By Bruce S. Ticker
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — Slightly past 9 p.m. Israeli time on Sunday in Ramat Gan. I am smiling at television footage of Emily Damari’s friends jumping up and down to cheer her arrival at Sheba Hospital. Then I stiffen up as I think of the pain and anguish she must have endured for the past 15 months.
The same for the other two hostages, Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, who were released by Hamas on Sunday as part of the six-week ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas. Their ordeal will most likely haunt them mentally and physically the rest of their lives. Emily, 28, quickly made that clear when she raised her left hand where two fingers are missing, apparently the result of being shot in the hand on Oct. 7, 2023. She was smiling, probably to signal to terrorists that she was unfazed by her experience in Gaza.
The ceasefire calls for Hamas to release 33 hostages in a trickle in the next six weeks; release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails; and the transport of humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza. Meanwhile, they are expected to negotiate the provisions for the next two phases, which includes releasing the remaining hostages that possibly numbered 100 when the ceasefire went into effect.
Anything can go wrong with these plans under the best circumstances, and we can only pray that those who are left to implement them do nothing to sabotage it. Who can have confidence in Hamas after they slaughtered 1,200 Jews and others in sovereign Israel on Oct. 7, 2023? Or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition that failed to protect the border between Gaza and southern Israel?
In one television interview on Sunday, a Palestinian leader raised questions if the Palestinians are capable of softening their attitudes toward Israel. From the outset, Mustafa Barghouti, general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, lied. His first lie was that Israelis do not recognize Palestinians “as human.” How can they when the Palestinians, as a society, refuse to recognize Israelis “as human?”
“We have been subjected to collective punishment and ethnic cleansing,” he declared from a facility in Ramallah on the West Bank. Supporters of Israel might use those very words to describe the Oct. 7 invasion.
He then asked if “genocide is an act of terrorism or not?” Israel’s attacks on Gaza have killed thousands of Palestinians, which of course is a legitimate concern. I do not understand all of it and wonder what the Israeli government is doing. However, that does not fit the definition of genocide. Barghouti muddies the waters by describing Israel’s actions as “genocide.”
Barghouti condemned Israel for repeatedly displacing Gaza residents, which he said Palestinians do not do as frequently. Sure. They kill Israelis. That saves them the time and expense of displacement.
In 1948, he said, “It ethnically cleansed 70 percent of the Palestinians,” in a reference to Arab attempts to wipe out Israel at its inception. He griped that Israel blocked Arabs who fled during that war from returning. Why should Israel have permitted them to return? Many of them ran when the mullahs told them to get out of the way so Arab armies can swoop in, destroy Israel and allow them to come back. The Arab residents were colluding with the armies. As a sovereign nation, Israel was under no obligation to let them back in.
Let us hope that Barghouti’s attitude does not represent that of the majority of Palestinians.
Back in America, incoming national security advisor Michael Waltz sunk whatever confidence I had in our 47th president to navigate future peace-making efforts in the Middle East.
For one who is to carry the title of national security advisor, Waltz behaved awfully insecure when questioned Sunday on CNN about the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
To his credit, I am convinced that as president-elect Donald J. Trump contributed to pushing the cease-fire pact across the finish line partly because Hamas fears he will back up almost anything Israel does in the next four years. However, the most decisive factor is how radical Arabs were severely weakened by dramatic changes in Syria, Lebanon and Iran.
Since President Trump was sworn in on Monday, when he acknowledged that he is now required to govern, he must apply the most diligent and cautious diplomatic skills to achieve the best possible results.
Trump pledged during his inauguration that he will bring “competency” and “integrity” back to the White House, but that was hardly evident in observing Waltz the day before. I do not expect much progress from Trump and fear he will sabotage, even inadvertently, the most well-intentioned goals.
Waltz was visibly nervous when he met with “Donna” Bash (that is how he addressed CNN host Dana Bash at least twice) and promoted Trump’s role in making the ceasefire a reality. His face shook as he spoke, as if he was trying to convince not only Bash but himself that he knows what he is doing.
By comparison, President Biden’s people were composed as they addressed interviewers in a straightforward manner. They pointed out, briefly, that the ceasefire plan was devised by the Biden administration eight months ago. At the same time, many backers of Israel wonder if any of his decisions were harmful to Israel.
Waltz, who represented a House district situated along Florida’s Atlantic coast, touted Trump’s ability to bring parties together. Oh? Trump could not even win a majority of the popular vote because a few million citizens officially told us that they wanted neither Trump nor Biden in the White House.
We can hope that all leaders involved in the Middle East’s future rise to the occasion, but their records leave us in gloomy doubt.
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Bruce S. Ticker is a Philadelphia-based columnist.
It’s just so tragic. By withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor (which his government is publicly denying, but will do) they are just laying the groundwork for future October 7th’s.
Hamas and Hezbollah will use the next four years to quietly rebuild, rearm, and reproduce. Their young children will reach Jihad-waging age by 2032. Eight years comes in the blink of an eye. Hamas and Hezbollah had their ambitions delayed but not ended.