Why can the Jews never be allowed our victory? We’ve won the war but now so called peace means we give up 30 terrorists for every hostage! That’s losing. That’s disgracing the memory of the fallen soldiers and the 1300 lives taken and destroyed. I say NO DEAL! It isn’t a peace it’s a surrender. Mr Trump wants a deal. Let him force the losers to deal not the winners. What pressure did he put on them to deal? No one ever pressures the damn Arabs. ONLY JEWS AREN’T ALLOWED TO WIN! Enough!
This is not the end. The main objective for Israel is to get the hostages back at whatever price. Then, after Hamas inevitably breaks the ceasefire conditions, Israel will not need to have boots on the ground to strike Hamas with full support from Trump. The deal is a win, especially since Hamas and their supporters don't realize its implications.
Non-Israeli, non-Jew, retired American military woman. I do not believe the trade is the end of this, at least not for the incoming Trump administration and the IDF. We've already seen the precision targeting with the brilliant exploding pagers. I'm going to remain hopeful for the return of the hostages, followed by an operation to ring in Hamas and hunt each terrorist down until Hamas remains only in memory.
I am listening to the military experts on Israel's channel 12 trying to defend the deal. They can only do this by openly assuming that after the last hostage is freed, Hamas will break the ceasefire and give Israel a chance to finish them off.
As I noted on Barry Shaw's piece on a similar theme: 'Was it ever thus?' Jews will never think other Jews are expendable in pursuit of some realpolitik goal. The Arabs know this.
I hear you and share your angsts. Israel is caught between a rock and a hard place. But this isn’t the first time in their history. The battle belongs to the Lord.
This is what comes of impossible situations: impossible choices. Perhaps the good of 33 hostages and their families—which is immeasurable—outweighs the bad of doing a deal with the devil. It may lead to the fall of the government, but that’s no reason not to do it. Pete Hegseth just said he supported Israel’s continued campaign against Hamas. This isn’t the end, but perhaps the beginning of the end.
Couldn't agree with you more. As a comfortable, "captive" North American who cares about the whole world and all those victimized by mindless--or worse, intentional--violence and cruelty, including the misguided and sinfully miseducated souls of those who perpetrated it.
There is no peace partner. They crowed again that they won as the terrorists release a volley of gunfire and re pledge themselves to carry out the next and the next and the next attack until Israel is vanquished. ...The signs in "hostage sq" "sign the fucking deal" "how much more blood....(Arab) will be spilled....and the IDF soldiers presumably. The Israeli demonstrators puzzle me. you write they are all my people...agreed. I'm not on the ground there...I wish I could be but unlike 1973 I don't have the physical ability any longer to do so.
I have major reservations about the hostage deal as I understand it. As Phyllis Chesler notes, the deal to release Gilad Shalit had a significant downside. It's impossible to know which of the terrorists who likely will soon be released will lead more attacks against Israel. They're not going to become philosemitic if released through this deal.
This was a deal planned by Biden and Brinkley which Netanyahu could have agreed to by having the right to go back into Gaza and finish the job allowing further settlement and development of Judea and Samaria and US willingness to take out the Iranian nuclear program and impose strong sanctions on Teheran
This is not a ceasefire but only a pause to lull Israel into a false sense of security Hamas has added new demands that may torpedo the entire deal Trump will learn that the security of Israel is not on the table in the same manner as the sale of a piece of real estate
Would it not be each Jewish captive is worth 10 or 50 or 100 Palestinian criminals? Even aside from the future crimes of the released Palestinian criminals, this is not the "win" that Israel deserved. Hamas should be forced to release all hostages without condition. Otherwise, hellfire should be rained upon them. The costly and unprecedented restraint of the IDF should be removed. And let's see if Trump is as good as his word.
I totally agree with you.. I just wondered who came up with the ratio.. I kept thinking that 1 good human being has no comparison to 10 murderers.. The exchange should have been the reverse..
My initial thoughts are that Trump is a treacherous, backstabbing POS. I feel more anger towards him than Biden because I expected so much better from Trump but was bamboozled. I know the democrats are weak appeasers who hate Israel. Trump however made public proclamations of being pro-Israel. Trump made a public display of acting tough with hamas, but that's just it, it was an act. When he said "there will be hell to pay" if there was no deal before he takes office, apparently, he meant hell to pay for Israel although everyone assumed he was threatening hamas. hamas didn't agree to a deal because they fear Trump, which is what MAGA thinks, it's because Trump applied pressure to Bibi while hamas got everything it wanted. There is nothing Trump could have threatened hamas with that the IDF hasn't already done to them. He just likes to bloviate while making deals behind the scenes. It's telling that he chose as his Mideast envoy and the one he gave the power to negotiate on his behalf was Steven Witkoff, a man who has extensive business with the hamas supporting nation of Qatar. That should telegraph what will be Trump's approach to the Mideast. Much of MAGA was certain that the choices of Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel, Elise Stefanik as UN ambassador and Marco Rubio as Secretary of State was a sign that Trump was going to stand solidly in support of Israel. But that was a bait and switch. Ultimately, they just answer to Trump and are obligated to carry out his agenda unless they have enough principles and self-respect to resign if Trump should continue to stab Israel in the back. People put their trust in Trump based on his first term where he moved our embassy to Jerusalem and recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. But those were merely symbolic gestures which simply acknowledged pre-existing facts on the ground. When it came to the serious and substantive matter of this hostages for terrorists deal, Trump did not have Israel's back.
The truth is that we do not know the whole story. We do not know what Trump offered Israel to encourage taking this deal. Perhaps we know only terms one and two, but not three to seven. The unpublicized terms, if any, would have been kept secret so secure them. I'm impatient and unsatisfied too, but we do not know what will happen.
How about "Free all of the hostages immediately or we'll turn your country into a parking lot!"
Why can the Jews never be allowed our victory? We’ve won the war but now so called peace means we give up 30 terrorists for every hostage! That’s losing. That’s disgracing the memory of the fallen soldiers and the 1300 lives taken and destroyed. I say NO DEAL! It isn’t a peace it’s a surrender. Mr Trump wants a deal. Let him force the losers to deal not the winners. What pressure did he put on them to deal? No one ever pressures the damn Arabs. ONLY JEWS AREN’T ALLOWED TO WIN! Enough!
This is not the end. The main objective for Israel is to get the hostages back at whatever price. Then, after Hamas inevitably breaks the ceasefire conditions, Israel will not need to have boots on the ground to strike Hamas with full support from Trump. The deal is a win, especially since Hamas and their supporters don't realize its implications.
Non-Israeli, non-Jew, retired American military woman. I do not believe the trade is the end of this, at least not for the incoming Trump administration and the IDF. We've already seen the precision targeting with the brilliant exploding pagers. I'm going to remain hopeful for the return of the hostages, followed by an operation to ring in Hamas and hunt each terrorist down until Hamas remains only in memory.
I hope and pray your correct in your evaluation of the situation facing Israel.
I am listening to the military experts on Israel's channel 12 trying to defend the deal. They can only do this by openly assuming that after the last hostage is freed, Hamas will break the ceasefire and give Israel a chance to finish them off.
@Phyllis Chesler THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP AND WRITING THIS. I'M TOO UPSET ABOUT THE LEAKS ABOUT THIS DEAL. IT'LL BE REPEATING OCT 7TH ALL OVER AGAIN.
NO DEAL BEFORE ALL HOSTAGES ARE BACK. OMG I'M DEVASTATED. SORRY for expressing my personal feelings 😓😭
As I noted on Barry Shaw's piece on a similar theme: 'Was it ever thus?' Jews will never think other Jews are expendable in pursuit of some realpolitik goal. The Arabs know this.
I hear you and share your angsts. Israel is caught between a rock and a hard place. But this isn’t the first time in their history. The battle belongs to the Lord.
This is what comes of impossible situations: impossible choices. Perhaps the good of 33 hostages and their families—which is immeasurable—outweighs the bad of doing a deal with the devil. It may lead to the fall of the government, but that’s no reason not to do it. Pete Hegseth just said he supported Israel’s continued campaign against Hamas. This isn’t the end, but perhaps the beginning of the end.
Israel should never negotiate with demon terrorists. Israel is the loser every time.
Couldn't agree with you more. As a comfortable, "captive" North American who cares about the whole world and all those victimized by mindless--or worse, intentional--violence and cruelty, including the misguided and sinfully miseducated souls of those who perpetrated it.
Nan Ackerman (Quebec, Canada)
There is no peace partner. They crowed again that they won as the terrorists release a volley of gunfire and re pledge themselves to carry out the next and the next and the next attack until Israel is vanquished. ...The signs in "hostage sq" "sign the fucking deal" "how much more blood....(Arab) will be spilled....and the IDF soldiers presumably. The Israeli demonstrators puzzle me. you write they are all my people...agreed. I'm not on the ground there...I wish I could be but unlike 1973 I don't have the physical ability any longer to do so.
I have major reservations about the hostage deal as I understand it. As Phyllis Chesler notes, the deal to release Gilad Shalit had a significant downside. It's impossible to know which of the terrorists who likely will soon be released will lead more attacks against Israel. They're not going to become philosemitic if released through this deal.
The Gilad Shalit deal brought us Yahya Sinwar. Shouldn't that given us pause?
This was a deal planned by Biden and Brinkley which Netanyahu could have agreed to by having the right to go back into Gaza and finish the job allowing further settlement and development of Judea and Samaria and US willingness to take out the Iranian nuclear program and impose strong sanctions on Teheran
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-leader-touts-ceasefire-as-a-defeat-for-israel-while-hailing-oct-7-atrocities/amp/
This is not a ceasefire but only a pause to lull Israel into a false sense of security Hamas has added new demands that may torpedo the entire deal Trump will learn that the security of Israel is not on the table in the same manner as the sale of a piece of real estate
I guess I am confused.. Who decided 1terrorist is worth 10 times 1 jewish prisoner?
Would it not be each Jewish captive is worth 10 or 50 or 100 Palestinian criminals? Even aside from the future crimes of the released Palestinian criminals, this is not the "win" that Israel deserved. Hamas should be forced to release all hostages without condition. Otherwise, hellfire should be rained upon them. The costly and unprecedented restraint of the IDF should be removed. And let's see if Trump is as good as his word.
I totally agree with you.. I just wondered who came up with the ratio.. I kept thinking that 1 good human being has no comparison to 10 murderers.. The exchange should have been the reverse..
My initial thoughts are that Trump is a treacherous, backstabbing POS. I feel more anger towards him than Biden because I expected so much better from Trump but was bamboozled. I know the democrats are weak appeasers who hate Israel. Trump however made public proclamations of being pro-Israel. Trump made a public display of acting tough with hamas, but that's just it, it was an act. When he said "there will be hell to pay" if there was no deal before he takes office, apparently, he meant hell to pay for Israel although everyone assumed he was threatening hamas. hamas didn't agree to a deal because they fear Trump, which is what MAGA thinks, it's because Trump applied pressure to Bibi while hamas got everything it wanted. There is nothing Trump could have threatened hamas with that the IDF hasn't already done to them. He just likes to bloviate while making deals behind the scenes. It's telling that he chose as his Mideast envoy and the one he gave the power to negotiate on his behalf was Steven Witkoff, a man who has extensive business with the hamas supporting nation of Qatar. That should telegraph what will be Trump's approach to the Mideast. Much of MAGA was certain that the choices of Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel, Elise Stefanik as UN ambassador and Marco Rubio as Secretary of State was a sign that Trump was going to stand solidly in support of Israel. But that was a bait and switch. Ultimately, they just answer to Trump and are obligated to carry out his agenda unless they have enough principles and self-respect to resign if Trump should continue to stab Israel in the back. People put their trust in Trump based on his first term where he moved our embassy to Jerusalem and recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. But those were merely symbolic gestures which simply acknowledged pre-existing facts on the ground. When it came to the serious and substantive matter of this hostages for terrorists deal, Trump did not have Israel's back.
The truth is that we do not know the whole story. We do not know what Trump offered Israel to encourage taking this deal. Perhaps we know only terms one and two, but not three to seven. The unpublicized terms, if any, would have been kept secret so secure them. I'm impatient and unsatisfied too, but we do not know what will happen.
Good essay at Andrew Fox (free to read). He sees definite drawbacks.
https://mrandrewfox.substack.com/p/ceasefire-in-gaza