Monday, 20 January 2025

Trump screws up on Israel-Hamas

Gazans cock-a-hoop at the Trump capitulation
He's still eight hours away from taking the oath of office, but Trump has already screwed up big time. In his Israel "hostage deal", that he's bragging about, he's done damage to our key ally in the Middle East, Israel, and emboldened our main enemies, Hamas, in the Gaza strip. 

Shame on him and all those who advised him on this wretched deal. Which deal not only gives Hamas 15 convicted terrorists for every hostage, but calls for a ceasefire of at least 42 days -- during which Hamas will surely rearm and regroup. 

Basically it's the old Biden deal, which we all scoffed at, a warmed-up leftover forced on Netanyahu. It was a stinker when Biden -- actually Antony Blinken-- proposed it, months ago. It remains a stinker, even as it's the incoming president forcing it down Israel's throat.

I call it Capitulation. To Hamas. To the terrorists. And their state sponsors, Iran, Qatar, Egypt. Conservatives, like Ben Shapiro, are trying to spin it: not so bad, part of Trump's bigger long-term strategy. I wish. 

You can't negotiate with terrorists

That's always been the US position. Though they don't always stick to it. But in Israel, it's not even a thing. Dealing with terrorists is something they seem to have to do, because it's foundational to their identity as a Jewish state. As Andrew McCarthy explains: 

The hostages of October 7 are not merely a profoundly emotional, first-order political issue for Israelis. The prioritization of their return, over other national security considerations (other than national survival itself), instantiates the Jewish state’s essence. [More]

It's tough then for some random dude (me) living in Hong Kong to bloviate about needing to be tough, to not deal with terrorists. But there are some tough-minded Israelis who do question the need to "deal with terrorists". Like Yishai Fleisher. Hostages instead should be treated by Israel as if they are dead. That's pretty tough. Of the Trump Capitulation Deal Fleisher says "we've been betrayed". 

Yigal Carmon, founder and president of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) looks more widely -- in his talk with Caroline Glick -- at the horrible influence of Qatar, while also excoriating Trump both for this latest "deal" and for breaking up an Arab attempt to squeeze Qatar's terror financing back in 2017.

So, basically, from tough-minded Israeli analysts, it's one big "F" for Trump's pre-inauguration "deal" on Israel and Hamas. Which view I share. Even as I stay with my vote: that of the binary choice between Trump and the babbling Kamala, he was the better and more logical choice, given their respective records. But he's "got to do better". On Israel at least.

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