ISRAEL / (IINO)
SCREAMS BEFORE SILENCE Full Video [57:00] A documentary film on the sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7th, Screams Before Silence is a documentary film led by American businesswoman Sheryl Sandberg, that explores the sexual violence by Hamas during the Hamas-led attack on Israel, on 7 October 2023, including events at the massacre at the Nova Festival and abductions to the Gaza Strip.
Disturbing Poll Shows One Fifth of Americans Support Hamas
January 22, 2025 Jewish Breaking News – The relentless sanitizing of Hamas in mainstream media is bearing fruit, with a shocking 21% of American voters now supporting the Iranian backed-terrorist organization over Israel, according to a new Harvard/Harris poll.
Young Americans have proven particularly receptive to the pro-Hamas narrative flooding social media feeds and news coverage. Support for Hamas peaks at 32% among voters aged 25-34, followed by 29% in the 35-44 bracket. Even younger voters aged 18-24 show a disturbing 21% support for Hamas. Less reckless minds prevail as the numbers show gradual decline with age, dropping to 23% for 45-54-year-olds, 17% for 55-64, and finally 10% among those over 65.
Among 19 ranked entities, Hamas ranks near the bottom alongside Russia and the Palestinian Authority, with Israel holding middle ground.
Politically speaking, Democrats lead with 25% backing Hamas, while 19% of Republicans and 20% of independents now support the organization behind the October 7 attacks. However, when it came to backing for a Gaza ceasefire, support reached 87% among Democrats, 81% among Republicans, and 78% among independents. A strong 57% of those surveyed believe Trump’s looming return to the White House just days beforehand spurred Hamas to finally strike a deal, while 43% say Biden’s diplomatic efforts made the difference.
Despite round-the-clock media coverage, just 2% cite the Israel-Hamas conflict as their top concern. The Harvard/Harris poll was taken between January 15-16 and surveyed 2,650 registered voters.
Israeli President Herzog: My Faith In A Two-State Solution Was Shattered By Oct. 7 Massacre
January 21, 2025 Yeshiva World News – Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, admitted that his long-standing support for a two-state solution has been deeply shaken following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Herzog, a former leader of the Labor Party and a long-time advocate of the two-state solution, described the massacre as a “wake-up call” that has forced him to reassess the feasibility of peace under current circumstances.
“I supported the two-state solution many times in the past,” Herzog acknowledged, “but after October 7, I need to hear my neighbors clearly condemn such acts of terror. It is unacceptable under any norms.” He noted the trauma Israelis have experienced and the unrealistic nature of expecting the nation to withdraw from settlements without significant guarantees for security. “It doesn’t make sense to Israelis. They need to see something that provides a sense of personal safety,” he said.
Herzog suggested that future discussions should focus on normalization agreements with Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, while addressing the Palestinian issue as a central part of these dialogues.
On international relations, Herzog touched on the return of Donald Trump to the White House, highlighting the urgency of confronting Iran. “Iran will be a main issue on his agenda very soon,” Herzog said. “Iran cannot have nuclear capabilities and must stop supporting its proxies and its axis of evil.” He warned that Iran is “working day and night” to achieve nuclear weapons, making it a pressing threat.
Herzog also commented on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, currently structured in three phases. Despite significant challenges, he expressed cautious optimism about the agreement’s potential to reach its final stage. “There is a clear desire to move to the second phase. We meant it when we signed the agreement,” Herzog said.
However, Herzog criticized the disparity in the terms of the ceasefire, highlighting Israel’s release of over a thousand convicted terrorists in exchange for 33 Israeli civilians, women, and children held hostage. “We are asking to release women and children, and for that, we are paying with barbaric terrorists,” he said.
[Ed.: That must have been quite traumatic, Mr. Herzog! You idiot! Thank G-d for your wake up, Mr President! Otherwise, you would have remained sleeping… We all are awake now, huh?]
ISRAEL REALTIME David Cozocaru +972-50-997-7784
January 21, 2025
About Us
We’re often asked, “Who are you guys?” along with, “What are your sources?” And occasionally, “I want to tell my friends how great you are, but they want to know if you’re real news.”
Elon Musk recently stated, “…most legacy media lied relentlessly to the public. You are the media now.” Many didn’t grasp his point.
Traditionally, newsrooms employed reporters with direct connections to police, emergency services, government officials, and experts in their areas. They gathered information by visiting sites, attending events, and conducting interviews. This information underwent review, editing, and publication—creating the news.
National outlets relied on local affiliates for updates, maintained correspondents in Washington and other key locations, and deployed reporters to international hotspots.
Today, everyone with a smartphone has a news-gathering studio. People capture photos, videos, and messages in real time and share them instantly.
The challenge now isn’t access to information but filtering through endless social media posts to distinguish real-time facts from hype, misinformation, and propaganda.
Who We Are
Israel Realtime was founded by two highly experienced data analysts. We navigate hundreds of social media channels, posts, and sources daily—primarily in Hebrew and Arabic—with help from a small team of assistant analysts. Our goal is to create a real-time picture of events impacting Israel.
We curate this information to provide concise, relevant updates in a quick-summary format, avoiding information overload.
Accuracy and Transparency
Our posts are ~95% accurate. However, minor errors in names and locations can occur due to language translation issues or the time constraints of our rapid update cycle.
A Practical Example
Here’s how we work in real-time:
An event occurs…
1. Within 3 minutes: A passenger posts about a terror attack on a bus, sharing a blurry photo and noting injuries. Reliability: Unknown.
2. Within 5 minutes: The ambulance service posts about emergency calls. Reliability: High.
3. Within 8 minutes: A local security team shares updates on the incident and injuries. Reliability: High.
4. Within 10 minutes: A medic posts details about the injured. Reliability: High.
5. Within 15 minutes: Security camera footage from the area is uploaded. Reliability: 95%.
By the 8-minute mark, we can report the basics of the event. By 10 minutes, we have a solid level of detail.
Around 30 minutes later, police post their official statement. At this point, mainstream media pick up the story as a live event, typically with only high-level details. Four hours later, a detailed article or broadcast might appear—but it often contains only about 25% of the information available.
While the above example involves multiple reliable sources, our work becomes even more challenging—and valuable—when reports emerge from Gaza, Lebanon, or Syria.
What Sets Us Apart
We are not mainstream journalists. We do not filter information to fit a particular worldview or agenda. While we occasionally add explanatory context (in single parentheses) or brief personal analysis ((in double parentheses)), we avoid writing opinion pieces. Instead, we share relevant opinions from politicians, Israeli and Arab thought leaders, and others.
We are not in the advertising business. Our goal is not to generate clicks or keep your attention artificially. We have no conflicts of interest between advertisers and our reporting.
Our mission is to provide an accurate and timely picture of events to help you stay informed and empowered in these complex times.
Please note that Israel Realtime is NOT affiliated with the Israeli government or the IDF. All information shared is sourced from OSINT (Open Source Intelligence). Snippets and clips are shared in accordance with Israeli fair use laws, specifically sections 16, 19, and 27 of the Copyright Act 2007, as well as section 27a of the Copyright Law 2019.
Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has resigned
January 21, 2025 # 9:30 am ET 𝗜𝗦𝗥𝗔𝗘𝗟 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 – Breaking: Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has resigned. ‘Out of recognition for my role in the failures of the October 7th massacre, and leaving the IDF with the upper hand in every way and the hostage deal in progress, I have informed the defense minister that I will be ending my term as the 23rd Chief of Staff on March 6th.’
[Ed.: Halevi should be resigned to what’s coming for him. He can run, but he can’t hide from The True Judge, Dayan Emet.]
January 21, 2025 @ 8:51 am ET ISRAEL REALTIME – Connecting to Israel in Realtime
IDF CHIEF OF STAFF RESIGNS –
“I made the decision to resign a long time ago. Now, when the IDF has the upper hand in all theaters of war and the hostage agreement is underway – the time is ripe.
My responsibility for the terrible failure accompanies me every day.
The achievements we have achieved far exceed any achievements discussed with the political echelon for war in any of the arenas.”
IDF COMMANDER SOUTHERN COMMAN D RESIGNS – The Commander of the Southern Command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, informed the Chief of Staff of his decision to end his position in the IDF.
“On October 7th, I failed in defending the Western Negev and its beloved residents. This failure is burned into me for the rest of my life.”
[Ed.: It will be longer than that, General…]
HAMAS SAYS – Hamas issues a picture saying Jenin will continue to fight, as if it were Jabalia or Rafah in Gaza. Al-Quds Brigades – West Bank.
ECONOMY – Shekel to dollar rate = 3.583, a very slight weakening.
TERROR – BUS (bombing or shooting, unclear) – JORDAN VALLEY – near Oja. Damage to the bus, no injuries reported.
MEET THE TERRORIST – Arafat Irfaiya in an act of ‘Palestinian resistance,’ attacked and raped 19 year old Israeli Ori Ansbacher who was sitting in a park reading a book, then killed her and cut off her head. He’s on the release list.
Telegram – https://t.me/Israel_Realtime_Updates
WhatsApp – https://chat.whatsapp.com/JMGVaXXOXIkL04z5PMzo01
X (twitter) – https://x.com/IsraelRealtime
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558471625976
West Bank: The Arabs are now celebrating the release of the terrorists from prisons in Israel
January 19, 2025 𝗜𝗦𝗥𝗔𝗘𝗟 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦
[Ed.: ‘WE ARE ALL HAMAS! (even the “innocent civilians!”)
Given my joy at seeing the hostages come home, why am I so sad? Prof. Phyllis Chesler
Perhaps the answer is in what a wise Israeli just said to me: “Israel has two choices. Bad. And worse.”
Jan 19, 2025, 11:10 PM (GMT+2) Israel National News – First, Hamas delayed the hostage release, delayed disclosing the names of who was being released. More psychological torture? Doesn’t this delay rise to the level of breaking the “cease fire”?
Second, as Hamas is sending the first three female hostages back to Israel, they are out there in force, fully masked and armed. They are still terrorizing the hostages on their way out to freedom.
Third, none of the Gazan men and boys who are mobbing and blocking and slowing down the Red Cross ambulance which is holding the three Israeli female hostages on their way back to Israel, look emaciated. No one seems to have been starved or genocidally exterminated. They are all holding up the cellphone cameras which they need electricity to charge. The streets are chaotic.
Fourth, the IDF is planning for every eventuality even as the Israeli government is collecting and transferring Gazan Arab terrorists from Israeli jails. Men with a great deal of blood on their hands; men who will commit mass murders again and again; men who will be living in Yehuda and Shomron, East Jerusalem, and possibly in Gaza. What is wrong with this picture?
Fifth, let’s take careful note of how well fed, housed, educated, and medically serviced these barbarian terrorists have been in Israeli hands.
Sixth, Israelis are, even now, in the streets, demonstrating both for and againt this deal.
Seventh–the Red Cross never once visited the Israeli hostages. I have nothing to say about such an egregious omission.
Eighth, I cannot begin to imagine the torture these three women must have suffered nor can anyone predict what they will need to recover “well enough” to rejoin their former lives.
By the way, the IDF had to rescue a corpse from 2014, a corpse that Hamas refused to hand over.
Given my joy at the release of these three Israeli captives, why am I so sober, so sombre, not at all in a celebratory mood?
Why are there tears behind my eyes today of all days?
Well, here are some of the reasons why.
I’ve just watched masked, armed, Hamas barbarians storm the departing Red Cross Vehicle in which three female Israeli hostages were being transported out of captivity. With guns and hoarse cries of, “Kill the Jews,” these sadistic fiends banged on the windows, jumped on the car roof, surrounded the car/van, blocked it from moving.
This is precisely the type of terrorist that has just been released back into Israel. More than 700 of them in return for these three, precious Israeli hostages.
In addition to refusing to release the captives’ names beforehand; in addition to delaying the planned release; this last-minute terrorization, in and of itself, is the third time that Hamas has broken the hostage release–and just in a single day.
This is what Israel’s enemies are like.
I want the world to watch this scene, again and again, as it is being replayed in the media, especially on Israel 24, which is being broadcast into my living room.
At first, I did not believe what I was seeing. Perhaps I did not want to believe my eyes. Thus, I watched it many times before I accepted and understood what I was seeing.
Here is the naked proof, but one example, of whom Israel and all infidels are dealing. After these three young women have already spent 471 days hovering between life and death in dark tunnels beneath the earth–the sadists had not had enough. They needed to remind the women and the world of who they are. Barbarian fascists, a greater threat to world peace than any Western right-winger could ever be.
A wise Israeli just said to me: “Israel has two choices. Bad. And worse.”
Another wise pro-Israel journalist told me: “It will be open season on Jews and infidels everywhere now. Clearly, the Islamists and Caliphaters will not stop–not until they are stopped.”
Hamas’s display was also meant to deny that they’ve lost the war, thus far, militarily. And they have. Further, without the IDF in Gaza even these three hostages would never have been returned. However, in terms of propaganda–Hamas and their Western and other Islamist supporters won. Oh, how they’ve won.
Just as “progressive” Westerners adored Stalin, Mao, and Fidel/Che, they’ve continued their “Mephisto Waltz,” their dance with death and the devil, in terms of their adoration of terrorists, torture, and violence. I am about to read what looks like an excellent book on this very subject by Dr. Jon Mills, a British philosopher and psychoanalyst. It is titled: “End of the World. Civilization and Its Fate.”
What next? Quo Vadis? How many Israeli hostages are still alive? When will PM Netanyahu be allowed to vanquish every last Islamist in Gaza and in Yehuda and Shomron?
My edgy thought: Israel must immediately institute a death penalty for terrorists with blood on their hands. Israel must also kill them in battle on sight. No more prisoners for future trades. There must never again be living terrorists with blood on their hands in Israeli jails.
I’m thinking even darker thoughts.
[Ed.: But I disagree that “we have only two choices.” We have three. It is the one instruction that Hashem repeated to us in every war we ever had. We’re not considering that one. And Rabbi Meir Kahane ‘was a terrorist’ that IINO had a musloid assassinate… Oh, the irony!]
The lump in my throat Hillel Fuld
I badly want to believe that with this deal, there is more than meets the eye and it will end well. Op-ed.
Jan 19, 2025, 6:55 AM (GMT+2) Israel National News – (JNS) You know I am an optimistic guy, or at least I am in the public sphere. I definitely have my moments, but I try not to bring others down with me. Usually, I snap out of it quickly. It is 5:38 a.m. as I write these words after I was woken up by the pit in my stomach. I can’t shake the feeling.
Now, I know I’ve shared multiple posts expressing the nuance in this deal and specifically the joy we will all feel seeing live hostages hug their loved ones again. That is true. I await that moment. We all do. We’ve waited for that moment for a year and a half.
Usually, with most events, that positive thought will outweigh the negative. I’d write a post focusing on the positive, hope for the best, and move on. This time is different. I know from past experiences that I should never watch those videos of our enemies celebrating what they call a victory. I know how deeply it disturbs me to see those things. I also know that their celebrations are baseless and that they won nothing.
This time is different.
I do badly want to believe that with this deal, there is more than meets the eye. I so badly want to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was given a massive incentive to agree to this. Perhaps, there was a guarantee of an Abraham Accords 2.0. Maybe a guarantee that the United States will join Israel when it attacks Iran’s nuclear facilities. Or, maybe, it was a large financial or military incentive. Maybe, if one of those things is part of this deal, then I’d understand why Netanyahu agreed to this deal.
The thing is, I am told by someone in the know that there is no such incentive. I am told that Netanyahu agreed to this months ago, and now that Hamas agreed to it, the pressure was on him to accept “His plan” that he offered all those months ago. I am told that my brother Ari’s murderer could be part of this deal. (I am not saying we know he will be, but it is a possibility.) I find it hard to believe that there is nothing else going on behind the scenes, and I told that to my “source.”
He told me, again, that there aren’t any incentives.
I refuse to believe it. But chances are I am wrong, and I’m being optimistic where there is no room for optimism.
I try to grasp onto the good things, here. We’re getting our people back. “Only 200” out of the thousand we’re releasing are actual murderers. Yes, I fully understand the absurdity of celebrating 200 murderers going free, but I’m grasping here. We will have a few months of relative quiet. Of not losing soldiers. Our soldiers get a breather. My son, Tzvi, is in less danger. (Call me selfish all you want. You can’t understand how it feels until your son enters the hell on earth that is Gaza.)
These things are true, and they are good.
But I simply can’t get rid of this lump in my throat. I can’t get rid of this feeling that this is a disengagement 2.0. That our threats of “If they break the ceasefire …” are bogus. That’s what we said after we left the Gaza Strip in 2005, “If one rocket is fired … .” I can’t shake this feeling that, in the very near future, we will regret this deal when it comes back to haunt us.
Now, many have reassured me that all of this will change when President-elect Donald Trump takes office next week. Maybe they’re right. But how? Will Trump reverse the deal? Obviously not. He’s bragging about it. In fact, there are rumors that he was the one to pressure Netanyahu to take the deal. So, what exactly can Trump do for us when he enters office?
I can’t, for some reason, find optimism here that will overpower the pit in my stomach. Why not? Because this time is different. This deal is killing me. Tragically, I am asking myself, for the first time ever, if those lunatics dancing in the streets of Gaza have a right to dance. Did they win? Now, hold up. There is no universe in which Hamas won this war. No matter how you spin it, they did not win. But did we? Is the war over? Did we fail to achieve both our objectives of obliterating Hamas and bringing our hostages back?
Maybe the war isn’t over, and Netanyahu knows exactly what he’s doing. Maybe. It wouldn’t be the first time. Maybe this is the thought I need to hold onto. Maybe that’ll calm me down. This war isn’t over. We will still win. Maybe Trump promised Netanyahu that as soon as he enters office, he’ll send over a massive amount of weapons that President Joe Biden refused to send and that Netanyahu will be able to instruct the Israel Defense Forces to end Hamas once and for all.
Maybe … but this darn deal. It’s so terrible. Releasing all those monsters? Pulling out of Gaza? Sending in insane amounts of aid to be stolen by Hamas? Not even getting all the hostages back? What the heck, Bibi?! I have muted my social media accounts, and I am going to try hard to ignore all the negativity. I won’t watch their celebrations. I won’t read all the pundits explaining why Israel just shot itself in the foot. I don’t want to know. Call it sticking my head in the sand. I call it maintaining my mental health.
So, here is my take. I can’t wait to see our people back home. The deal—if, indeed, it is simply what you see is what you get—is a disaster of historic proportions. Yet, it can’t be that simple. There must be more to it. And, honestly, the thing that brings me back from the sadness, fear and anxiety that this deal is causing me is one very big thing I am guilty of forgetting. There IS absolutely one thing that guarantees that this ends well: Hashem.
Hashem, God, has our back. We’ve been through darker times. We’ve been through much harder things. And we made it out alive and stronger. I don’t know how He is going to do it, I don’t know what role Trump will play, but I do know that it’ll be OK. Somehow.
So that’s it. I found the thing I need to grasp to feel optimistic again. Hashem. There. Solved. Thanks for listening. It was very therapeutic for me. Hashem has got our backs. We got this. Now we wait to cry tears of joy together as our loved ones cross the border into the Land of Israel. It is time for me to put away my political science degree, stop watching those infuriating videos, and bring out my prayer book. It is time to turn to God and say, “Hashem, we did what we can. Now it’s your turn. Do your thing. Work your magic. Because magic is what we need now for this to end well.”
Hillel Fuld is a technology expert turned warrior for Israel whose parents made aliya from the US. His brother Ari was killed by a terrorist stabber in 2018.
Post ceasefire: There is no such thing as a demilitarized Palestinian state Prof. Louis René Beres
A ‘Two-State Solution’ would be urging nothing less than the creation of a criminal aggressor state, one for whom the barbarism of October 7 represents a template for future actions against Israel. It would not be bound by pre-state compacts. And there is more. Op-ed.
Jan 19, 2025, 8:48 PM (GMT+2) Israel National News
– As an Israel-Hamas agreement is beginning to be carried out, participants and observers are again discussing Palestinian Arab statehood. To blunt the conspicuous perils of such an enemy state for Israel, proponents insist that a mutually-satisfactory remedy could lie in Palestinian Arab demilitarization. But even if an impressive number of existing states would argue forcefully for recognition of “Palestine,” these approvals would not satisfy the authoritative expectations of international law. The Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (1934) – the treaty that defines all requirements of statehood – explicitly identifies all pertinent criteria.
These binding standards do not include recognition.
In principle, perhaps, national declarations of support for “self-determination” could be reasonable if the Palestinian Arab side were authentically committed to a “Two-State Solution.” Yet the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas still agree unambiguously that there can be only one legitimate state in the disputed areas; that state must be “Palestine.”
Respecting jihadi underpinnings for their new state, Palestinian Arab leaders in ‘West Bank'(Judea/Samaria) and Gaza continue to support the view that Israel per se represents an abomination of the Dar al-Islam (the world of Islam). Always, in this non-negotiable and inherently annihilationist view, Israel remains nothing more than “Occupied Palestine.” It follows that states in world politics that will now seek a Two-State Solution would be urging nothing less than the creation of a predictably criminal aggressor state, one for whom the barbarism of October 7, 2023 represents a reliable template for future actions against Israel.
Much earlier, this wittingly lawless urging stemmed from a diplomatic framework known as The Road Map for Implementation of a Permanent Solution for Two States in the Israel-Palestinian Dispute. Together with Palestinian Arab refusal to reject the genocidal “Phased Plan” (Cairo) of June 1974 and a correlative Palestinian jihad to “liberate” “Occupied Palestine” in increments, the Road Map revealed a largely unforeseen peril. Even those plausibly well-intentioned states favoring “Palestine” were being misled by overly-optimistic hopes concerning “demilitarization.”
Back on June 14, 2009, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to accept another enemy state. but also made such agreement contingent on Palestinian Arab demilitarization. Presently, Mr. Netanyahu, again as prime minister, joined by a majority of Israelis, opposes Palestinian Arab statehood in any form, even if accompanied by demilitarization. This is a correct position because Israel’s survival could not possibly coincide with such a bestowal of sovereignty.
In law, now as a presumptively sovereign state, ‘Palestine’ would not be bound by pre-independence compacts. Nonetheless, what if the government of ‘Palestine’ were in fact willing to consider itself bound by its pre-state agreements? Even in such relatively favorable circumstances, the Arab government of an openly irredentist terror state would retain legal pretext to implement lawful agreement terminations.
It’s time for greater specificity. For example, ‘Palestine’ could withdraw from the agreement because of a “material breach,” an alleged violation by Israel that credibly undermined the object and/or purpose of the accord. Alternatively, it could point toward what international law calls a “fundamental change of circumstances” (rebus sic stantibus). Here, if a Palestinian Arab state were to declare itself vulnerable to previously unforeseen dangers, even from forces of other Arab or Islamist armies, it could lawfully end its previously “guaranteed” commitments to stay demilitarized.
There is another method by which a treaty-like arrangement obligating a new Palestinian Arab state to accept demilitarization could lawfully be invalidated. In essence usual grounds that may be invoked under domestic law to invalidate contracts could apply equally to treaties and treaty-like agreements under international law. This means that a new state of ‘Palestine’ could point to alleged errors of fact or to duress as appropriate grounds for terminating any negotiated pacts with Israel.
Per the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), any treaty or treaty-like agreement is void if, at the time it was entered into, it conflicts with a “peremptory” rule of general international law. This means a rule accepted and recognized by the international community of states as one from which “no derogation is permitted.” Because the right of all sovereign states to maintain military forces essential to “self-defense” is such a rule, ‘Palestine’, depending upon the particular form of its institutionalized authority, could be within its rights to abrogate any prior arrangements designed to compel its demilitarization.
Thomas Jefferson, the third American President, wrote interestingly about obligation and international law. While affirming that “Compacts between nation and nation are obligatory upon them by the same moral law which obliges individuals to observe their compacts…,” he also acknowledged: “There are circumstances which sometimes excuse the nonperformance of contracts between man and man; so are there also between nation and nation.” Very specifically, Jefferson continued, “…the law of self-preservation always overrules the law of obligation to others.”
In crafting a post-Gaza accord with Hamas and PA, Israel should draw no reassurances from any promises of Palestinian Arab demilitarization. Should the government of a new state of Palestine choose to invite foreign armies and/or terrorists onto its territory (possibly after the original government authority is displaced or overthrown by even more militantly Islamic, anti-Israel forces), it could do so without practical difficulties and without violating international law.
In significant measure, any prevailing plan for Palestinian Arab statehood would still be built on the moribund Oslo Accords, the ill-founded agreements destroyed by persistent Arab violations. To the point, for the Palestinian Arabs, Oslo-mandated expectations were never anything more than a cost-effective method of dismantling Israel. For the Israelis, these expectations were always taken as a more-or-less unavoidable way of averting future Palestinian Arab terror crimes and Islamist aggressions.
What does all of this ultimately mean, for any alleged Palestinian Arab demilitarization “remedy” and for Israel’s life or death security? In essence, the Arab world and Iran still have only a “One-State Solution” for the Middle East. It is a “solution” that eliminates Israel altogether, it is unassailably a “Final Solution.” Even today, official Palestinian Authority maps of “Palestine” show the new jihadi state comprising all of the “West Bank” (Judea/Samaria), all of Gaza and all of the State of Israel itself.
On September 1, 1993, Yasser Arafat affirmed that the Oslo Accords would remain an integral part of the PLO’s 1974 Phased Plan for Israel’s destruction: “The agreement will be a basis for an independent Palestinian State, in accordance with the Palestinian National Council Resolution issued in 1974.This PNC Resolution calls for “the establishment of a national authority on any part of Palestinian soil from which Israel withdraws or is liberated.”
Later, on May 29, 1994, Rashid Abu Shbak, then senior PA security official, remarked straightforwardly: “The light which has shone over Gaza and Jericho will also reach the Negev and the Galilee.”
Since these early declarations, nothing has changed in the Palestinian Arab definitions of Israel and “Palestine.” This is true for the leaderships of both Hamas and PA. It may make no tangible difference whether one terror group or the other is in power. Both would intend a State of Palestine that is irredentist and crime-centered. The egregious crimes of October 7, 2023 would remain a proud symbol of Palestinian “self-determination.”
There is more. Those who would consider accepting Palestinian statehood in any form should consider the following: The Islamic world contains 50 states with more than one billion people. Islamic states comprise an area 672 times the size of Israel. Israel, together with Judea/Samaria, is less than half the size of San Bernardino County in California. The Sinai Desert, transferred by Israel to Egypt in the 1979 Treaty, is three times larger than the State of Israel.
Any Israeli plan for accepting Palestinian Arab demilitarization on promises of diplomatic comity and regional peace would be built upon sand. Accordingly, Israel should never base its assessments of Palestinian Arab statehood on any such illusory foundations. In the end, no Palestinian Arab leadership would ever accept the idea of demilitarization. an Israel-supported idea of “limited” Palestinian Arab statehood.
There is one last point: The many-sided threat of Palestinian Arab statehood is part of a larger and more portentous strategic whole.
This means, ipso facto, that such a crime-based jihadi state would become a tangible “force-multiplier” for Israel’s extant enemies, both state and sub-state. In a worst-case but still realistic scenario, the creation of “Palestine” would heighten the probability of a catastrophic international war in the region. At some not-too-distant point in time, this could mean a no-holds-barred unconventional conflict, including a nuclear war
LOUIS RENÉ BERES was was born in Zürich at the end of World War II, educated at Princeton (Ph.D., 1971) and is the author of many books and scholarly articles dealing with Israel and international law. His writings have appeared in Jurist; The New York Times; Yale Global; Harvard National Security Journal (Harvard Law School); The Atlantic; U.S. News & World Report; Los Angeles Times; Oxford University Press; The Hill; BESA Perspectives; INSS Strategic Assessment (Israel); Herzliya Conference Papers (Israel); The National Interest; Israel National News; and The Jerusalem Post. Dr. Beres’ twelfth and latest book, Surviving Amid Chaos: Israel’s Nuclear Strategy, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2016, 2nd edit., 2018. In Israel, he was Chair of Project Daniel (Iranian nuclear weapons, 2003-2004).
‘Clear & immediate danger’: Prison guards appeal decision to release terrorist to Shechem
Female prison guards from the Gilboa Prison appeal to Supreme Court, demanding that terrorist Mahmoud Atallah, who raped and sexually assaulted them, be released abroad instead of within Israel.
Jan 19, 2025, 10:17 AM (GMT+2) Israel National News – Female prison guards from the Gilboa Prison on Sunday turned to the Supreme Court, demanding that terrorist Mahmoud Atallah be released abroad.
The appeal aims to change the categorization of Atallah, who was convicted of serious crimes and is expected to be released as part of the ceasefire-prisoner swap deal between Israel and the Hamas terror group.
The deal will see 33 living or dead hostages released in its first stage, as well as negotiations for the second and third stages, in which male IDF soldiers and bodies of hostages will also be released.
In their appeal, the prison guards stressed that Atallah’s capacity to endanger others was not taken into account, and that he presents an immediate danger to the guards themselves, who were sexually abused by him.
They also said that releasing Atallah to Shechem (Nablus), as is planned, also presents a danger to them, since the terrorist has made concrete threats and has their personal information.
They requested that the danger to themselves be reduced, without harming the deal itself, insisting that the State did not take the relevant considerations into account.
“The defense echelon has abandoned the security of the female prison guards for a second time – except this time, it is also allowing their blood to be spilled,” the guards’ attorneys said.
“Exiling the terrorist to Shechem presents a clear and immediate danger to the female guards’ safety. It seems there are people in the defense echelon who think that abandoning female guards, who are essentially female IDF soldiers, is a normal way of action. We call on the Supreme Court to intervene and demand that the terrorist be released abroad, to provide safety to the guards’ lives.”
Related articles:
- ‘The hostage deal doesn’t happen without Trump’
- ‘Hostages’ return shows the fighting was not in vain’
- Wrapped in Israeli flags with tears in their eyes and huge smiles
- After over 470 days: Romi, Emily, and Doron come home
[Ed.: Are you still wondering why I call it “IINO”? For IINO to release killers into the population is a malicious attack on Jews in Israel. Why is it that the governments of Israel and the U.S. keep attacking the citizens? In this case, the Hamas prisoners should have been killed right off, and not arrested. And then to be released again (734 terrorist murderers. 2000 terrorists in all – in exchange for 33 innocent hostages, dead and alive.,) into Israel and anywhere, only to kill more of us! Look what they did to us… There were many soldiers who wrote notes to their parents before they went to Gaza and said that IF they get taken hostage, “DO NOT release any terrorists to get me out!” So much for THAT sentiment.]
90 terrorists to be released to Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem in exchange for 3 hostages
As Hamas frees 3 female hostages, Israel will free 90 terrorists, 30 for each hostage. 78 terrorists will be released into Judea and Samaria, while 12 will be released into eastern Jerusalem.
Jan 19, 2025, 3:01 PM (GMT+2) Israel National News
The terrorists who will be released on Sunday from prisons in Israel in exchange for the three kidnapped women who will be returned from captivity will be released to Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem.
In exchange for the three kidnapped women, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher, 90 terrorists will be released. 78 of the terrorists will be released to Judea and Samaria, and 12 to eastern Jerusalem.
The Israel Prison Service has received the list of security prisoners who are expected to be released from the various prisons as part of Operation Wings of Freedom.
Upon completion of the necessary operations in the prisons, officers from the “Nachshon” unit – the special response team of the Prison Service – will transfer the terrorists to the central reception point in the “Ofer” prison.
Upon their arrival, they will be identified by representatives of the Red Cross and will wait until the Israeli hostages arrive. Upon receiving approval from the political authorities, the terrorists will be transported from the “Ofer” prison by the Red Cross to their release locations.
At the same time, the IDF is preparing for the terrorists to be released in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem. Since the morning the Central Command has been carrying out two operations, defensive, for which the command has received seven companies for each of the regional divisions to protect the communities, as well as offensive operations to prevent terror attacks on the roads, in the villages, and against Jewish communities. The Central Command emphasized that all of the villages to which the terrorists are supposed to return were mapped out an Over 1900d operations will be conducted to prevent any acts of terror from emanating from them.
Related articles:
- Wrapped in Israeli flags with tears in their eyes and huge smiles
- After over 470 days: Romi, Emily, and Doron come home
- Inside Hamas’s ‘cynical goody bags’ given to returnees
- MK Ayman Odeh compares hostages to terrorists
[Ed.: Isn’t that special!]
Live Updates | After over 470 days: Romi, Emily, and Doron come home [VIDEOS]
Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher have returned to Israel after more than 470 days in captivity in Gaza.
Jan 19, 2025, 12:21 PM (GMT+2) Israel National News – Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher returned to Israel as part of the hostage deal on Sunday evening after more than 470 days in captivity in Gaza.
Live updates:
10:23 p.m.: The director of Sheba Medical Center says the returnees’ medical conditions allow them to concentrate on reuniting with their loved ones.
10:00 p.m.: Footage shows the moment Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher reunite with their families at Sheba Medical Center in central Israel.
9:10 p.m.: The three returnees are undergoing initial evaluations at the Sheba Medical Center.
8:55 p.m.: Incoming White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz: “Relieved these three brave women are no longer suffering at the hands of Hamas terrorists in the tunnels below Gaza and are once again with their families. More to come.”
8:53 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the return of the hostages:
“The release of hostages after many months of war between Israel and Hamas is a deeply meaningful moment.
“Seeing families reunited, and knowing the tears of relief and joy it brings, is something we can all connect with. As Ukrainians, we know the pain of separation and hope of bringing loved ones back home.
“The path to lasting peace and dignity for all people is still long and challenging, but we hope for further progress toward security, stability, and normal life in the entire Middle East.
“Ukraine wishes for peace, justice, and reliable security guarantees for all nations, just as we continue to fight for them ourselves.”
8:38 p.m.: Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson commented on a photo showing the released hostages surrounded by mobs of Gazans while being transferred to the Red Cross: “What a picture of Hamas – thousands of armed young men jeering these brave, defenceless and totally innocent women. How is that supposed to promote reconciliation?”
Otzma Yehudit ministers, MKs submit letters of resignation
Itamar Ben-Gvir and the rest of his party’s representatives resign from government in protest against the ceasefire deal with Hamas, which they call a “surrender.”
Jan 19, 2025, 10:42 AM (GMT+2) Israel National News – Ministers and MKs from Otzma Yehudit submitted letters of resignation this morning (Sunday) following the government’s approval of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, which will lead to the release of hundreds of terrorists from Israeli prisons.
Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir, Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and Amichai Eliyahu submitted their letters of resignation from their positions to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
MKs Zvika Fogel, Limor Son Har-Melech, and Yitzhak Kreuzer, submitted letters of resignation from their positions on various Knesset committees to the coalition chairman.
The party stated that the resignation is “in light of the approval of the reckless agreement with the terrorist organization Hamas, the release of hundreds of murderers who shed the blood of men, women and children – who are also being released to Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, while renouncing the IDF’s achievements in the war, the withdrawal of IDF forces from the Gaza Strip and the cessation of fighting in Gaza, in an agreement that constitutes a surrender to Hamas.”
Related articles:
- Itamar Ben-Gvir’s party to leave coalition
- ‘If deal is approved Otzma Yehudit will leave government’
- ‘Netanyahu was instructed to come to the Knesset in a wheelchair’
- Coalition to impose sanctions on Otzma Yehudit
January 18, 2025 @ 10:08 pm ET 𝗜𝗦𝗥𝗔𝗘𝗟 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦
At 08:30 the temporary ceasefire will come into effect, and the IDF will begin a gradual withdrawal from populated areas in the Gaza Strip.
The release of the three hostages will not begin before 4 pm. Hamas has not yet submitted the list of names to be released, thus committing the first violation of the agreement.
On the 7th day, 4 more hostages will be released, including three female soldiers.
On the 14th day, 3 hostages.
On the 21st day, 3 hostages.
On the 28th day, 3 hostages.
On the 35th day, 3 hostages.
On the 42nd day, 12 + 2 hostages.
During this time, all fighting in the Gaza Strip should theoretically cease, and Hamas will use this opportunity to recuperate and reassert control.
[Ed.: Remember, this is a ruse. 2-way Hudna till inauguration.]
[Ed.: UPDATE 1/22/25: It wasn’t a ruse! It was real. Lucky Hashem didn’t make me a prophet, only an editor…]
Once Again, Having No Faith in the Smartest Guy in the Room by Joan Swirsky
Jan. 18, 2025
Oy vey! The glass is not half empty—it’s completely empty!
Oy gevalt! The sky really is falling!
That’s what our purportedly most astute and seasoned political commentators would have you believe about the ceasefire agreement that was reached just a day or so ago between Hamas and Israel.
These pearl-clutching, handwringing, anxiety filled savants have now become 2025’s Doomsday Squad. But it sounds to me like they all participated in the same Zoom session, so similar are their dire messages and predictions.
And so wrong-headed!
The esteemed Harvard Law professor emeritus, Alan Dershowitz, opined that “it wasn’t a deal; it was a crime.”
“This was not the result of a negotiation between equals. If an armed robber puts a gun to your head and says, ‘your money or your life,’ your decision to give him your money would not be described as a deal,” he said.
“Would you call it a deal if somebody kidnapped your child, and you ‘agreed’ to pay ransom to get her back? Of course not. The kidnapping was a crime. And the extortionate demand was an additional crime,” Dershowitz continued.
The estimable Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch and prolific author, asked, “How bad is it? It makes a replay, and quite likely more than one replay, of Hamas’ massacre of 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, a very real possibility…the deal also involves ‘the release of 50 Palestinian Arab terrorists serving life sentences. These are essentially convicted murderers with Jewish blood on their hands who are likely to murder Jews again.’”
The widely known commentator and President of the Middle East Forum, Daniel Pipes, called the deal “momentous” and “horrific.”
“The deal, Pipes concluded, “releases many hundreds of hardened Islamist criminals, now free to return to their murderous ways. It nearly assures continued Hamas rule in Gaza. It boosts Islamist morale worldwide. It humiliates the West’s foremost Middle Eastern ally.”
The prolific British writer Melanie Phillips also weighed in, writing that negotiating with Qatar was “dealing with the devil,” and that the jubilant Arabs were ecstatic because they believed that the deal “would enable them now, finally, to destroy Israel and the Jews.”
In addition, the formidable Morton Klein of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) issued this stern warning: “No responsible Israeli government should agree to such a dangerous surrender deal. Didn’t the government learn from the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal, in which Israel received one Israeli hostage for releasing 1,027 Palestinian Arab terrorists (including October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar) who were collectively responsible for killing 569 Israelis? The Shalit deal resulted in October 7, numerous other terror attacks, the murders of more than 2,000 innocent Jews and the maiming of many thousands of innocent Jews and others.”
And to top it off, several high-ranking members of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s coalition threatened to leave if he signed the deal, which was predicted to result in total chaos in the Knesset. They include National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who called the deal “reckless,” as well as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amihai Chikli.
Bottom line, each of these critics––and dozens of others––denigrated both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President-elect Donald Trump for agreeing to and participating in one of history’s worst deals!
OTOH
My question to these critics: What do you think the conversation was when the Israeli Prime Minister visited the President-elect at his Mar-a-Lago estate last July? Do you suppose they discussed the poetry of Emily Dickinson?
Do you think they studiously avoided discussion of the ongoing and escalating war not between but among Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Syria, Yemen, and Iraqi groups, and what to do about this existential threat to the tiny Jewish state?
Do you think they wished each other well and parted ways with handshakes and smiles?
I don’t.
THE PLAN OF ACTION
I think that President-elect didn’t pressure PM Netanyahu at all, that he simply suggested a strategy that would work.
And it did!
Given his solution-oriented nature, Mr. Trump told the PM that he would threaten to annihilate the mass murderers who not only threatened to obliterate the entire state of Israel but to extinguish the lives of every Jew in the world. That this threat…this promise…was actually written down in their charter and mission statement and boasted about by like-minded advocates of this death cult.
Well…. POOF! As soon as Mr. Trump posted those “hell to pay” words––because they believed him––magic! Hamas agreed to negotiate and Israel, wisely, agreed.
Why wisely? Because Mr. Trump never took back his original words––there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages were not released before his inauguration….in just a couple of days…. January 20th, 2025!
SOME PEOPLE “GET” IT
Right off the bat, U.S. Representative Mike Waltz, President-elect Trump’s choice for National Security Adviser, announced that he vowed that the Trump Administration would support Israel resuming operations in Gaza if Hamas violated the ceasefire deal.
And Douglas Altabef, Chairman of the Board of Im Tirtzu and a Director of the Israel Independence Fund, writes that “it is too soon to be too distraught about the hostage deal.
“Again,” says Altabef, “I would urge us all not to jump to a definitive conclusion quite yet. Hopefully, as happened in November 2023, we will look back and say, yes there was disruption, yes, our job got more difficult and complicated, but we were able to secure the release of (most, all, many??) hostages, and then got back to the required task of dismantling Hamas.
“We need to remember,” Altabef continues, “that Trump has appointed very pro-Israel people to key leadership roles in his government. The Secretaries of State and Defense, Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth (who is likely to be approved despite initial concerns), are both firmly in Israel’s corner, and are knowledgeable about the situation in this neighborhood.
“I believe that Trump himself is very much with us and will regard supporting Israel as part of a key strategic construct needed to face down China, Russia and Iran.
“He now is starting off his tenure with the geo-political wind at his back, and he knows that Bibi and Israel helped him to get exactly where he wanted to be. Getting Trump to have a latter-day version of the 1980 Iranian hostage release, as Reagan assumed office, is an enormous credibility boost for him.”
Concluding, Altabef says: “I for one would like to think that Trump knows that Israel helped him to achieve it, and that he will be returning the favor as his term unfolds.
So, friends, grit your teeth, and take a longer view. God willing, we will emerge from this intact, more unified, and ultimately, strengthened.”
To these inspiring words, can we all say a hearty Amen!
Joan Swirsky is a New York based journalist and author. Her website is www.joanswirsky.com, and she can be reached at joanswirsky@gmail.com,
Netanyahu: “We’ll Return To War In Gaza, Achieve All Our Objectives”
January 18, 2025 Yeshiva World News – Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu released a special video message to the nation on Motzei Shabbos, making his first comments to the public on the hostage deal that was approved in the pre-dawn hours of Shabbos morning.
Netanyahu committed in his remarks to achieve all the goals of the war, including ensuring that Hamas will not be able to control Gaza in the future. He also addressed the rumors that the IDF is withdrawing from the Philadelphi Route and stated that not only is Israel not giving up control of the route but is also increasing forces in the area.
In his remarks, Netanyahu said that the first stage of the deal is only a temporary ceasefire and revealed that both outgoing President Biden and President-elect Trump provided assurances that Israel could resume the war if negotiations on the second phase of the hostage deal prove futile.
Netanyahu continued by saying that he insisted on three crucial principles during the negotiations.
“Hamas wanted a permanent ceasefire as a precondition,” Netanyahu said. “I refused to agree to this, and my position was accepted. If we need to return to fighting we will do it in new ways and with increased power.”
The second key principle was the number of living hostages slated for release in the first stage. “I insisted on increasing the number of living hostages released in the first stage and succeeded,” the Prime Minister said.
The third key principle was the Philadelphi Corridor. Netanyahu denied the reports that Israel is withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor, emphasizing: “We’ll increase, not decrease, the number of forces in the Philadelphi Corridor,” adding that control over the Egyptian-Gaza border is necessary to achieve the goals of the war. “We won’t allow weapons to be smuggled into Gaza or the hostages to be smuggled out,” he stressed.
Netanyahu also said that terrorists who murdered Israelis will be deported out of Israel. Terrorists who are serving long prison sentences for terror acts but were not convicted of murder will be released to their homes in east Jerusalem and the Shomron.
Netanyahu also thanked Trump for his decision to remove all remaining restrictions on the supply of essential weapons to Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening (Saturday, 18 January 2025) [translated from Hebrew]:
“Dear citizens of Israel.
On October 7, our enemies perpetrated the worst massacre against the Jewish People since the Holocaust. But amidst this terrible disaster was shown the great strength of the spirit of the people and the supreme heroism of our fighters.
It is this strength that has led us with determination to achieve all of the objectives of the war that we set: Returning all of our hostages, eliminating Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and ensuring that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to our country.
In the War of Redemption, we have made it clear to our enemies and to the entire world, that when the people of Israel stand together, there is no force that can break us.
I am proud to be Prime Minister of our wonderful people. I am proud to lead our country at such times.
The Security Cabinet and the Government have approved the framework for the return of our hostages. This is the objective of the war from which we will not relent until it will be completed.
The sacred mission to release hostages has accompanied me throughout my life, from my IDF service and throughout my years as Prime Minister.
Together with you, citizens of Israel, and together with many people around the world, my wife Sara and I have hoped, prayed and worked for the return of all of our hostages. I think about them all the time.
My wife Sara has put her entire heart and soul into caring for the families and for those who have returned, and she has been working for them both at home and abroad.
I know that this concern is shared by all families in Israel. I promise you – we will insist on all the objectives of the war. We will bring all of them back home.
As of today, we have returned home 157 of our hostages, 117 of whom alive. Under the agreement that has now been approved, we will return home another 33 of our brothers and sisters, most of them alive.
This agreement is, first of all, the result of the heroism of our fighters in combat, and it is also the result of our steadfast insistence on Israel’s vital interests, in the face of heavy pressure at home and abroad.
This agreement is also the result of cooperation between the outgoing administration of President Biden and the incoming administration of President Trump.
From the moment he was elected, President Trump has been involved in the mission for the release of our hostages. He spoke with me Wednesday evening. He welcomed the agreement and rightly emphasized that the first stage of the agreement is a temporary ceasefire. That is what he said, ‘a temporary ceasefire’.
Ahead of the next stages of the agreement, we retain significant assets in order to return all of our hostages, and in order to meet the objectives of the war.
Both President Trump and President Biden have given full backing to Israel’s right to return to the fighting, if Israel reaches the conclusion that the second stage negotiations are ineffectual. I greatly appreciate this.
I also greatly appreciate President Trump’s decision to lift the remaining restrictions on providing vital weapons and munitions to the State of Israel.
If we need to go back to the fighting, we will do so in new ways and with great force.
During the negotiations, I determined several basic principles:
The first principle – Safeguarding the ability to return and fight as per need. For many months, Hamas demanded that we promise in advance to end the war as a condition for its entering a framework for the release of the hostages, and it set all kinds of additional dictated terms. I strongly opposed these dictated terms – and my position was accepted. We retain the right to return to the war, if necessary, with the backing of the US.
And not for nothing, all senior American administration officials have unanimously attested that it was Hamas that hindered the negotiations.
The second principle that I insisted on, the most important principle: I significantly increased the number of living hostages that will return in the first stage. I am pleased to tell you that this insistence has borne fruit. Contrary to Hamas’s position in May, we have almost doubled the number of living hostages that are due to be released in the first stage.
And the third principle – keeping the Philadelphi Corridor and the security buffer zone. When I say keeping the Philadelphi Corridor, not only will we not reduce our forces there, we will even increase them slightly, and this is contrary to all of the reports that I hear.
We promised in the agreement that Israel would keep full control in the Philadelphi Corridor and the security buffer around the entire Gaza Strip. We will not allow war materiel to be smuggled in, nor will we allow our hostages to be smuggled out.
We determined that terrorists who committed murder will not be released to Judea and Samaria – they will be expelled to the Gaza Strip or abroad, and we decided in the Security Cabinet on a very significant increase in our forces in Judea and Samaria in order to protect our citizens.
Now, what has caused Hamas to change its position? First of all, the painful blows that our heroic fighters have landed on Hamas, and the rest of our enemies, on the battlefield. Second, our policy of striking our enemies on seven fronts with force that they have never seen.
We eliminated Sinwar, Deif and Haniye. We eliminated Nasrallah and the entire Hezbollah leadership. We destroyed most of the weaponry of the Syrian military. We struck the Houthis in Yemen. We acted against Iran. Indeed, we struck all of these very hard, that is to say that we struck the entire Iranian axis very hard – and we are still active.
Just as I promised you, we have changed the face of the Middle East.
And as result of all this, Hamas has been left battered and isolated in the campaign. This is exactly how the conditions were created for the turning point in its position and for the release of our hostages. Today Hamas has agreed to what it did not agree to previously.
Citizens of Israel, the War of Redemption has demanded of us tough decisions but it is in these decisions that leadership is tested. These were decisions that took into account our comprehensive national and security considerations. I regret that I cannot detail all of them to you here.
On October 7, we took a severe blow. We experienced terrible pain. With joint forces, we repelled our enemies and achieved considerable results. The entire world, friends and enemies alike, has been impressed by these historic achievements.
My dear citizens of Israel, I see the emotion. I see with uplifted spirit your inner strength. I want to thank you for the confidence and backing that you have given me and my colleagues to lead the State of Israel in these fateful times.
I see our people at their best; the men and women of the IDF regular forces and reserves, the men and women of the Israel Police, the men and women in the ISA, the Mossad and the Prison Service, the emergency and rescue forces, the volunteers and our entire people in its full glory.
In the storm of battle and horror of war, we take to our heart with shared sorrow, love and appreciation, those who have paid the heaviest price of all – our brothers and sisters in the bereaved families, the dear bereaved families.
We embrace our wounded in body and soul, the families of our hostages, the residents who have been displaced from their homes in the north and the south, whom we are committed to returning home.
I take all of you into my heart and I tell you – the campaign is still not over. A long and challenging journey still lies before us. This is not the time to disband and disperse, this is the time to unite and come together. This is what the heritage of Israel commands us. This is what the generation of victory demands of us.
We are winning because the spirit within us is winning. This is the spirit of an ancient people, a people that has refused to surrender to those who have risen up to destroy us.
Together, with G-d’s help, we will defeat our enemies; we will ensure our future.
Because there is redemption and ‘there is hope for your future, says the LORD; and your children shall return to their own border’ [Jeremiah 31:16].”
WATCH [11:55 Hebrew)
[Ed.: The man has a bilingual golden tongue! It appears that he and Trump are in sync about an imminent decimation of Iran and its proxis, including the Houti/Cooties:
SOME DEAL INFO, TERROR ATTACKS
January 18, 2025 @ 11:41 am ET ISRAEL REALTIME – Connecting to Israel in Realtime
( VIDEO – terror stabbing in Tel Aviv cafe. Not gory, yes scary. )
GAZA / HOSTAGE DEAL NEWS.. to begin 8:30 AM Sunday.
.. SUPPORT – 24 ministers supported, eight opposed – including ministers from Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, Min.’s Shikli and Amsalem from Likud
.. MOSSAD SAYS – The head of the Mossad in the cabinet: “We must pay this moral debt. This deal is morally, ethically and humanly correct. It has mechanisms that will ensure our security. It has levers of pressure to continue if Hamas does not fulfill its part. Our mission is to return everyone home and we will not rest until we achieve the goal.” (( Who is this unelected spy telling the elected govt. what is or is not correct? ))
.. SHABAK SAYS – 82% of those (1,000 terrorists) released in the Shalit deal returned to terrorism.
.. HAMAS SAYS – Hamas Interior Ministry: Our people will begin deploying throughout the Gaza Strip once the ceasefire goes into effect.
.. List of first hostages to be released (3) NOT given by Hamas, as required.
.. Senior Israeli official Lemuria Asraf: It is estimated that at least 25 of the 33 kidnapped are still alive. ( Meaning Israel won’t even receive the first 33 alive. )
DEAL WITHDRAWALS
99th Division will withdraw from the Netzarim dividing corridor of central Gaza, allowing free movement of people and restocking of weapons to northern Gaza.
The Gaza Division will withdraw gradually from the Philadelphi Egypt border corridor, allowing access to weapons emplacements and cross border smuggling tunnels to replenish weapons.
RELEASE OF MURDERERS
In the first stage Israel is expected to be releasing a total of 1,904 Palestinian mass murderers, murderers and attempted murderers, including 737 serving LIFE SENTENCES for successful murder, including one responsible for 6 murders and one responsible for 45 murders.
It also includes 1,167 Gazans captured in Gaza attacking the IDF but who did not participate in Oct. 7 massacres.
47 murderers to be released are REPEAT murderers who were released as part of the Shalit deal in 2011 who were re-arrested after a subsequent attack.
MANY COMMENTERS – the list adds up to THOUSANDS of murders of Israelis, with MANY MASS MURDERERS among the list, significantly worse than thought.
NO INTELLIGENCE ALLOWED
At 12:00, Israel will cease aerial activity for intelligence gathering purposes for 12 hours. On days when there are no hostage releases, Israel will cease such activity for 10 hours a day to allow movement of terrorists, weapons, and pulling of hostages without observation.
BALLISTIC MISSILE from HOUTHIS-YEMEN at Central Israel around 10:20 AM. Intercepted, missile body fell near Beitar Illit in an open lot and missile parts on a sidewalk in Mevo Beitar.
BALLISTIC MISSILE from HOUTHIS-YEMEN at Eilat-Arava around 3:40 PM. Intercepted.
TERROR – STABBING – TEL AVIV – Levontin Street, a victim in his 30’s stabbed while at a cafe by an Arab, 19, from Tulkarm illegally in Israel. Terrorist killed by a passing armed civilian. The citizen who killed the terrorist in Tel Aviv received his weapons license about a month ago from the Ministry of National Security as part of Ben Gvir’s reform.
TERROR – RAMMING – HAIFA – a few minutes ago a report of a terror ramming (car driving into people) attack in Haifa. No addition info yet, could be a crash.
INFILTRATION ALERT in the village of Almon in Judea, east of Jerusalem, over Shabbat – hole in fence discovered, area thoroughly checked by security forces.
TRAIN SERVICE SOUTH – IDF says that the Ashkelon-Sderot train line can reopen from February 1, over 15 months since it was closed following the October 7, 2023, onslaught. The line passes close to the border with Gaza, and had been exposed to threats from the Strip.
Telegram – https://t.me/Israel_Realtime_Updates
WhatsApp – https://chat.whatsapp.com/JMGVaXXOXIkL04z5PMzo01
X (twitter) – https://x.com/IsraelRealtime
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558471625976
Israel Cabinet Approves Ceasefire/Hostage Deal with Hamas Savages By Pamela Geller
January 17, 2025 – UPDATE: Reports of IDF soldiers REFUSING ORDERS to participate in the evacuation of and surrender of the Netzarim corridor.
The IDF is apparently trying to locate forces to evacuate the posts and is encountering great difficulty. Many reservists are insisting that their brothers in arms did not lose limbs and lives in Gaza to just gift their hard-earned victories to Hamas.
Israel’s Security Cabinet approve the proposed ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Rewarding terrorism.“In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit.” (Ayn Rand)
Jewish News Syndicate: Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya repeated the terrorist organization’s commitment to the destruction of Israel in his first public remarks since green-lighting the truce deal with the Jewish state on Wednesday night. According to al-Hayya, the terrorist group during negotiations succeeded in thwarting Israel’s “declared and hidden goals…” Al-Hayya described the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 people in Israel as a “miraculous” achievement, declaring the atrocities would “remain a source of pride” for Palestinians, “passed down through generations.” Hamas terrorists “will expel the occupation from our land and from Al Quds [Jerusalem] at the earliest time possible,” al-Hayya promised, adding: “Our enemy will never see a moment of weakness from us” (Jewish News Syndicate).
Daily Wire: Al-Hayya somehow twisted the destruction of Hamas by Israel as a victory, boasting, “Praise be to Allah, who fulfilled His promise, granted victory to His servant, strengthened His forces, and alone defeated the confederates” (Daily Wire).
Israel security cabinet meets to decide whether to approve cease-fire deal with Hamas By Emily Crane, NY Post, Jan. 17, 2025:
Israel’s security cabinet meeting was underway Friday to decide whether to approve the long-awaited cease-fire deal with Hamas that would release dozens of hostages held captive in Gaza and pause the 15-month-war.
The meeting, which was being held at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, comes after negotiators inked the deal in Qatar late Thursday — just hours after several setbacks threatened to upend the agreement.
Security Cabinet meeting at Israel Prime Minister’s Office. Israel’s security cabinet meeting was underway Friday. X / @IsraeliPM
If the cabinet approves, the deal will then go to the government later Friday for final sign-off before the cease-fire goes into effect on Sunday.
“Pending approval by the Security Cabinet and the Government, and the agreement taking effect, the release of the hostages will be implemented according to the planned framework in which the hostages are expected to be released on Sunday,” Netanyahu said in a statement on X as the meeting was underway.
The PM had earlier said he had already instructed a special task force to prepare to receive the hostages returning from Gaza — and that their families had been informed the deal had been reached…
Related: Israel and Brutal Terrorist Organization Hamas Sign Hostage Deal and Ceasefire in Gaza
Terrible, Horrible Hostage Deal Announced
Danny Danon: Israel Will Finish The Job [VIDEO 11:35] Mark Levin Show
January 17, 2025 – Ambassador Danny Danon calls in to discuss the Israel/Hamas ceasefire. This is not a peace agreement; Israel keeps the right to go into Gaza and finish off Hamas if necessary. Danon says “they are determined to finish the job, but will pause to get the hostages back.”
