Bret Stephens
Opinion piece in the New York Times by Brett Stephens ...
A Hostage Deal Is a Poison Pill for Israel
[...] In 2006, an Israeli soldier named Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas and held in Gaza. He was released five years later in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners — a euphemism, in many cases, for terrorists. The deal, which was approved by Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, included the release of Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of Oct. 7.
These two reference points are now at the heart of the debate Israelis are having about what comes next in Gaza. Huge demonstrations in Tel Aviv, coinciding with the heartbreaking funerals of six murdered hostages, have demanded that the prime minister agree to a cease-fire deal to obtain the release of additional hostages, at the cost of conceding one of Hamas’s core demands: an Israeli withdrawal from a strip of land known as the Philadelphi Corridor, which separates Gaza from Egypt. Netanyahu has refused, insisting in a news conference on Monday that Israeli forces will not leave.
Netanyahu is right ...
Stephens goes on to describe two main aims of the war ... to make sure Oct 7 never happens again ... to save the hostages. These two things seem to be in conflict, and a lot of people in Israel, including Defense Minister Gallant, think the second aim is the more important.
One thing the press hasn't mentioned (that I've seen) is that while Gallant voted against Israel keeping control of the Philadelphi Corridor, all the other Ministers in the Cabinet voted with Netanyahu to stay.
Stephens agrees with Netanyahu that if Israel loses control of the Philadelphi Corridor, it will be almost impossible to get it back, Hamas will re-arm, and there will be another war to fight.
We can't say what will happen, and it's compelling to do the thing that will render immediate desired results ... release of hostages and a ceasefire. But Netanyahu can't be just a person, he has to be the leader of his whole country, and Stephens writes that "the weight of outrage should fall not on him but on Hamas".
I hope there is a way to get back the hostages and crush Hamas too. I don't know how, but I hope. Maybe if the US helped more ...?
A Hostage Deal Is a Poison Pill for Israel
[...] In 2006, an Israeli soldier named Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas and held in Gaza. He was released five years later in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners — a euphemism, in many cases, for terrorists. The deal, which was approved by Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, included the release of Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of Oct. 7.
These two reference points are now at the heart of the debate Israelis are having about what comes next in Gaza. Huge demonstrations in Tel Aviv, coinciding with the heartbreaking funerals of six murdered hostages, have demanded that the prime minister agree to a cease-fire deal to obtain the release of additional hostages, at the cost of conceding one of Hamas’s core demands: an Israeli withdrawal from a strip of land known as the Philadelphi Corridor, which separates Gaza from Egypt. Netanyahu has refused, insisting in a news conference on Monday that Israeli forces will not leave.
Netanyahu is right ...
Stephens goes on to describe two main aims of the war ... to make sure Oct 7 never happens again ... to save the hostages. These two things seem to be in conflict, and a lot of people in Israel, including Defense Minister Gallant, think the second aim is the more important.
One thing the press hasn't mentioned (that I've seen) is that while Gallant voted against Israel keeping control of the Philadelphi Corridor, all the other Ministers in the Cabinet voted with Netanyahu to stay.
Stephens agrees with Netanyahu that if Israel loses control of the Philadelphi Corridor, it will be almost impossible to get it back, Hamas will re-arm, and there will be another war to fight.
We can't say what will happen, and it's compelling to do the thing that will render immediate desired results ... release of hostages and a ceasefire. But Netanyahu can't be just a person, he has to be the leader of his whole country, and Stephens writes that "the weight of outrage should fall not on him but on Hamas".
I hope there is a way to get back the hostages and crush Hamas too. I don't know how, but I hope. Maybe if the US helped more ...?
posted by crystal | 12:32 PM
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