what were its borders? What distinct, unique language was spoken there? Such questions arouse outrage and venom from some people, but I have yet to hear or see any answers--and there is a simple reason for that: it is a demonstrable historical fact that no such sovereign country ever existed. 

Palestine is a geographic term, much like the term Midwest is used to describe the portion of the United States that includes Ohio, Michigan, and a few other states. In the early 20th century, the geographic term Palestine was used to describe a territory including what is now known as Israel, Gaza, the so-called West Bank (the areas properly called by their historic names Judea and Samaria), and Jordan; after World War I, the League of Nations approved a Mandate granting control of Palestine to Great Britain with the express understanding that the territory would be a homeland for the Jewish people. Great Britain sliced off the eastern 80% of the Palestine Mandate to create Transjordan (which later became the independent Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan). After the demise of the League of Nations and after World War II, the United Nations proposed that the remaining 20% of the Palestine Mandate be divided into a Jewish state and a second Arab state (in addition to Jordan). The Jewish leadership in Palestine accepted the UN's proposal--but the Arab leadership in Palestine rejected the UN's proposal and joined forces with armies from the surrounding Arab nations in what they expected to be a war of annihilation against the nascent Jewish State--but Israel won the war, and ended up controlling less than 20% of the original Palestine Mandate, with most of the remaining territory under Jordanian control (Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip, which has never been historically part of Egypt).

Throughout history, the aftermath of a war includes the resettlement of refugees and the redrawing of borders. This situation is no different; the Arabs rejected the 1947 U.N. Partition Plan, and they have lost every war that they launched against Israel since that time. Israel gave the Sinai Peninsula to Israel as part of the Camp David Accords, gave up parts of Judea and Samaria in the Oslo Accords, and unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Israel not only withdrew militarily from Gaza, but she forcibly removed Jewish civilians who lived there and she even dug up Jewish bodies buried there. Israel left behind greenhouses and other infrastructure that the Arabs promptly and gleefully destroyed, because this is not about land and has never been about land; this is about hating Jews, killing Jews, and destroying the Jewish State.

Giving up land and setting free terrorists has not brought peace to the Mideast or security to Israel. One definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results. The only way to defeat Islamism is to actually defeat it: kill the terrorists, kill their leaders, and make it clear that starting a war has a permanent territorial cost. Israel should immediately annex Judea and Samaria, and the Arab population there that is not willing to peacefully accept Israeli citizenship should be resettled in any of the more than two dozen Arab/Muslim countries. Israel has every right to annex Gaza as well, but if Israel prefers that Gaza be administered by the United States--as President Trump proposed--that is fine, provided that the current Gazan population is resettled in Arab/Muslim countries, both for the benefit of that population and to ensure the safety of Israel from a populace that has repeatedly demonstrated its overt support for Hamas' genocidal aims: the Gazans can start over elsewhere, and Gaza can finally be built up in a way that the Arabs have been unwilling or unable to do.

As a postscript to today's gruesome spectacle in Gaza, three empty buses exploded in Tel Aviv, and bombs were found on two other buses. Had those bombs exploded as intended during morning rush hour, hundreds of people could have been killed. The source of that terrorist attack is most likely the very population in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza that must be resettled--a population that has proven that it is unwilling to live side by side with Israel in peace. Israel is not going anywhere and should not have to go anywhere; the people who are creating the problem need to go somewhere else. If the Arab/Muslim countries refuse to take in their brethren then (1) that confirms how dangerous these people are, and (2) the United States should take that into consideration when allocating aid and when providing the military support that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other Arab/Muslim countries expect to receive. Israel resettled nearly 1,000,000 Jewish refugees from Arab/Muslim countries after 1947, and the time has come to complete that population exchange by resettling Arab/Muslim refugees in Arab/Muslim countries.

Today could be a momentous day: Hamas clearly violated the ceasefire, and terrorists attacked within the heart of Israel. Israel should not sit on her hands just because a mass casualty terrorist attack was averted, because next time Israel may not be so fortunate--and there will always be a next time until Israel wins this war as decisively and quickly as possible. 

We must all hope that Israel understands the gravity of the moment, and does what needs to be done to eliminate the Islamist threat to not just the Mideast but to Western civilization.

How Flawed "Postmodern" Concepts Wrecked Israel's Military

This is one of the most insightful and important articles/interviews that I have read in a long time: Why Hamas is still standing – analysis. Ran Baratz, who teaches military doctrine at the IDF's National Defense College, asserts that Israel's military has been negatively impacted by postmodern military doctrines, and he says that this is also a major problem for other Western democracies. He identifies the development of nuclear weapons and the end of the Cold War as two events that influenced postmodern military doctrines that rely on "precision-guided munitions" and "shock and awe" in contrast to the traditional military doctrine that focuses on obtaining victory by destroying the enemy's capability to fight.

After Israel's failure to win the Second Lebanon War (2006), former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Shomron pointedly noted that Israel's tactics had shifted from results-oriented to "effects"-oriented. Shomron lamented, "We used to hit the enemy on the head with a club—and then he felt the effects."

Baratz explains, "The postmodern IDF's approach was to try to reach the 'effects' stage without the intermediate clubbing phase, which, unsurprisingly, turned out not to work in the real world." He correctly identifies former Prime Minister Shimon Peres--one of the all-time darlings of the Left--as someone who played a major role in Israel's embrace of flawed postmodern military doctrines.

I am puzzled and upset when Israel almost immediately announces after a terrorist attack, in triumphant fashion, that it knew where the terrorist lived and has now destroyed the terrorist's house after first evacuating the inhabitants. If Israel has such in depth knowledge about where her enemies are, then why doesn't Israel destroy her enemies and end the war without allowing so many of her civilians to be slaughtered? Israel's actions makes no sense unless you buy the twin delusional notions that (1) peace is possible with an enemy who has sworn to stop at nothing to destroy you and (2) limited reactions to terrorist murders provide effective deterrence. The tragic reality is that (1) Israel's enemies will kill or be killed because they have pledged their lives to their goals of subjugating Israel followed by subjugating the rest of the non-Islamic world and (2) such "deterrence" not only has no military effect but it also has a negative public relations effect, because media outlets much prefer to show a destroyed house owned by Arabs/Muslims than the victims of Arab/Islamic terrorism.

Israel also brags about using "precision-guided munitions" that can target one person while leaving other people in close proximity unharmed. Israel seems to be blissfully unaware that no one is impressed by her "precision-guided munitions." Her enemies scoff at Israel's softness while simultaneously complaining to credulous media outlets that Israel is committing "genocide."

Israel should abandon postmodern military doctrines that have repeatedly failed to yield desired results, and embark on a better, bolder path:

1) Scrap all of the "precision-guided munitions" and revert to using good old-fashioned "dumb" bombs. Israel's enemies would then directly pay the heavy price of attacking Israel, and they would know that Jewish blood is no longer cheap.

2) Stop bragging about military successes (real and imagined). Move in silence. Don't let the enemy know what to expect, and don't tell the enemy afterward what you did or did not do.

The harsh reality is that Israel and the West will either defeat the Islamists, or the Islamists will force the world to submit to Islamic law. This war will not be ended by negotiations or concessions, and it certainly will not be ended by delusional postmodern military doctrines focused on "effects" and deterrence.

Baratz concludes: "When do you need the military? For the moment that deterrence fails. So the military shouldn't be allowed to think about deterrence. It should live by the assumption that deterrence has failed and now it is required. As long as the enemy understands that your military is capable of winning, they are deterred. It's a byproduct of your actual war abilities. You do not deter your enemy by persuading him and by psychological effects."

In Israel Must not Underestimate Hezbollah the Way that Israel Underestimated Hamas, I warned, "I fervently do not want to be the prophet of Israel's destruction, but Israel's destruction is possible if Israel underestimates or ignores the threats posed by Iran, a weakened but not defeated Hamas, and a weakened but not defeated Hezbollah. I warned for many years about the threat posed by Hamas, and I was proven right. I have also warned repeatedly about the threat posed by Iran in general and Hezbollah in particular, and I hope that Israel has learned from her previous grievous mistakes and will act decisively to defeat her evil enemies."

Trump Should Think Twice Before Claiming Credit for this Disastrous Deal

Soon to be U.S. President Donald Trump is taking credit for the reported Israel-Hamas deal that will apparently result in cessation of hostilities in Gaza for at least six weeks, the release of 33 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza (some of whom may be dead), and the release of hundreds--if not more than 1000--Arab terrorists, many of whom have blood on their hands and publicly stated murderous intentions in their minds. Trump portrays himself as the ultimate deal-maker, and he asserts that this deal is the first step toward bringing peace to the Mideast--but the reality, as I explained in Israel Must Not Repeat the Mistake of Releasing Terrorists, is that this deal is a painful, humiliating defeat in the life and death battle versus Islamist terrorists whose goal is to subjugate the non-Muslim world (which they refer to as Dar-al-harb): "If this deal takes place, it will be an unmitigated disaster not only for Israel and the Jewish people, but for the West, because this will represent a tremendous victory for Hamas specifically and Islamic terrorists in general; it will demonstrate that terrorism works, that Israel is weak, and that if you resist Israel long enough then Israel will surrender."

In Is this the best deal they could come up with?, Gary Willig wrote:

Hamas' leaders are dead. Its battalions are smashed. 20,000 of its fighters are dead, with thousands more injured or in prison. Its rocket arsenal has been reduced to a few hundred at most. Its ally Hezbollah is in shambles and unable to help it anymore. Its masters and sponsors in Tehran are reeling from losses throughout the region, the destruction of their air defenses, and an economic crisis that will make rebuilding from this war far more difficult for Hamas than previous conflicts. Hamas has 5 days until the deadline set by the next American President to release its hostages or there will be "all hell to pay."

With everything that is going against Hamas, this is the best deal Israel and the US could come up with?

David M. Weinberg details the disastrous and sordid history of Israel's lopsided hostages for terrorists exchanges in Terrorist releases in exchange for hostages threaten even more Israeli lives (emphasis in original):

Every deal involving the release of terrorists has led to more bloodshed, planned and carried out by these released terrorists.

There are no exact statistics on this (because unsurprisingly the security establishment refuses to release such statistics), though estimates range from 10% to 50% of released terrorists swiftly return to hard-core terrorist activity with devastating effects.

The 1,150 Palestinian Arab prisoners released by Israel in the 1985 so-called Jibril deal, in which three Israeli soldiers who had been taken hostage in Lebanon by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were released, proceeded to fuel the First Intifada, which ran from 1987 to 1993 and lead to the deaths and injuries of Israeli and other citizens. According to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, about 10% of the released Palestinian terrorists returned to active terrorist duty.

Then came the Oslo Accords, when Israel mistakenly allowed at least 60,000 Palestinian Arabs from "abroad" into the Palestinian Authority territories, including 7,000 card-carrying PLO terrorists. Between 1993 and 1999, Israel released additional Palestinian Arab terrorists as "gestures" to the PLO, which fueled the Second Intifada, from 2000 to 2005. These shocking figures were revealed in an Israel Defense and Security Forum report from last year.

In 2004, Israel released more than 400 Palestinian Arab prisoners and some 30 Lebanese prisoners, including leaders of Hezbollah, for one civilian captive—Elhanan Tannenbaum—and the bodies of three IDF soldiers. The Second Lebanon War against Hezbollah followed not long after.

The 2011 deal for Gilad Shalit was the worst; more than 1,000 terrorists were released in exchange for the 25-year-old IDF soldier, including Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Hamas-led attacks and atrocities on Oct. 7, 2023. In fact, almost the entire Hamas command structure involved in planning last year’s Simchat Torah assault on Israeli towns and cities, in which more than 1,200 Israelis were killed on a single day, was made up of terrorists released in the Shalit deal.

Joe Biden's foreign policy consisted of one disastrous decision after another, including but not limited to his funding of the the PLO's "Pay for Slay" Jew-Killing program, but Donald Trump is not starting his second term well; his bragging about his role in the upcoming Israel-Hamas deal indicates that Trump pressured Israel into accepting unfavorable terms so that he could claim a foreign policy "success" that will turn out to be disastrous for Israel and the United States.

It will give me no pleasure to say "I told you so" when the terrorists released by Israel in this deal kill Israelis, Americans, and other innocent civilians. This deal will also inspire more terrorism in the United States along the lines of the recent attack in New Orleans, because terrorists will sense and exploit the weakness now being displayed by Israel and the United States.

Israel Must Not Repeat the Mistake of Releasing Terrorists

It has been reported that Israel is close to reaching a deal with Hamas stipulating that Israel will release hundreds of terrorists--including convicted killers--in exchange for 33 hostages. Allegedly, the price for each released female Israeli soldier will be 50 terrorists. If this deal takes place, it will be an unmitigated disaster not only for Israel and the Jewish people, but for the West, because this will represent a tremendous victory for Hamas specifically and Islamic terrorists in general; it will demonstrate that terrorism works, that Israel is weak, and that if you resist Israel long enough then Israel will surrender. Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich blasted the proposed deal as a "catastrophe for the national security of the State of Israel. We will not be part of a surrender deal that would include releasing arch-terrorists, ending the war, and erasing the achievements that cost us so much."

In the wake of Hamas's October 7, 2023 mass casualty terrorist attack, I explained the Islamic concepts of Dar al-Islam versus Dar al-Harb, and I defined what victory must look like for Israel: 

1) Hamas is eliminated as a functioning terrorist, military, and political entity.

2) Hamas' state sponsors--including but perhaps not limited to Iran and Qatar--must pay reparations for the killed, for the injured, and for the destruction of property.

3) All hostages held by Hamas must be released immediately and unconditionally.

Israel has fought Hamas--and Hezbollah, Iran, and the Houthis--for over a year and has failed to accomplish any of the above goals while losing over 800 soldiers in combat. It is not enough to kill a few top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders and to kill or capture several thousand foot soldiers, because doing so did not eliminate Hamas as a functioning entity, did not punish Hamas' state sponsors, and did not secure the unconditional release of all hostages.

Israel has a pathetic history of turning not quite victory into total defeat. In 2011, Netanyahu signed off on a deal with Hamas, releasing over 1000 terrorists in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas. One of those released terrorists was Yahya Sinwar, the architect of Hamas's October 7, 2023 mass casualty terrorist attack during which Hamas killed more than 1200 people and took more than 250 hostages. One lesson that Sinwar learned while he was incarcerated in Israel is that Israel will pay almost any price in exchange for hostages, and that is a major reason that the October 7, 2023 attack included plans to take hostages. Sinwar terrorized Israel in three ways on that day (and ever since, even after Israel belatedly eliminated him): 

1) Hamas not only raped, tortured, and beheaded victims but Hamas livestreamed these horrors to inspire their followers and break Israel's spirit while proudly displaying the barbarism at the heart of radical Islam.

2) Hamas committed mass murder to devastate the Jewish people with a one day death toll not seen since the Holocaust.

3) Hamas took hostages to use as bargaining chips for the release of thousands of terrorists.

The title of Caroline Glick's column about the Shalit deal--"A Pact Signed in Jewish Blood"--says it all, and she wrote some prescient words about Israel's colossal blunder (emphasis added):

Untold numbers of Israelis who are now sitting in their succas and celebrating Jewish freedom, who are driving in their cars, who are standing on line at the bank, who are sitting in their nursery school classrooms painting pictures of Torah scrolls for Simhat Torah will be killed for being Jewish while in Israel because Netanyahu has made this deal. The unrelenting pain of their families, left to cope with their absence, will be unimaginable.

This is a simple fact and it is beyond dispute.

It is also beyond dispute that untold numbers of IDF soldiers and officers will be abducted and held hostage. Soldiers now training for war or scrubbing the floors of their barracks, or sitting at a pub with their friends on holiday leave will one day find themselves in a dungeon in Gaza or Sinai or Lebanon undergoing unspeakable mental and physical torture for years. Their families will suffer inhuman agony.

The only thing we don't know about these future victims is their names. But we know what will become of them as surely as we know that night follows day.

Netanyahu has proven once again that taking IDF soldiers hostage is a sure bet for our Palestinian neighbors. They can murder the next batch of Sinais and Gals, Noas and Ruths. They can kill thousands of them. And they can do so knowing all along that all they need to do to win immunity for their killers is kidnap a single IDF soldier.

There is no downside to this situation for those who believe all Jews should die.

In 2011, Glick predicted the hostage crisis that has taken place in Gaza since October 7, 2023, and it must be emphasized that the current proposed deal will ultimately not be about rescuing 33 hostages but rather about condemning hundreds--if not thousands--of people to be slaughtered. 

It is heart-rending to read the pleas to Netanyahu "Leave no hostage behind," because Netanyahu is compounding the insanity underlying previous lopsided deals by not even bringing every hostage home with this proposed deal. Minister Orit Strock (Religious Zionist Party) declared, "There are prices that should not be paid, certainly not before everything in the world changes, just before we can fight again without any restrictions. Just before the end of Biden's term, to come and make a deal whose exorbitant price suits a period that is almost over--it's not an achievement, it's an injustice and a lack of national responsibility. We need to cry out these things, we need to awaken these things. We need to talk about the hostages who, as it seems now, will be left behind. I call on all my friends in the government, do not ignore this price. Be brave enough to say no to this agreement."

There are still approximately 100 hostages (or bodies) being held by Hamas; what happens to the dozens who are not included in this deal? Netanyahu is betraying Israel and the Jewish people, and in one fell swoop he is poised to wipe out whatever hard-earned gains Israel made on the battlefield, because Hamas' leaders lounging in luxury in Qatar* do not care about the Hamas foot soldiers Israel killed in Gaza; those foot soldiers are just cannon fodder to Hamas, which also not only does not care about Arab civilian suffering but uses (and exaggerates) that suffering for propaganda purposes. 

Hamas' October 7, 2023 mass casualty terrorist attack exposed Israel's strategic and tactical vulnerabilities, and this proposed exchange reveals Israel's political weakness: Israel consistently permits her enemies to fight limited liability wars in which her enemies never suffer significant, permanent consequences for their actions. Israel should make it clear that the response to terrorism and war waged against her will not only be total victory on the battlefield but also the enactment of permanent political and demographic changes--Israel should annex Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, and Israel should complete the population exchange initiated in 1948 when the Arab and Islamic states expelled almost 1,000,000 Jews. We have seen for over 100 years--dating back to before the rebirth of the Jewish State in the Land of Israel--that a large number of Arabs and Muslims will never accept peaceful coexistence with the Jewish people, so we have passed the point where the obvious solution must be enacted: Jews (and any Arabs/Muslims who will live in peace with Jews) living in Israel, and Arabs/Muslims who are unwilling to peacefully coexist with Israel living in any one of their more than 20 Arab/Muslim sovereign states spread out from Morocco all the way to Pakistan (a legacy of Arab/Muslim colonization of Africa, the Mideast, and Asia).

No self-respecting nation suffering what Israel suffered at the hands of Hamas would leave Hamas intact in Gaza--or leave Gaza under Arab/Muslim control--in the wake not just of the October 7 atrocities but in the wake of 20 years of Hamas atrocities. Israel tried the experiment of letting the Arabs/Muslims rule in Gaza, and the result of that experiment proved that the experiment should never be repeated. Israel must control Gaza to be safe, and Hamas must lose Gaza as a consequence of losing a war that Hamas started.

Imagine if Israel had never given up the land that she captured in self-defense in 1956, 1967, 1973, and 1982. The Arabs/Muslims would be much less inclined to attack Israel if they knew that losing the ensuing war would mean permanently losing land. That is the way that normal nations wage war. Israel has tried to live by a "purity of arms" concept that is neither acknowledged nor respected by the rest of the world that slanders Israel as a genocidal apartheid state--but it is better to be slandered while controlling land and having peace than to be slandered while losing land and having no peace.

The Islamic terrorists boast that they will defeat Israel (and then the West, mind you--never forget that) because "We love death more than you love life." The  foundational documents for Hamas and Hezbollah explicitly state their goal to destroy Israel; unless Israel comes to grips with the reality that this is a kill or be killed situation, Israel's survival is in deep peril. 

*--As I noted in a recent article, it is imperative that President Trump confront Qatar for sponsoring Islamic terrorism and no longer perpetuate the lie that Qatar is a helpful mediator.