The Only Path To Peace In The Middle East

While the Biden administration and the political left are pushing for a two-state solution to end the war in the Middle East, people who actually understand the situation understand that this is not realistic. The status quo before October 7, 2023, was essentially a two-state solution–Gaza was not controlled by Israel–Jews were not allowed in Gaza. Many of the residents of Gaza worked in Israel because of the poor economic situation in Gaza (caused by using the relief money for weapons and tunnels). Sadly, many of the murderers on October 7th brutally attacked the people who provided them with work and income. The two-state solution is not acceptable as a permanent solution for the residents of Gaza and the West Bank–they want a one-state solution with Israel driven into the sea and all of the Jews killed. That was evident on October 7th.

On Monday, Breitbart reported the following:

Israel reiterated a new offer Monday made last week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week: Hamas terrorists who release their Israeli hostages will be allowed to live; those who do not will be hunted down and killed.

There are 101 remaining Israeli hostages still in Hamas captivity in Gaza, about a third of whom are presumed dead.

However, the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli troops last Wednesday has renewed hope for a hostage deal — even if it is not clear with whom Israel would be negotiating. In the vacuum, private actors have begun to step forward: Daniel Birnbaum, has made a public offer to pay $100,000 per living Israeli hostage freed by October 23.

…As Breitbart News reported last Thursday, Netanyahu gave an address in Hebrew in which he said: “I am calling on everyone who is holding our hostages: whoever lays down his arms and returns our hostages, we will allow him to escape and to live. And by the same measure, I say: whoever harms our hostages, his blood will be on his own head.

It is long past time for Hamas to release the hostages. It is also long past time for the American government to put pressure on Iran to have the hostages released. The real solution to peace in the Middle East is regime change in Iran.

Betraying An Ally For Political Gain

On Monday, PJ Media posted an article about the Biden administration’s attempts to free the American hostages held captive in Gaza. While I agree that the American hostages should be freed, I also believe that the effort to free them should also be part of a larger effort to solve the problem of Hamas terrorism. Unfortunately, that is not the path the Biden administration has chosen.

The article reports:

It’s a line we’ve heard in countless movies and TV shows. Get the picture: a terrorist group hijacks a plane, kidnaps an American, or otherwise takes over something on U.S. soil, and the country’s leaders are discussing what to do. Usually, the president or someone else in the administration says that inevitable line: “We do not negotiate with terrorists!”

If we are to believe a report from NBC, that’s not the case anymore. Or, as my colleague Ed Morrissey put it: “Old and busted: America doesn’t negotiate with terrorists. New hotness: We’d rather cut a deal with terrorists than support our ally.

NBC is reporting that the White House is ready to work on a deal to get five hostages back from Hamas along with the remains of three dead hostages while leaving Israel out of the loop:

The article also includes a screenshot of a Tweet illustrating another way the Biden administration is trying to undermine the Israeli government of Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The article also notes:

“Not only is this effort from Biden and Antony Blinken despicable, it’s incredibly stupid,” Ed Morrissey wrote. “They want to reward Hamas for the October 7 massacre and want to punish the Israelis for grasping its existential import.”

Add this to the growing list of Biden’s foreign policy failures. “I think he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades,” former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said of Biden 10 years ago. Make that five decades because his treatment of Israel is shameful and wrong.

Genesis 12:3 states:

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (KJV)

The Biden administration might want to keep this in mind.

 

Actions Have Consequences

On Wednesday, The Daily Caller posted an article about the rationale that Hamas is using for taking American hostages.

The article reports:

Ali Baraka, a senior Hamas official, told Russia Today in a Sunday interview that Hamas demands that the United States engage in prisoner swaps and cited President Joe Biden’s recent Iran hostage deal as a rationale for taking of American captives.

Baraka noted in a translated excerpt of the interview provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) that there are multiple Hamas members serving life sentences in U.S. prisons. “We demand that the U.S. free our sons from prisons,” Baraka said.

The article concludes:

Baraka said that there was plenty of precedent to suggest that the United States would comply with Hamas’ demands. “The U.S. conducts prisoner swaps. Only recently, it did one with Iran. Why wouldn’t it conduct a prisoner swap with us?” Baraka asked.

The Biden administration’s Sept. 11, 2023 deal with Iran involved the United States transferring $6 billion to the Islamic Republic in exchange for the release of five American prisoners.

“Biden, the highest authority in the U.S., declared that he stands with Israel against Hamas and the Palestinian people. Therefore, he is a partner to this aggression, he must pay the price,” Baraka said in the interview.

The Biden administration has put the lives of Americans at risk both at home and abroad. At home we have the invasion at our southern border and abroad we have people believing that kidnapping Americans will result in a nice financial reward, the return of a terrorist or both. This administration needs to be impeached–from top to bottom!