On Saturday, an unnamed source in the Biden administration said that the Israelis had “essentially” endorsed a “framework” for a long-term cease fire in the Gaza Strip. The deal reportedly would result in the release of some of the hostages Hamas took during their October 7 attack on Israel. There was no news of whether Hamas would accept the deal.
The Biden administration announcement was almost certainly wishful thinking. The Israelis have said that Hamas has until the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins — on about March 10 — to release the hostages or face a renewed Israeli offensive in southern Gaza, centering around the city of Rafah.
Meanwhile, Iran has … given the green light to its main proxy force, Hizballah, to escalate attacks on Israel.
President Biden is fumbling, flailing, and failing to meet the demands of his anti-Israel supporters. In the Michigan primary last week Muslim anti-Israel groups wanted to get ten thousand voters to just vote “uncommitted” to show their contempt for Biden. It turned out that the anti-Israel groups got over 100,000 voters to vote “uncommitted, which has thrown Biden into a panic. (Muslims number about 250,000 in Michigan.) (READ MORE from Jed Babbin: Ukraine, Putin, Congress, and Trump)
Biden’s panic is reflected in several things, not the least of which is his sudden decision to conduct air drops of food and other supplies into the Gaza Strip.
In the past few weeks, Biden has been ruthlessly pressuring the Israelis for a cease-fire agreement and they’ve been ignoring his demands while Hamas still holds more than one hundred hostages. For the Israelis to “essentially” agree to a “framework” is meaningless unless Hamas agrees to give up its hostages.
If Hamas releases the hostages by March 10, there is a shot at a long-term cease fire, but nothing more than that. That’s because a long-term cease-fire which begins before Israel has destroyed Hamas, its leadership, and its infrastructure in Gaza will mean that the terrorist group will recover and retake governance of the Gaza Strip. Israel — after the October 7 attack which killed at least 1,200 Israelis and saw more than 240 taken hostage — cannot allow that and still have any security for its citizens.
Ramadan is supposed to be a time of daylong fasting for Muslims, a time for peace and prayer. It often isn’t. Many wars between Muslims have begun during Ramadan, as well as their most famous attack on Israel which occurred on October 6, 1973. Then, the Egyptians and Syrians launched coordinated attacks on Israel on the Jews’ highest holy day of Yom Kippur. Israeli air forces were devastated in the first days of that war.
The U.S. Air Force was preparing to fly into the fight when the Israelis turned the tide and won. My college roommate, the late great Ed Atkins, later told me his F-4 was being armed and fueled to enter the fight when the Israelis’ counter-attacks obviated the need for U.S. intervention.
Hamas isn’t likely to accept Biden’s latest terms even thou terms don’t require the release of all its hostages. Only the release of women, children, and the elderly hostages are reportedly included in the deal’s “framework.” (READ MORE: Biden Blackmails Israel)
Israel, rightly, wants all Hamas’ hostages released before it will agree to a cease-fire of any length. At this writing, they haven’t given in on that point.
Biden’s pro-Hamas, anti-Israel voting block put a big scare into the White House with their Michigan vote. Polls — not that they mean anything at this stage of the race — indicate that Trump will carry most if not all “swing states.”
Biden will continue to pressure Israel because it is dependent on U.S. military aid. He has already threatened to cut off that aid unless Israel can show, within the next few weeks, that it is complying with all U.S. humanitarian laws. They will try to do so, but Biden — scared by the Michigan vote — may not accept their answers.
Hamas is winning the propaganda war. Their press releases — which obviously can’t be trusted — say that thirty thousand civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the Gaza fighting. Most U.S. and international media accept the Hamas numbers as gospel. The Hamas number doesn’t differentiate between terrorists and civilians.
Israel contends that it has killed at least ten thousand Hamas terrorists in its Gaza campaign. It is apparently closing in on Hamas’ leaders including Yayha Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding in Rafah. Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ top commander, has been shuttling between Qatar and Iran.
On Friday, after about one hundred Gazans died in a rush to get supplies — some reportedly shot by Israeli troops — Biden said, “We’re trying to work out a deal between Israel and Hamas, the hostages being returned, and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks.” He added there was “no excuse” for aid not being sent into Gaza. That was his excuse for the airdrops, most of which will fall into the hands of Hamas.
Meanwhile, Iran has — according to a report by the Jerusalem Post — given the green light to its main proxy force, Hizballah, to escalate attacks on Israel. The Jerusalem Post report relied on reports by the Arab Post which, in turn, relied on “high-level Iranian and Lebanese sources.” The two-front war has been waged by Hizballah for weeks. Once the Israelis attack Rafah, that escalation will certainly occur and the war will threaten Israel’s survival.
Israel has already kicked its war against terrorists in Syria into high gear. It is fighting a three-front war now and cannot win without U.S. aid.
Neither Hamas nor Hizballah care about civilian casualties in Gaza. Their only objective is to destroy Israel. Biden still insists on a “two-state solution” to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that creation of a Palestinian state would be an enormous reward for terrorism. He’s entirely correct. (READ MORE: Israel’s Implacable Court)
Unless Hamas releases all Israeli hostages by March 10, Israel will make its assault on southern Gaza, Rafah, and the remnants of Hamas. Sinwar may escape to Qatar or across to Egypt, which has, by the way, refused — as have all Arab states — to accept Palestinian refugees from the fighting.
Israel will probably win the coming Ramadan war but Hamas will win the propaganda war. Our media, and its international counterparts, will make sure of that.
