The Deal with Lebanon is Disappointing, but Not Bad

by Hillel Fendel.

With varying degrees of praise for the deal, some observers had unrestrained praise for Netanyahu's strength in resisting international pressure for so long. 

"It's a tactical move, designed to serve our strategic and security interests." So summed up Cabinet Minister Orit Strook of the Religious Zionism party, referring to the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon/Hizbullah that went into effect this morning (Wednesday). This party's representative in the Security Cabinet, party leader Betzalel Smotrich, voted for the agreement, after it was reported that his proposals for extra-strict conditions be inserted.

Other observers were also measuredly optimistic. Though there are problems with the ceasefire, wrote Jonathan S. Tobin, editor-in-chief of Jewish News Syndicate, he added that this deal is "probably the best Israel can get under the circumstances… The Jewish state has not come away from the negotiations empty-handed but has achieved some real gains."

Minister Strook said that the American letter of assurance attached to the agreement guarantees that Israel can respond militarily to various expected Hizbullah infractions without being considered in violation of the ceasefire. 

She also noted that the agreement preserves our military achievements. It does not "return us to October `23, and not even to July `24 [when senior Hizbullah commander Fuad Shukr was killed by an Israeli airstrike] – but to the 'status quo' created this very month."

'Quiet for Quiet' is Out 

Strook also said: "No more are we following the 'quiet will be met with quiet' formula – because 'quiet' simply enables the terrorists to strengthen themselves. Our objective is not 'quiet,' but prevention of the rehabilitation of Hizbullah. And it is our sense that the IDF and all the security organs perceive the situation as we do, and are determined to enforce the agreement [and respond to violations] seriously and significantly." 

What she left unsaid, of course, was the tremendous American pressure brought to bear upon Israel by the outgoing Biden Administration. It has been widely reported that the Americans threatened not to veto anti-Israel resolutions in the UN Security Council, to apply sanctions, and to withdraw other support, if Israel did not agree to stop destroying Hizbullah terrorist infrastructures. 

Resisting the Pressures

The fact that this pressure was resisted for so long is attributed by many to one man: Prime Minister Netanyahu. Tobin, for instance, writes that the very significant setbacks dealt Hizbullah, Iran, and Hamas over the past year "were only made possible by the determination and the ability of one man to stand up to U.S. pressure to abandon the fight for Israel’s security many months ago. It’s difficult to imagine anyone other than Netanyahu could have stood his ground against Washington’s pleadings and threats, and have gone on to achieve an outcome that leaves Israel’s enemies far weaker than they were when the current conflict began almost 14 months ago."

Interestingly enough, even when the largely left-wing media in Israel, traditionally very anti-Netanyahu, offered up its automatic criticism of the prime minister for the deal, it seemed to trip over itself in seeking to find the problems. A negative article on the Walla site, for instance, harped at great length on the fact that Netanyahu's video speech explaining the deal to the Israeli public was edited and spliced together.

The Walla article, by one Nadav Menuhin, tried hard to keep track of whether it was more pro-ceasefire no matter what the cost, or more anti-Netanyahu. "More Israelis support the ceasefire than object to it," Menuhin wrote. "This is understandable, because the home-front is exhausted after more than a year of getting hit by rockets, deaths, and chaos… But whoever watched the news reports on the three main networks saw a different picture, in which the TV lined up totally with the deal's opponents, referring to Israel's 'surrender' and 'abandonment of the northern residents'…  Even Netanyahu, who practically apologized for the ceasefire, at least explained why it was necessary."

In short, the media is either against the agreement because it was brought by Netanyahu, or else serves the ceasefire back-handed compliments while denigrating its "author," Binyamin Netanyahu. 

Israel's Achievements

We thus return to Tobin, who elaborated on Israel's achievements in this agreement and in the military campaigns leading up to it: "[The past] two months of Israeli attacks on Hizbullah have significantly degraded [the terrorists'] capacity to inflict harm on the region. That’s a defeat for Iran, which had hoped that the seven-front war on Israel it had incited could go on indefinitely, weakening the country and its citizens’ resolve. Instead, they [Hizbullah] are the ones who have been diminished by military setbacks and vast losses inflicted on a group whose main purpose is to serve as a deterrent to attacks on Iran…"

And regarding Netanyahu, Tobin writes that his "leadership has been indispensable." He adds that what Netanyahu "has done in the year since [Oct. 7th] is truly remarkable. Only someone with his steely determination and savvy understanding of the tricky dynamics of the U.S.-Israel relationship could have navigated the long months of war so skillfully. No possible successor in his own Likud Party or among his opponents in the Knesset could have stuck to his goals - and do so much harm to Hamas and Hizbullah in the face of the [American] desire to force Jerusalem to accept the continued rule of Hamas in Gaza and avoid direct conflict with Iran’s Lebanese auxiliaries."

Outsmarting Biden

Similarly, analyst Avi Abelow of "Pulse of Israel" stated that Netanyahu is actually outsmarting Biden with this deal. With Biden having withheld much-needed weapons from Israel's war against Islamic terrorism, Netanyahu now calms the waters in anticipation of the second Trump Administration. 

"While I totally oppose this ceasefire," Abelow said, "I totally understand Netanyahu's calculations. [He] is trying to avoid Biden's dangerous threats… and is buying time to rest IDF forces and refresh critical armaments… His approach appears to be one of 'survival' until Jan. 20th when Trump is inaugurated again."

Time is Running Out for Israel to Attack Iran

by Kobi Eliraz, former Settlement Affairs advisor to various Israeli defense ministers, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Only just over six weeks remain for Israel to make a brave strategic decision.

[Translator's note: This past April, Iran attacked Israel with hundreds of missiles and drones, and Israel retaliated a week later. On October 1, Iran missile-attacked Israel once again, followed on Oct. 19 by a drone fired by Iran's proxies in Lebanon at Netanyahu's home in Caesaria. Israel's retaliation later that month included the destruction of an active nuclear weapons research facility – but security officials said then that this did not include Israel's response to the drone strike against Netanyahu's home. Though they indicated that further action could be expected, this has not yet happened.]

This week, explaining why he agreed to the ceasefire arrangement in Lebanon, Netanyahu said that one of the reasons was that it "enables us to focus on Iran - and I won't elaborate on that." 

The window of opportunity for Israel to mortally, or at least very painfully, strike Iran is beginning to close. The clock is ticking, and our option for a significant blow will disappear even faster the more the international situation changes and a new United States president takes office. 

Israel stands before a critical moment in which it must make a brave strategic decision, in spite of American and international reservations about - and pressures against - this course of action. 

Even with the ongoing messaging back and forth between Jerusalem and Washington, it appears that Israel currently has a rare opportunity to act in Iran, precisely now during the changing of the guard of the U.S. Administration. 

Iran, which well understands the greatness of the hour and the "complex" situation in which it finds itself, has refrained from responding with power to Israel's latest actions, even though it has often boasted to do so. This is the hour of Israel's test; it must realize that the time has come to change the rules of the game, Churchill-style. 

Great leaders are measured during times of crisis, when a single decision can change the course of history. Winston Churchill was forced to make fateful decisions during the course of World War II – and he sometimes did so against the advice of his own advisors and international allies. He understood that the future of the British nation, and the entire free world, was dependent on his leadership.

So, too, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu now faces a historic test of leadership. The present situation can tolerate neither hesitation nor procrastination, and this is the precise hour for him to make a daring decision. What Israel does now will affect the strategy of the Islamic-fundamentalist terrorist countries and organizations, and thus Israel's security, for many years going forward.

History does not remember kindly, if at all, the leaders who waited. It reserves an honored place only for those who took action, initiated, and led. 

Iran activates regional proxies such as Hamas, Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad, and others in Syria and Iraq. It represents a constant active threat to Israel and the stability of the entire Middle East. The Iranian proxies wait for instructions from Tehran, and Israel knows that if it precisely strikes the "head of the snake," those proxies will receive an equally precise message: "Israel is not playing just for its defense, but rather knows how to initiate and act whenever and wherever necessary."

It is likely that a unilateral Israeli strike of this nature will anger the U.S., but we must remember that there are those in the outgoing Biden Administration, and certainly in the incoming Trump Administration, who would actually support such a move. The appointees of Trump, in particular, who is known for his strong anti-Iran stance, could very well view this action as an opportunity to entrench his future policy vis-à-vis Iran. That is, an Israeli offensive will better position him regarding Iran, and against the Axis of Evil altogether. 

Strategically speaking, a successful Israeli strike will present Israel as a leading power and as an independent force in the regional arena. This will of course strengthen Israel's stature in future negotiations, and will further fortify its status as a military and diplomatic powerhouse. 

History teaches us that military initiatives, such as Operation Opera against Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981, and Operation Outside the Box against a nuclear reactor in Syria in 2007, can effectively neutralize strategic threats. On the other hand, they also prove that refraining from such activity can be catastrophic. At the current time, a well-timed, precise, and successful strike against Iran will strengthen Israel in every possible arena, from north to south. It will even influence future moves by other countries in the region.

This is the moment when true leadership is measured. Israel must take advantage of the current Iranian sensitivity, and act with determination and wisdom. Any further delay reduces Israel's field of operations and strengthens our enemies. 

Mr. Prime Minister, you have successfully passed historic tests over the past year – and now you face perhaps the most acute one of all. Just as Churchill acted with unwavering steadfastness during the crisis moments of the Second World War, so too you must lead the State of Israel today. If you perform correctly, you will be remembered not only as a leader on the local stage, but as one who changed the balance of power in the Middle East and safeguarded Israel's security for generations to come. Iran well understands its own weaknesses at this time, and precisely for that reason, Israel must strike now while the iron is hot – and relevant.

A Chance for Real Change in the South

by Elad Kalimi, Deputy Mayor of Sderot, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Motivation in Sderot is high, but the IDF must continue to press in northern Gaza and clean it out of terrorists in order to restore security to the residents of Sderot and environs.

With the re-election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, we find ourselves in an awkward position, to say the least. Precisely when a real opportunity is finally about to open up for Israel to act more freely against Hamas, and even vanquish it, the political pressure from the lame-duck Democratic administration against our government is intensifying. The Democrats are clearly seeking to register a political "achievement" in the name of the Trump-Harris administration before it fades limply away into history this coming January 20^th.

This past year of our relations with the United States have been very difficult. In the midst of our very costly war with ruthless Hamas and Hizbullah, the Biden Administration threatened to emplace an embargo and sanctions against Israel if it did not follow its advice to run the war the way the President and his staff wanted. Biden representatives constantly intervened in Israel's security cabinet meetings, and the Administration forced Israel to allow huge quantities of "humanitarian aid" into Gaza with the clear knowledge that Hamas was either selling it for astronomical profits or store-housing it for years to come.

And all this was taking place while the Israeli hostages remained starving in Hamas dungeons, on a diet of a slice of bread a day. Ever since the war started, the Americans have hindered our efforts and steps, reducing the chances for a strong blow against Hamas and exerting most of their pressure against us.

Dare we hope that in two months' time, the above will all be just a bad dream, and that we will finally get our hands around the terrorists' necks and bring about a real change in the military picture between Israel and those who wish to destroy us?

And this brings us to the city of Sderot, where I live. The need for a fundamental change in the way our military forces work in Gaza is directly connected to the fate of Sderot and the populace of the entire western Negev. The military maneuvers in northern Gaza, pushing myriads of Gazans southward in order to sift out the terrorists, are a welcome move – but hardly enough. Northern Gaza must be totally cleaned out so that Israel will be able to take full control of the region and thus restore a sense of genuine security to the Jewish residents. The scenes of hundreds of northern Gazans scouting out our homes from the windows of their homes just across the border is simply intolerable, and will greatly harm the process of rehabilitation that we are trying to undergo.

Sderot and environs lost 30 residents on or after Oct. 7, and a host of others were killed here since then in various battles and attacks. We are dealing with the fragments of the painful reality that this war has left us, working to rebuild our lives with strength and hope. But even in the midst of the rebuilding, we are suffering from delays and impediments in our daily lives. For one example, the Sderot-Tel Aviv train line is still not in operation, for fear of sniper fire from nearby Gaza. Only in the merit of the ongoing pressure of the mayors and local council heads, of the residents in general, and of the wise decision by Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich to refuse to allocate 800 million shekels to protect the railway tracks – did the IDF finally realize that the responsibility for safeguarding the area is not on the government's shoulders, but rather on theirs – and that this requires total military control of northern Gaza. Once they acted on this strategy, the number of shootings and attempted terrorist attacks dropped significantly. This proves, of course, that targeted action achieves its objectives, and that we must continue to press. There can be no compromise at the expense of the security of the residents of the south.

The catastrophic events of Oct. 7^th left deep scars upon every resident of Sderot. I personally lost close friends, such as Kobi Prienta and Shilo Cohen, as did many others, and the pain accompanies us every moment of the day. But it is precisely the difficulties, and the searing memories, that bring out from us the strengths to march this city forward. Our vision is to turn Sderot into the pearl of the country, a city that will produce a new generation of resilient residents, with personal and communal vitality, who strive and work for high-quality lives of vision, education, and community life. Thus we will turn Sderot into a city that not only survives, but flourishes.

But the most important thing is to continue forward militarily, without removing our foot from the gas. We must continue to fight firmly and confidently against both Hamas and Hizbullah. This is not only a military struggle, but one for the hopes of all of us – one that is based on our strong stances and desire to return to normal life. With all the challenges we face, I believe that it is possible, and imperative, to counter the threats that face us, and guarantee our residents that which they deserve: long-range security and quiet.

Needed: Israeli Strategic and Military Independence

by Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The Patriarch Abraham had the right idea in purchasing the Machpelah Cave and not accepting it as a gift. This is an important lesson for the State of Israel to relearn today. 

Strategic alliances with other countries are an important component of any nation's overall national security. They are very necessary especially in today's era of globalization, with the frequent formation and collapse of international coalitions, and when even distant enemies must be faced and dealt with.

In the current war, Israel's alliances have certainly proved themselves. Our friendship with the United States saved us from the mistakes we made in allowing our supplies of armaments, weapons and combat equipment to dwindle. We were also helped by quiet arrangements with our neighbors, such as Jordan, to intercept the ballistic missiles and UAV aircraft/drones fired at Israel from Iran.

On the other hand, as is known, the U.S. embrace of Israel was actually a type of bear hug. It created a measure of Israeli dependency on the U.S. that actually left us vulnerable to demands that we not fulfill our military and strategic objectives along the way to defeating Hamas and returning our hostages.

There is a well-known principle that "countries don't have friends, only interests." Of late, there was most definitely a conflict of some of these interests between Israel and the U.S., particularly the then-upcoming elections. As a result, America threatened, more than once, to withhold arms shipments to Israel critical for the continuation of its campaign [to destroy, or at least subdue, terrorism in the Middle East]. This was a repeat of what happened 50 years earlier during the Yom Kippur War, when the Americans prevented us from preemptively attacking the Syrians and Egyptians; the ensuing war ultimately cost us over 2,650 soldiers' lives.

We must always remember the great difference between an alliance of friendship and goodwill, on the one hand, and a relationship that leads to one party's dependence on the other, rendering it a type of protectorate. For Israel, this is of course undesirable and undermines our sovereignty.

One of the fundamental principles in the security philosophy outlined by Ben-Gurion in the early days of the State was that Israel must always retain its independence in everything having to do with military strategy and armaments. "It is incumbent upon us to know and recognize," he said in 1951, "that when it comes to our security, we must always rely only on ourselves." We must ensure that given the tremendous threats upon us, we will always have the wherewithal to respond effectively and sufficiently without the need to resort to others' help.

We must always be able to make sure that the IDF has the weapons it needs, with production lines that can increase their output in times of emergency. The IDF must always have sufficient manpower for a number of highly-trained and battle-ready attack-force divisions that are prepared for every eventuality. It must also maintain supplies and spare parts that will last it for the duration of whatever battles are on the horizon, and beyond.

To our great sorrow, this was not at all the picture when the current war started. For many years, we enabled ourselves to develop a dependency on American defense aid money [which must, by the terms of the agreement with the Americans, be spent in the U.S.], leading to a degeneration of some of our own local defense industries. This of course creates the harmful dependency of which we are speaking. According to various reports, we permitted ourselves to reduce our supplies of equipment essential for an extended war, relying on our American friends to supply us when needed, as indeed they finally did – almost too late – in the Yom Kippur War.

Reports are that immediate steps are being taken to change our thinking in this regard and ensure that we will not be caught short-handed again. Still and all, if we ever again need weapons and armaments, we must know that it is better to purchase them than to receive them as "gifts."

It has been reported that on Trump's "Day One," right after his inauguration on Jan. 20, he has promised to remove all restrictions on the supply of military equipment and ammunition to Israel. This is certainly good news, but it must not cause us to revert to our dependency on the United States in areas of military goals and weapons. The Trump Administration will be a good test case to see if we have truly internalized the lessons of the current war in terms of relying on the goodwill of others.

Let us note that our Patriarch Abraham was a great strategist, with long-term vision. He forged a strategic alliance in Be'er Sheva with King Avimelekh for generations to come (see Genesis 21, 22-31), with the goal of ensuring their secure and lasting stronghold in the Land of Israel.

It was for this reason that Abraham, as we read in this week's Torah portion, refused to accept the Machpelah Cave and the field of Hebron as a gift from Ephron the Hittite. He insisted on paying full price, for various reasons according to the Medrash – and one of them was that when one receives a favor or gift from another, the former becomes a form of debtor to his benefactor.

"How much more so is this true," explained a venerable sage of the previous generation known as the Steipler Rov, "that one must not allow himself to enter into an unlimited agreement of subservience… and especially if the other is a wicked person…"

King Solomon writes in Proverbs, "One who hates gifts will live" (15,27). This is because he has not allowed himself to develop a dependency upon others. "There are no free lunches," the popular saying goes. 

Hebron and the Machpelah Cave were Avraham's first acquisitions in the Land to which G-d instructed him to go. Thus, these places ,are strategically critical for Jewish sovereignty here forever. Not for naught did all three Patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – establish their residence in Hebron, which was also the first destination of the Twelve Spies dispatched by Moses to the Land. It was also in Hebron that King David founded the Dynasty of Israel. All of this explains why Abraham made sure to buy it and not receive it as a gift. Only in this way would it belong exclusively to the People of Israel, with no chance for the Hittites, or anyone else, to retain any claims to it in the future. 

Mr. Trump: Let's Start with Canceling the Personal Sanctions, and Continue From There

by Shai Alon, Beit El Mayor, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Donald Trump's historic victory in the US elections opens the door for immediate and welcome changes for the half-million-plus Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria (Yesha). Israel must utilize the circumstances and work for complete Israeli sovereignty in Yesha – and for the removal of the baseless personal sanctions the State Department has imposed upon individual Jews there.

Trump's win received two extra underscores with the Republican victory in the Senate, and what appears to be the same in the House of Representatives. For at least the next two years, therefore, until the mid-term House elections, the situation appears very promising.

In his first term, as is known, Trump displayed very strong support for Israel and its interests. He took a series of measures that greatly upgraded Israel's status in its own land and around the world. His recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, changed the very ground rules. And the historic Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain opened the gates for a promising and stable future in the Middle East.

These were not merely symbolic gestures, but full-throated shows of practical support for Israel, in deeds and not only words, that until then had been practically unthinkable.

Unfortunately, Trump was replaced by an outwardly friendly Biden Administration, but which continued, even after Oct. 7^th, to work tirelessly for a two-state solution with our neighbors, Hamas/Fatah, as if nothing had happened.

Now, with Trump's return to the White House for his last four years as President, it is incumbent upon us to know how to open this window of opportunity, for the benefit of the settlement enterprise in Yesha and to strengthen Israel's hold over the entire Land of Israel.

As mentioned, the recent months and years under Biden were not at all simple for Israel. His administration's approach was close to a direct continuation of the confrontational line taken by the Obama regime before Trump's first victory. It will be recalled that Biden was Obama's VP then, and it is a fairly open secret that Obama played a large, behind-the-scenes role in the Biden-Harris administration as well.

The now-outgoing US government's conception of what the Middle East must look like stood many times in stark contrast to Israel's view, interests, and core values – and even many times to the United States' core values. We found ourselves having to deal with foreign pressures not only preventing us from decisively defeating Hamas, but also forcing us to restrict Jewish construction – enacting almost a de facto freeze – in Judea and Samaria.

Sanctions
The Biden Administration even went so far as to impose personal sanctions against individuals and organizations active in Yesha on behalf of the Jewish People. This is a disrespectful and even dictatorial move that represents a blatantly brazen intervention in Israel's internal policies. The sanctions were not even only economic. Their objective was rather to restrict the growth of the Jewish communities and signal the essential American opposition to the existence of more than a half-million Jews in these areas.

The severity of these sanctions is such that the routine lives of the affected Jews became intolerable. The incoming Administration must nullify these sanctions on Day One, in order to assure Israel's sovereignty as an independent country, and to enable the residents of Yesha to continue to build their lives in freedom.

We recall Trump's “Middle East Peace Plan,” also known as the “peace plan of the century,” which was unveiled in early 2020 (just around when the Coronavirus was beginning to make its infamous mark around the world). Now, after what happened outside Gaza on Simchat Torah last year, its vision of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is no longer relevant. Between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea there must be only one sovereign state: the State of Israel!

What we must do now, therefore, is to push full steam ahead to promote and advance the establishment of Israel's sovereignty over every Jewish-populated area in Yesha. After 57 years of living here, it is inconceivable that the Jews are still subservient to military orders issued by the official governor, namely, the IDF Central Command. The IDF's civil administration over Yesha must be abolished, and the Jewish populace here must be a totally integral part of the State of Israel under the law.

With President Trump in office, the matter of security in Yesha can also face historical changes. We cannot overlook the fact of the PA military mechanisms that possess huge amounts of armored vehicles and weapons, which in an instant can turn into a threatening scenario against Israel, as happened in the second intifada - and as we are witnessing these very days in the shooting incidents by PA police officers.

The sense of security here, and the very lives of the residents of Yesha, are in constant danger, and this situation cannot continue. The military bodies of Fatah and of the other terrorist organizations must be disarmed, and the area must be completely cleansed of the many illegal weapons that abound. Only Israeli forces may possess weapons and have security authority in the area.

These are absolutely necessary moves that can only be implemented when President Trump assumes his old-new office. We wish him the best of success!