Once again, we have just completed a wild week of geopolitical happenings. Some nations are threatening one another, while others are condemning each other. And in a few other places, there are actually signs of peace and hope.
The Israeli government has approved 3,400 housing units to be created in the strategic E1 area of Judea and Samaria. Essentially, Israel is taking back what is theirs. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “Today we are making history. We are removing the Palestinian state from the table. I call on Prime Minister Netanyahu to apply full Israeli sovereignty over the region!” Housing in this area will connect Jerusalem to Ma’ale Adumim, east of the city. This will disrupt the Palestinian territorial continuity between Ramallah and Bethlehem, essentially blocking the prospects of a Palestinian state. Developing housing in this region is one more large step in making all of Israel once again part of the State of Israel.
The IDF Moves into Gaza City
Since the beginning of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has eliminated around 2,000 terrorists, conducted strikes on approximately 10,000 terror targets, and seized control of nearly 75% of the Gaza strip. It’s now time to begin the next phase. The IDF began softening the target in the eastern neighborhood called Zeitoun. While now it is mostly from the air, it is all in preparation for the soon-coming ground invasion. Over the next four-to-six months, the IDF will begin striking tunnels along the outskirts of Gaza City. The objective is to eventually encircle the city, push inside, and seize Hamas strongholds. Along the way, nearly 800,000 residents will have to be moved south to aid centers and field hospitals which are being set up by the United Nations and various NGOs. U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the only way to peace is to crush Hamas. It appears that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a majority of Israel’s government agree with him.
Netanyahu vs. Albanese
In the last months, Australia has been rapidly separating itself from Israel. Most recently, the government has refused to grant visas to a number of Israeli citizens, even as they promise to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations general assembly next month. These situations and others ultimately led to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashing out at Anthony Albanese, his Australian counterpart, in a scathing post on X: “History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.”
International media immediately attacked Netanyahu for his tone. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid joined them, essentially saying that the PM sounded like a meanie. But Netanyahu is standing by his words, as is his cabinet. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is responding to Australia’s anti-Israel attitude by revoking the stay visas of the Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority, while also upping the scrutiny of those who want to enter Israel from Australia. Considering the rapidly increasing level of state-condoned antisemitism in Australia, this is certainly an appropriate response.
Another Leg of the Gaza Famine Myth Collapses
I spent much time in the last two articles debunking the Hamas-created, media-perpetuated myth that there is a famine crisis in Gaza. This past week, American media company The Free Press released their own investigation into the allegations. They found that all the photos of the “hungry Gazan children” from the front pages of Western media outlets were actually pictures of ailing children who were suffering from pre-existing medical conditions. The Free Press also discovered that not one of the leading media outlets bothered to do a simple Google search to suss this truth out.
This is despicable and disgusting for two reasons. First, these pictures were used as evidence to bolster a deliberate libel against a sovereign government. It accused Israel of one of the most heinous of crimes: purposely causing the suffering of children due to racial hatred. But the second reason is even worse than the first. The terrorists and their complicit media toadies knowingly exploited the pain and anguish of innocent children to promote their own agenda. When you read your newspaper or watch your television news programs, let that truth be the lens you look through. I’m heart-broken and I’m disgusted by their agenda-driven callousness toward the misery of these sick and dying children whom they abused and misused to their own ends.
A First for Israel and Syria
A report by SANA, the official Syrian news agency, stated that the state’s foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaybani, met on Tuesday with an Israeli delegation in Paris. The purpose was to discuss strengthening stability in the region and in southern Syria. It is a huge deal that the news agency reported this, rather than hiding it or downplaying it. I’ve clearly communicated my distrust of the new al-Qaeda president in Syria, so I’m assuming that for Israel this is a matter of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.
Lebanon’s Powder Keg
I’ve often discussed how badly I feel for most of the Lebanese people. They are caught between a rock and a hard place. Lebanon’s government is saying that Hezbollah must disarm. Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem has responded, “Hezbollah will not hand over its weapons as long as Israeli aggression continues and the occupation persists, and if necessary, we will enter into a battle like Karbala to fight Israel and the US’s plans, whatever tomorrow may bring. The government bears responsibility for any internal explosion or civil war that may break out.”
Meanwhile, U.S. special envoy to Lebanon and Syria Tom Barrack and Deputy U.S. special envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus met with Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun. Following that meeting, Barrack stated that Israel much respect its commitments in the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon and begin a military withdrawal from the south of the country. However, Israel’s mindset is that once Lebanon disarms Hezbollah so that it is no longer a threat to Israel, that’s when we’ll start letting our guard down.
In the middle of all this are the Lebanese people who suffer because of Lebanon’s weakness, Hezbollah’s stubbornness, and Israel’s penchant for self-preservation. Violence will continue to surround their lives until Hezbollah is dismantled once and for all.
Swatting Yemen
Imagine you’re on your patio with some friends. All the food has been grilled, everyone has taken their seat, and you dig in. Then it comes. A single hornet that flies around the table, buzzing people’s faces, landing on the food. You wave your hand at it, trying to scare it away and off it goes. Then two minutes later, it’s back, scattering the children and ruining everyone’s good time. That hornet is the Houthis in Yemen. They are pesky. They are obnoxious. They are sometimes dangerous, but those times are rare. They primarily seem to specialize in ruining everyone’s good time.
The IDF has had enough of it, because it knows that what the Houthis really want to do is kill everyone in Israel. So, the Israeli military struck Sunday, targeting from 2,000 kilometers away an energy infrastructure site that supplies the Houthis. And that is just the first of what the IDF has determined will be a game-changing operation. Said Defense Minister Israel Katz, “We are imposing an air and naval blockade on the Houthis that is very painful for them, and this morning we attacked infrastructure and energy targets. This is just the beginning. The rest will be strong and painful.” In other words, the IDF has brought its swatter out and it’s time for the Houthis to get smushed.
The Hague gets Judged for a Change
In a comeuppance that is sure to bring joy to all justice-loving people, the Trump administration has decided to seize the assets of two judges and two prosecutors of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. It is these politically biased members of the international judiciary who were primarily responsible for the arrest warrants that were issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Following the decision, Netanyahu commended U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for his determination to impose the sanctions.
Trump, Russia, and Ukraine
There was something very special Friday about watching U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin look up into the sky from their place on the red carpet that had been laid across the tarmac at Alaska’s Elmendorf Air Base. Above them, flying low, a B-2 stealth bomber flanked by four fighter jets roared overhead in a “V formation”. It was beautiful.
The Russian president had come to Alaska to talk with Trump about his country’s war with Ukraine. They met together for about three hours. It was a productive meeting, but the two shared few details. The leaders agreed that the best way to end the war is a peace agreement, as opposed to a ceasefire that might not hold. Trump also indicated that Ukraine may need to give up Donbas and Crimea in order to achieve peace. However, he still believed that major progress had been made.
On Monday, the president met with the other side. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to the White House to talk with Trump, but he did not come alone. Accompanying him were French President Macron, Italian Prime Minister Meloni, British Prime Minister Starmer, Finnish President Stubb, German Chancellor Merz, NATO Secretary General Rutte, and EU President von der Leyen. It had been decades since this broad of a contingent of international leaders had come to the White House together. The mood was much less tense than might be expected considering the president’s past dealings with many of these leaders. Interestingly, two days later, The Financial Times published a story stating that Ukraine is pitching a $50 billion drone and weapons deal with the United States. In return for the deal, Zelenskyy wants security guarantees for after a settlement is established with Russia. Nothing like a little “you rub my back, I’ll rub yours” to ensure decisions lean your direction.
