Tag Archives: cease-fire

Wanting A Cease-Fire So They Can Re-Arm

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On Tuesday, The New York Post reported the following:

Hezbollah said Tuesday it is now ready to engage in cease-fire talks with Israel, after suffering serious blows to its leadership and ranks in recent months.

The terror group in Lebanon made the announcement after firing more than 100 rockets at the Jewish state hours earlier.

Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem, publicly endorsed a truce with Israel, the first such time the terror group has proposed a cease-fire not conditioned on the war in Gaza.

We need to remember that the only time the Arabs or the United Nations call for a cease-fire in the Middle East is when Israel is winning and the Arabs involved need time to re-arm. You can bet if the terrorists were winning they would be avoiding talks for a cease-fire.

The article concludes:

It remains unclear if Israel would accept a cease-fire deal with Hezbollah as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that the operations in Lebanon would not end until he is assured the terror group will no longer pose an active threat to northern Israel.

The US and France have repeatedly urged for the two sides to engage in a truce over fears the conflict would spark an all-out war in the Middle East.

The only was to deal with terrorists is to defeat them totally. Otherwise October 7, 2023, will be an event that happens periodically. America understood that in World War II. If we don’t remember it, we will be on our way to World War III.

You Can Tell When Israel Is Winning–The United Nations Asks For A Cease Fire

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On Monday, John Hinderaker at Power Line Blog posted an article about the continuing war between Israel and the terrorists that surround it. It is unfortunate that the rest of the world does not understand that in defending Israel they are fighting worldwide terrorism.

The article quotes The Wall Street Journal:

Israeli special forces have been carrying out small, targeted raids into southern Lebanon, gathering intelligence and probing ahead of an expected broader ground incursion, people familiar with the matter said.
***
The Biden administration expects an imminent Israeli invasion of Lebanon, U.S. officials said.
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An Israeli official said that, if there were to be a broader ground operation, it would feature “localized, limited raids against Hezbollah targets along the border with the objective of destroying the capabilities of the Radwan Forces,” the militant group’s special-operations unit. Israeli forces assess that the group is making preparations for an attack, as Hamas did before Oct. 7, including positioning clothes, weapons and other materials along the border.

The difference is that October 7th was unprovoked and aimed at civilians. Israel’s attack has been provoked by the constant rocket fire on civilians in Northern Israel, and Israel’s attack is aimed at Hezbollah–a terrorist group.

The article at Power Line Blog concludes:

So, what is the Biden administration’s role in these events? Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have remained true to their policy of being utterly irrelevant, when they are not actually destructive, on all foreign policy issues. Biden’s greatest fear, apparently, is that Israel might actually achieve victory in its battle to the death with Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies:

President Biden starkly instructed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to abandon reported plans for an imminent invasion of southern Lebanon to clear out Hezbollah-held areas days after the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah.

“Israel may now be launching a limited operation into Lebanon. Are you aware of that? Are you comfortable with their plan?” a journalist asked Biden at the White House.

“I’m more aware than you might know, and I’m comfortable with them stopping,” the president replied.

“We should have a cease-fire now,” he added.

There is a pattern here: whenever the Jews are winning, liberal Democrats want a cease fire to give the terrorists time to regroup and live to fight again another day. Happily, no one cares what they think.

If Mexico were firing rockets into Texas every day, would America want a cease-fire?

The Biden Administration Is On The Wrong Side Of This

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On Monday, The New York Post posted an article about the aftermath of the recent murders of five Israelis and one American by Hamas.

The article reports:

Hamas has now basically admitted it killed those six hostages rather than risk their liberation — indeed, all but boasted of it.

Meanwhile, the Harris-Biden administration seems to be taking the tragedy as license to push Israel into a cease-fire deal that could let the terrorists re-supply.

Asked by a reporter Monday if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had done enough to secure a hostage deal, Biden gave a flat “No” while claiming “we’re very close” to proposing another hostage deal this week, and “Hope springs eternal.”

Hamas refused to accept the last cease-fire offer, even as Netanyahu was signaling (some) willingness to bend on the crucial question of the Philadephi corridor: Who is to control the Gaza-Egyptian border during any ceasefire?

Cairo, it turns out, had let the area be riddled with smuggling tunnels on its watch, so Bibi is reluctant to let the IDF cede control even temporarily now — lest Hamas take the opportunity to re-arm and/or get its top leaders out of Dodge.

It Hamas is going to kill any hostages that might be rescued, maybe it is time to simply carpet bomb the Gaza-Egyptian border. The choice is pulling the band-aid off a little at a time or just yanking it off. I think it’s time to simply destroy the tunnels and let the chips fall where they may. The likelihood of rescuing any more hostages is very low and unfortunately the Biden administration is hurting rather than helping the situation.

This is Prime Minister Netanyahu’s response to President Biden’s statement that the Prime Minister is not doing enough to bring peace:

The Prime Minister if right. The unrest in Israel and the statements of President Biden are empowering Hamas. That needs to stop.

When Actions Speak Louder Than Words

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A lot of nations have been pressuring Israel for a cease-fire, despite the horrors of October 7th. Evidently the world community thinks it’s okay to allow Hamas to be in a position to commit the atrocities of October 7th again. Worse than that, the world community intentionally or otherwise is enabling Hamas to survive the attack by Israel.

On May 20th, The Jewish News Syndicate reported the following:

The Hamas terrorist organization has profited at least $500 million off humanitarian aid coming into the Gaza Strip since the start of the war on Oct. 7, according to a report that aired on Israel’s Channel 12 last week.

Veteran analyst Ehud Yaari, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the broadcaster on Thursday that, according to a calculation he made with “a friend—I don’t know if I’m allowed to mention his name,” Hamas earned “no less” than half a billion dollars from the aid.

“We provide [this] for them,” said the Arab affairs analyst, adding: “We need to start creating reality, instead of this fruitless discussion about what will happen the ‘day after’ [the war with Hamas ends].”

The Tzav 9 (“Order 9”) movement, which has led protests against Jerusalem’s decision to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Strip freely, said that while “the hostages are groaning in captivity, IDF soldiers are risking their lives and the children of the [Gaza] Envelope do not sleep at night,” the terror group “continues to exist and enjoy financial prosperity.”

“With a weak government and lax leadership, it is up to the entire nation to stand up so that this miserable and intolerable reality will end,” stated the organization. “No aid should go in until the last hostages return.”

How is the humanitarian aid being used? Is it used to barter with other Arab countries for weapons? Does any of the food supplies go to ordinary citizens or hostages? Until these questions are answered, it is a mistake to send anything into Gaza.

Sending aid to Hamas is like feeding a crocodile in the hopes that it will not eat you. Gaza was a terrorist state and does not need to be recreated as a terrorist state.

Acknowledging A Bad Decision

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On Wednesday, The Jewish News Syndicate reported that the Biden administration has admitted to blocking arms shipments to Israel over concerns that the arms will be used against Hamas in Rafah. The administration cites humanitarian concerns, but that is not a valid claim considering the extraordinary measures Israel has enacted to attempt to protect the civilian population. The problem is that while Israel is attempting to protect the civilian population by providing sanctuary areas and humanitarian supplies, Hamas is attempting to use the civilian population as human shields. So why are we protecting Hamas?

The article reports:

A senior official told CBS News that the United States last week stopped a delivery of thousands of heavy bombs over fears that they could be used during Israel’s military operation in Rafah.

…According to the official, Israel has not “fully addressed” U.S. concerns about the humanitarian situation for the over one million Gazans sheltering in Rafah city, and the administration is particularly concerned that 2,000-pound bombs could be used in densely populated parts of the city.

It marks the first time since the Hamas-led assault on the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7 and ensuing war in Gaza that Washington has held up arms supplies to its Middle Eastern ally.

No final decision has been made on whether Israel will receive the bombs shipment at a later date, the official clarified.

The Biden administration has not supported Israel. The so-called cease-fire deal that the Biden administration negotiated involved the swapping of dead hostages held by Hamas for live terrorists held by Israel. It is unknown at this time how many of the hostages taken on October 7 are still alive, but the Biden administration is doing very little to bring them home. The behavior of this administration is a disgrace.

With Friends Like This…

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On Tuesday, The New York Post posted an article about the supposed cease-fire that had been negotiated between Israel and Hamas. Evidently the Biden administration negotiated an agreement that they did not bother to inform Israel about. The article also reported that the agreement was to include dead hostages in the number of hostages to be released.

The article reports:

Hamas announced with great fanfare that it had accepted a ceasefire proposal. There were celebrations in Gaza, and the White House said it was “reviewing” the deal.

Except: The Israelis knew nothing about it. 

The supposed agreement wasn’t even on the table. Hamas had changed the terms of a previous treaty to one more favorable to the terror group. To take just one horrific alteration: Rather than turn over hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, Hamas would surrender dead bodies of the hostages it had killed. 

That Hamas would try to pull this ruse, with the help of negotiators in Egypt and Qatar, is typical. It wants to pretend that Israel was the one “rejecting” a ceasefire it never knew about. Anti-Israel protesters in the US and a compliant media would eat it up, and they did. 

Unfortunately the Biden administration does not support Israel. They have attempted to protect the terrorists since October 7th.

The article also notes:

But there’s a shameful twist. Axios reports that the US was aware of the Hamas deal but did not brief Israeli officials.

“Two Israeli officials said the feeling is that ‘Israel got played’ by the U.S. and the mediators who drafted ‘a new deal’ and weren’t transparent about it,” the outlet says.

Just as those same officials are willing to give Iran everything and more for the terrible nuclear deal, so Biden would  bend over backwards for Hamas if only it will placate the Israel-haters on his left. 

The article concludes:

It’s no wonder Israel decided to begin its Rafah operation last night. When its supposed “closest ally” doesn’t have its back, it has no choice. Israel must stop this threat to its existence.

Biden could have been a partner in that. Instead, he went down in ignominy as a traitor to a friend.

The problem with America supporting terrorists who fight Israel is that America is the terrorists’ next target.

One Surprising Congressman

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On Saturday, BizPacReview posted an article including some recent comments by Senator John Fetterman. Technically the Senator is a Democrat, but he keeps making common sense comments that I think might get him removed from the party.

The article reports:

Ahead of a “somber” Passover, Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) called on the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas to “surrender” and send the hostages home.

“With a somber Passover approaching,” Fetterman wrote on X, “I remain committed to speaking about this travesty and acknowledge there can’t be true lasting peace until the hostages are home.”

“We must never forget Hamas owns this entire catastrophe and can end this,” he reminded social media. “Send them all home and surrender.”

Once the butt of conservative jokes, the outspoken Democrat has, in recent months, broken with his party with several surprising, common-sense statements.

As many within his party advocate in favor of the Iranian-backed terrorists, Fetterman has offered his unwavering support to Israel.

Fetterman addressed followers in front of a wall of posters showing Israelis whom Hamas has kidnapped. He has wallpapered his front office with them and vowed, “They will stay up until every single person is safely returned home.”

The article concludes:

On January 14, 2024, Biden issued a statement marking 100 days of captivity for the hostages.

“Today, we mark a devastating and tragic milestone—100 days of captivity for the more than 100 innocent people, including as many as 6 Americans, who are still held being hostage by Hamas in Gaza,” the president said. “For 100 days, they have existed in fear for their lives, not knowing what tomorrow will bring. For 100 days, their families have lived in agony, praying for the safe return of their loved ones.

“And for each of those 100 days, the hostages and their families have been at the forefront of my mind as my national security team and I have worked non-stop to try to secure their freedom.”

As BizPac Review reported on Thursday, “Over 100 hostages have either been freed, released by Hamas, or discovered to be dead in captivity since then, but the status of the remaining roughly 130 hostages — of which 50 are already believed to be dead — is virtually unknown to U.S. and Israeli intelligence, officials told NBC.”

“Not at all,” a former senior Israeli official told NBC when asked if there was a stable estimate as to how many hostages are alive. “No one reliable has this information. It’s all speculation.”

Why are there calls for a cease-fire in Israel but not in Ukraine?

Supporting The Right To Defend Yourself

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I guess since the Biden administration does not think it worthwhile to defend America by protecting its southern border, it doesn’t see why other nations should find it necessary to defend themselves.

On Sunday, NBC News reported the following:

The Biden administration is discussing using weaponry sales to Israel as leverage to convince the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to heed long-standing U.S. calls to scale back its military assault in the Gaza Strip, according to three current U.S. officials and one former U.S. official.

At the direction of the White House, the Pentagon has been reviewing what weaponry Israel has requested that could be used as leverage, said the sources. They said no decisions have been made.

The sources said Israeli officials continue to ask the administration for more weapons, including large aerial bombs, ammunition and air defenses.

After weeks of private administration requests produced fewer results than the White House wants, the sources said, the U.S. is considering slowing or pausing the deliveries in the hope that doing so will prod the Israelis to take action, such as opening humanitarian corridors to provide more aid to Palestinian civilians.

Why in the world should Israel scale back its operations in the Gaza Strip? Israel was peacefully existing when it was brutally attacked on October 7th. Israel did nothing to provoke the attack (other than exist). If Israel does not end Hamas and find a way to prevent terrorists from taking over Gaza again, there will be another attack similar to the one of October 7. You can’t negotiate with terrorists. That has been proven. Why is the administration focused on Israel rather than pressuring Hamas to release the hostages?

The article concludes:

Biden has said for weeks that he’s been doing all he can to get Israel to change its military tactics.

“I’ve been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza,” Biden said on Jan. 8 when confronted by protesters calling for a cease-fire. “I’ve been using all that I can to do that.”

White House officials argue that Biden has had some success, though they concede that Israeli government officials still have not gone as far as the president has wanted.

A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly, expressed frustration with Israeli officials. “There’s a lot more that needs to be done and they need to be more careful about,” the official said.

If Israel continues its activities in Gaza, the rest of the hostages may not survive. However, if Israel withdraws from Gaza, there is a good chance that the hostages will never be released and before very long more hostages will be taken.

Bad Reporting Creates Misplaced Blame

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Secretary of State Blinken is visiting Arab countries in the Middle East, supposedly working to end the war in the Gaza Strip. Actually, he is attempting to encourage Israel’s neighbors to put pressure on Israel to stop fighting Hamas in Gaza. Meanwhile some relatives of the hostages are trying to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war and bring home the hostages. Have they forgotten October 7? Nearly everyone wants to end the war and bring home the hostages, but at what cost?

According to some reports, Israel has offered a two-month cease-fire in exchange for the return of the hostages. That offer has been refused. So who is the problem?

The Gaza Strip operated as an independent entity before October 7. The residents of Gaza were free to commute to Israel to work–Gaza did not have jobs for them–humanitarian aid money was used to build tunnels and buy weapons. Any poverty in Gaza was the result of the people governing Gaza–not the fault of Israel. Some of the people in Gaza who worked in Israel were among those who attacked Israel on October 7. Now they no longer have jobs.

Many in America and worldwide have been misled into thinking that the war in the Middle East is Israel’s fault. I wonder if those chanting “From the river to the sea” actually have any idea that they are calling for a new holocaust. Anyone who does not support the elimination of Hamas does not understand that Hamas has never changed its Charter, which calls for the elimination of Israel. Hamas is supported and financed by Iran and Qatar. Iran freely chants “Death to America.” Do those in America supporting Hamas realize that they are the next target? We need to teach our children the story of the woman who rescued the dying poisonous snake and nursed it back to health. It didn’t end well.

We’ve Seen This Play Before

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The Muslim quest to drive Israel into the sea has a pattern that is followed every time the neighboring nations or terrorists attack Israel. When Israel fights back and the attackers run low on ammunition and other supplies, they call for a cease-fire and ask for the global community to support their efforts for peace. They then use that cease-fire to re-arm, build tunnels, and prepare to attack again (see article here). Those cries for a cease-fire have already begun, and Israel has the perfect response.

On Monday, Breitbart reported:

On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” Israeli Government Spokesman Eylon Levy reacted to calls for humanitarian pauses by Israel by pointing out that, according to reporting by The New York Times, Hamas has ample supplies of fuel and other supplies for itself and calling on those pushing for a pause to demand Hamas release its own fuel.

Host Andrea Mitchell asked if Israel is concerned about the White House getting frustrated over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Levy said that Israel welcomes “the very solid support that we have received from President Biden, his moral clarity and material support as well, in explaining that Israel is dealing with a terror organization that is worse than ISIS and the U.S. will make sure Israel has everything it needs to win this war.”

He continued that Israel wants to see humanitarian aid go to Gaza and is working to increase it, but with the conditions that the resources not go to Hamas and Hamas not use humanitarian corridors to re-arm.

The article concludes:

He (Israeli Government Spokesman Eylon Levy) added, “Hamas has been drip-feeding fuel to these hospitals in order to keep them operational. Why has Hamas been drip-feeding fuel to the hospitals? Because it wants to continue using innocent Palestinians as human shields in order to shield the military targets that are located underneath those hospitals. That is, of course, a grave breach of international law under the Geneva Conventions, for any army — not to mention a brutal ISIS-like terror organization — to use human civilians in that way as human shields. The fuel exists in the Gaza Strip for all of the humanitarian needs, but it’s controlled by Hamas, the same Hamas that we’re concerned, if we allow more fuel into the Gaza Strip, is going to requisition those supplies anyway. And you don’t have to take our word for it, The New York Times published just yesterday or the day before, an article stating clearly, there is one group in the Gaza Strip that remains well-stocked in terms of fuel and food and all other sources, Hamas.”

We have seen this play before. I hope it ends differently this time and Israel defeats the terrorists. That would make all the world a safer place.

 

 

What Was Gained By The Middle East Cease Fire ?

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Obviously, one of the main things gained by last night’s cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is that at least for the moment no one is getting attacked by rockets or suicide bombers. That is a good thing, but what is the price of this cease-fire?

Paul Mirengoff at Power Line posted an article yesterday listing the pros and cons of the agreement.

Some of the pros:

First, the agreement puts an end, at least for now, to the bombardment of Israel.

...Second, the agreement means that Israel will not undertake, at least for now, an invasion of Gaza. Such an invasion would have been bloody. Now, that bloodshed is avoided.

A third advantage exists to the extent that the U.S. made secret promises to Israel in exchange for its agreement to the cease fire (one hopes that Israel demanded some). Abstract promises and guarantees from Obama regarding Israel’s security are meaningless. But let’s hope that Israel received concrete promises pertaining to weaponry and the like.

Mr. Mirengoff points out that Hamas might have made the agreement because it was running out of rockets.

Unfortunately, there are also some problems with the cease-fire.

The article reports:

First, Hamas won. Why? Because it bombarded Israel and was not crushed for it.

…Second, because Hamas wins, Israel loses. There is no such thing as a win-win deal with an enemy whose goal is your destruction.

…A third disadvantage is that Israel reportedly has agreed to cease the targeting of terrorists like Ahmed al-Jabari, who was killed by an Israeli air strike at the outset of this conflict. This means that Hamas operatives can kill Israelis, or cause them to be killed, and then walk the streets of Gaza without fear of Israeli retaliation.

The article also notes some of the effect this conflict and truce will have on Iran‘s view of America‘s role in the Middle East. It appears that America acted as a neutral party rather than a supporter of Israel. We have told Israel that they could not target terrorists as we ourselves are targeting terrorist with drone strikes.

The article reaches some troubling conclusions:

More broadly, the fact that Hamas came out ahead — a bombing campaign against Israel produced Israeli concessions — will strengthen Israel’s many enemies. It will confirm their view that the Arab spring has turned the tide against Israel, and that history is on their side. The importance of this kind of cosmic confidence cannot be overstated.

The fact that Egypt is credited with brokering the deal will be part of the narrative. For one thing, of course, the radical Islamist government that brokered the deal is a creation — indeed, the flower — of the Arab Spring. For another, the fact (or even the perception) that Israel needed a radical Islamist government to bail it out of conflict it didn’t win militarily is a huge victory for the Muslim Brotherhood and, by extension, to Israel’s Islamist enemies everywhere.

This bring us to Iran. What will the mullahs think of this saga? One takeaway is that Israel did not defeat the weakest of its enemies. This follows Israel’s failure to defeat Hezbollah in the last Lebanon war. Iran will believe that, increasingly, Israel is a paper tiger that has lost the will to fight. This, in turn, will embolden Iran and its allies/puppets.

Stay tuned.

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