Dear Friends,
The night is still and quiet at this early hour in Tel Aviv. Most are asleep, unaware of the gathering storm. But in a hotel room, sleep eludes me as reports from the Wall Street Journal and Times of Israel blare warnings of an impending Iranian strike against Israel.
For the past 36 hours, I've traversed this resolute nation, meeting with our dedicated staff, the Israeli national security council, security establishment figures, and members of the Knesset. As a former official with the Israeli Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I know what this country looks like on a war footing. However, this is different from the already devastating conflict in Gaza, because it involves a regional power, not just Hamas.
While I don't wish to diminish the gravity of attacks against Israel by Hamas, the Houthis in the south, or Hezbollah's missiles from the north, Iran poses a threat of an entirely different magnitude. Yet even in the face of this menace, I firmly believe in Israel's ability to defend itself. More than that, I am confident that if Iran decides to attack, Israel will deliver a devastating counterstrike.
At this critical juncture, the Middle East Forum remains steadfast in our commitment to promoting American interests in the region and protecting Western values from Middle Eastern threats. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the United States stands unequivocally behind Israel's right to defend itself against any aggression.
Through our various projects and initiatives, such as the Israel Victory Project and the Washington Project, we will redouble our efforts to steer U.S. policy toward supporting an Israeli victory over its adversaries and exposing any attempts to undermine the Jewish state. We will also persist in our mission to combat radical Islam, contain Iran, and navigate the turbulent waters of the Middle East in the best interests of the United States and its allies.
Now is the time for us at the Middle East Forum, and for all who cherish freedom, to stand unwaveringly with Israel. Our shared values and interests have never been more vital. The work we do, the truths we uncover and share, are the front lines of this battle. And some of our valiant staff may soon trade in their pens for rifles as they answer the call to defend their homeland.
In the coming days, I ask you to keep them in your thoughts. A word of support, a gesture of solidarity - these carry immense weight in moments like these. Let our team know they do not stand alone.
Here are three concrete actions you can take to support Israel in this crucial time: Contact your elected representatives through the MEF Action center and urge them to stand firmly with Israel and condemn any Iranian aggression. Let them know that the American people expect unwavering support for our closest ally in the Middle East. Share accurate information about the situation on social media and in your communities. Counter misinformation and anti-Israel propaganda by spreading the truth about Israel's right to self-defense and the dangers posed by Iran and its proxies. Support organizations like the Middle East Forum that are dedicated to promoting American interests, protecting Western values, and defending Israel. Your contributions enable us to continue our vital work on the intellectual, operational, and policy frontlines.
The path ahead is uncertain, fraught with danger. But if my brief time here on this trip has taught me anything, it is this - the Israeli spirit is indomitable. In the face of threats, in the shadow of war, they rise. Unbreakable.
We at the Middle East Forum rise with them. Our mission has never been clearer, or more crucial. Together, we will weather this storm. Together, we will continue our vital work for security, for liberty, for a brighter dawn beyond this darkness.
In steadfast solidarity,
Gregg Roman Director Middle East Forum +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Because Biden is a weakling Hamas has been allowed to play Israel , Bibi and the IDF as if they were yo yo's. +++ The 188th Day of War in Israel
By Sherwin Pomerantz
Hamas has informed mediators that it rejects the latest US proposal for a renewed hostages-for-ceasefire deal, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing sources as saying that the terrorist organization intends to put forward a roadmap for a permanent end to the war. The US offer would have seen Jerusalem release 900 terrorist prisoners, including murderers, in exchange for 40 hostages, along with a partial IDF withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the unrestricted return of Palestinians to the northern part of the coastal enclave. The plan proposed that Hamas would release more hostages at a later stage following the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza.
CNN reported on Wednesday that the terror group claims it is currently unable to track down 40 living female, elderly and sick captives to release in the first batch in a possible hostage release deal. Israel has pushed for Hamas to fill out the initial release with younger male hostages, including IDF soldiers, an official in Jerusalem told CNN.
Officials in Jerusalem believe that the IDF withdrawal from Khan Younis and the flood of humanitarian aid into Gaza have hurt the chances that Hamas will agree to a hostage release deal, Ynet reported Wednesday. “We gave up our strong cards for nothing,” the outlet quoted the Israeli sources as saying. “Hamas is digging in with its demands for an end to the war and a troop withdrawal, and is determined to play tricks with the mediators,” the sources continued.
Top of Form
US and allied intel sources told Bloomberg on Wednesday that a large-scale attack by Iran against Israel is imminent, expected in the coming days. The report from the news organization struck a tone of urgency, suggesting it is now a question of when, not if, Iran will strike either government or military targets inside Israel using drones or high-precision missiles. The report, based on anonymous sources, did not specify if the attack would come directly from Tehran or via proxy extremist groups such as Hezbollah.
Israel's foreign minister said emphatically on Wednesday that we would strike Iran directly if the Islamic Republic launched an attack from its territory against Israel, as tensions flare following the killings of Iranian generals in a blast at the Iranian consulate in Syria.
As the senior US military commander in charge of the Middle East, Gen. Erik Kurilla plans to travel to Israel today to meet with Israeli officials to coordinate a response to a potential attack on Israel by Iran and its proxy groups, Axios reported. Two Israeli officials told the outlet that the commander of U.S. Central Command, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other senior Israel Defense Forces officials plan to meet. Intelligence reports from the United States have said Iran will strike either government or military targets inside Israel using drones or high precision missiles in the coming days. The report did not specify if the attack will come directly from Tehran or one of its proxy groups such as Hezbollah.
The IDF conducted a targeted operation in central Gaza on Wednesday night while fighter jets and aircraft attacked dozens of terror infrastructures above and below ground, the IDF announced on Thursday. Furthermore, combat teams of the Brigade 401, Nahal, and other units under the 162nd Division operated in central Gaza on Wednesday night, eliminating terrorists and destroying terror infrastructure. Before entering the area, Israel Air Force jets, in coordination with Brigade 215, struck dozens of terror infrastructures above and below ground in the central strip. The joint operation of ground forces and the air force was based on precise intelligence indicating the presence of terror infrastructures and numerous terrorists in the area.
Hopefully, as we close the week the new week will bring some positive news to all those waiting to see their loved ones once again. May it be so. ++++
By Veronique de Rugy
Read more »
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It ain’t over ’til it’s over
Contrary to panicked assessments, the exit of troops from Khan Yunis doesn’t signal the end of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Opinion.
Posted By Ruthie Blum
Ruthie Blum, an author and award-winning columnist, is a former adviser at the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
(JNS) Marking on Sunday six months since the Oct. 7 massacre, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened his weekly Cabinet meeting by listing what he called the “considerable achievements” of the war in Gaza.
“We have eliminated 19 of Hamas’s 24 battalions, including senior commanders,” he said. “We have killed, wounded or captured a large number of Hamas terrorists. We have cleared out Shifa [Hospital in Gaza City] and other terrorist command centers.”
He went on, “We have destroyed rocket factories, command centers and weapons caches. And we are continuing to systematically destroy underground installations.”
Netanyahu punctuated the impressive inventory by stating, “We are a step away from victory.”
Encouraging words, to be sure. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, they were followed by a withdrawal of most of the Israel Defense Forces ground troops from southern Gaza, after four months of fighting in Khan Yunis.
As soon as the IDF announced the pullback, I began receiving frantic calls from abroad and WhatsApp messages at home requesting my take on the move.
“Does it mean that the war is over?” some asked. “Has Israel capitulated to pressure from the White House for a ceasefire with nothing in return?”
Others wanted to know whether Netanyahu and his War Cabinet—despite their repeated assertions—had decided against entering Rafah, where four of the six remaining Hamas battalions are located, along with many of the 133 hostages.
The following evening, Netanyahu addressed that very question. The Rafah operation, he assured the public via video, “will happen; there is a date.”
Rather than putting puzzlement to rest, however, his statement served simultaneously to raise and furrow a lot of brows—even more so a few hours later, when Defense Minister Yoav Gallant denied this was the case.
In a phone call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Gallant reportedly told his counterpart that no time frame had been set for an IDF invasion of Rafah, since plans for the evacuation of the civilian population there were still in the works.
To make matters even more complicated, the Israeli hostage-release negotiating team, led by Mossad chief David Barnea, returned on Monday from Cairo amid “conflicting reports” of progress in the talks.
Translated from Middle Eastern into plain English: No matter how many concessions Israel is willing to make to the Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators—for the freedom of the men, women and children still alive who are being starved, brutalized and raped in Hamas/Islamic Jihad captivity—the terrorists are continuing to call the shots.
This brings us back to the confusion surrounding the partial curbing of combat, which has had one amusing effect on Netanyahu’s detractors. Those who’ve been accusing him of prolonging the war in order to “hold on to his seat” are now attacking him for prematurely exiting the battlefield.
The trouble is that his supporters are also anxious about the direction he’s taking, particularly with Washington’s hostility growing more blatant with each passing hour. So much so, in fact, that the atrocities of Oct. 7 are barely mentioned anymore.
In their place are admonitions about Israel’s duty to prioritize the needs of Gazans over those of the hostages. Yet, hundreds of humanitarian-aid trucks are transferred to the Strip every day.
In addition, U.S. officials told CNN on Tuesday that President Joe Biden pooh-poohed Netanyahu’s claim about a “date” for the Rafah operation, calling it “bluster” and “bravado.” On the same day, Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the opportunity of the end of Ramadan to compare the “plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank” to “civilians in Syria, women suffering under the Taliban in Afghanistan, Uyghurs in the People’s Republic of China [and] Rohingya in Burma and Bangladesh.”
No wonder certain Israelis believe—or at least fear—that Netanyahu was bullied by the Biden administration into halting the war.
Some of us still have faith that it’s far from over.
My own uncharacteristic optimism comes from an analysis by war correspondent and Israel Prize laureate Ron Ben-Yishai. In an article in Ynet, Ben-Yishai (who, it should be noted, is no friend of Netanyahu) spelled out the strategy behind the troop withdrawal.
“[T]he 98th Division’s exit from Khan Yunis is designed, in part, to open up opportunities for unexpected, intelligence-guided strikes that will catch Hamas terrorists off guard,” he wrote. “This tactic was recently successful at a Gaza City hospital, capturing terrorists who believed IDF activities there had ceased.”
Ben-Yishai stressed that this ploy “puts [the troops] less than an hour from any target location, including Rafah,” adding that “all intelligence, air and ground fire resources currently active in Khan Yunis will remain in place, allowing uninterrupted intelligence and operational activities.”
He went on to note that this shift to a new strategy also reduces the soldiers’ vulnerability to terrorist attacks by avoiding static positions; paves the way for the next phase of combat; and generates incentives for Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar to negotiate a hostage deal.
“Understanding that the IDF can swiftly penetrate any location,” he explained, “Hamas is constrained in its movements and in reestablishing its military and civil authority in the region without assuming risks.”
Finally, Ben-Yishai emphasized, the troop exit was planned weeks ago, without any connection to the U.S.-Israel relationship crisis.
You don’t need to be a military expert to see that this makes total sense.
It’s also safe to assume at this juncture that Netanyahu would not be reiterating, ad nauseam, the imperative of tackling Rafah if he were on the verge of back-tracking. Even his detractors should realize that doing so would guarantee, not postpone, his downfall.
So, everybody needs to calm down and remember that the war “ain’t over ’til it’s over.” ++++ A Terrorist Warning From the FBI Director Christopher Wray says multiple security risks are hitting at once.
“As I look back over my career in law enforcement, I would be hard-pressed to think of a time where so many threats to our public safety and national security were so elevated all at once,” Mr. Wray told lawmakers. “But that is the case as I sit here today.”
We realize many readers no longer trust the FBI, and some will wonder if Mr. Wray is talking his book to maintain funding after Donald Trump asked Republicans to cut funding. The federal bureaucracy is hardly above such pleading, and that includes law enforcement. Warning about an attack is also a form of political inoculation if there is an attack—though in that case the FBI would still be asked, perhaps rudely, why it didn’t prevent it.
GOP Rep. Mike Garcia of California, a former Navy pilot, made Republican skepticism clear when he told Mr. Wray that “I’ll be honest with you, and this pains me to say this, but I don’t trust you.” This shows how much credibility the FBI has squandered since the Russia collusion fiasco under the James Comey gang.
Yet there’s reason to pay attention to the warning as global disorder spreads. Of increasing concern “is the potential for a coordinated attack here in the homeland, akin to the ISIS-K attack we saw at the Russia concert hall just a couple weeks ago,” Mr. Wray testified. ISIS-K never went away but it now has a sanctuary in Afghanistan from which it planned the Moscow strike and one in January in Iran. European governments have been fortunate to stop others.
The world’s jihadists can also see that the U.S. southern border is essentially open if they want to make the trek. All the more reason for House Republicans to get over their internal disarray and reauthorize Section 702 authority to eavesdrop on foreigners overseas. Even if Mr. Wray is talking his book, it’s better to give him the authority to prevent an attack. ++++ FITTON on Fox: This is What I Think Will Happen to Trump in NY Trial...
 Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton joins “Fox News Live” to discuss Trump's hush money case looming and more! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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