Report: Trump envoy told Netanyahu to make hostage deal or ‘we pack up and leave’

Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed his nominee for Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to relay a “stark message” to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week: “Make the deal,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
Witkoff, who arrived in Israel from Qatar last Saturday to meet with the prime minister, told him “the president has been a great friend of Israel and now it’s time to be a friend back.”
“I would say that the president is exasperated,” Witkoff told reporters last week. Trump warned there would be “all hell to pay” if a deal was not reached.
According to a source familiar with the conversation who spoke to The Journal, Witkoff told Netanyahu that choices had to be made and Israel’s negotiators needed the authority to make decisions, adding, “If Netanyahu didn’t want to work that way, everyone should just pack their bags and go home.”

Netanyahu reportedly instructed the negotiating team—comprising the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet, an IDF representative and a political advisor—to travel to Qatar for intensive talks to finalize the deal.
Witkoff delivered the same message to Qatari and Egyptian mediators when he met with them a day earlier, saying, “The diplomatic back and forth must end.”

Officers by Day Terrorists by Night

  • Survey published 100 days after the outbreak of Iron Swords War found approximately 82% of Arabs in Judea and Samaria support the massacre of October 7. (AP, Palestinian poll shows a rise in Hamas support and close to 90% wanting US-backed Abbas to resign, https://bit.ly/3UZiNi8.)
  • Support for Hamas among Arabs in Judea and Samaria rose from 12% in September 2023 to 44% in November – December 2023. (Ibid.)
  • According to the official spokesman for the PA security system Colonel Talal Dweikat and senior PA official Jibril Rajoub PSF staff constitute 12% of all Palestinian terrorists incarcerated in Israel. (Moshe Elad, “The Method: Policemen by Day, Terrorists by Night,” Makor Rishon (Hebrew) 20 September 2023 https://bit.ly/3IoQi67.)
  • Fatah spokesman Hasin Hama’il boasted about the high number of PSF officers in Israeli prisons and stressed that “the PSF do not arrest Munadhilin, to the contrary, members of the PSF are the very ones involved in the fight against the occupation.” (Hasin Hama’il, Fatah spokesman, in an interview on 12 November 2023 https://bit.ly/3Pa53xo – beginning 03:35.)
  • Western governments including the US, Canada, Australia, Britain, France, the European Union, and Jordan, under the leadership of the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, General Keith Dayton, began to rebuild the Palestinian Authority’s security apparatus, providing professional training and weapons. (Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night Palestinian Authority Security Forces Officers’ Involvement in Terrorism, Regavim February 2024. Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night)
  • From the day the PSF was founded, and even more so in recent years, at the very same time that they hold positions in the Palestinian Authority’s security apparatus, ostensibly tasked with preserving order and security and preventing terrorism, many PSF officers hold parallel positions in movements defined as terrorist entities, either civil or military, such as the AL Aksa Martyrs Brigades (the military arm of Fatah). They do not hesitate to resort to armed confrontation with Israel; rather than upholding public order and preventing terrorism, they themselves carry out acts of terrorism against Israeli civilians and members of Israel’s security forces, exploiting the skills and weapons provided by western benefactors. (See Dr. Moshe Elad, “The Method: Cops by Day, Terrorists by Night (Hebrew),” Makor Rishon 22 September 2023 (https://www.makorrishon.co.il/opinion/669515/). Dr. Elad served as the Ministry of Defense Advisor for Arab Affairs, Commander of Military Coordination in the Territories, and Civil Administration’s Military Governor of the Jenin and Bethlehem Regions.)
  • In September 1996, soon after the formation of the PSF, dozens of Palestinian Police officers initiated the Western Wall Tunnel riots, using their weapons to engage in street battles against the IDF; 17 Israeli soldiers were killed. (Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night Palestinian Authority Security Forces Officers’ Involvement in Terrorism, Regavim February 2024. Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night)
  • In September 2000, hundreds of PSF officers used weapons provided by western governments to actively fight against Israeli security forces and carry out countless terror attacks against the citizens of Israel. They documented their battles, and reveled in the “ferocity” and bravery of the Security Forces fighters. (See a Facebook post and video posted on “Palestine: Heaven on Earth”, titled “Ferocious fighters of the Security Forces in the Al Aksa Intifada, 2000” dated 6 January 2017 (https://bit.ly/3T5AJoP).)
  • Documents seized by the IDF in 2002 proved that “Force 17” fighters and Palestinian Police officers were engaged in extensive fighting against IDF forces in the early 2000’s, particularly around Ramallah and Jenin. (Elior Levy, “Documents seized during ‘Guardian of the Walls’ prove: The PA supported terrorism and terrorists (Hebrew),” Ynet, 6 January 2017 (https://bit.ly/3Tpxbiq). Facebook post and video of the 4moltqa Youth Forum, highlighting “Very rare video [of] the heroes of the security services and national security killing Zionist soldiers, Netzarim settlement.” (https://bit.ly/3wQ6Ukl).)
  • After the “Al Aqsa Intifada” the Shin Bet classified the Palestinian Preventive Security Service as a terrorist entity! (Yishai Shenrav, “The dismissive attitude toward rockets fired from Jenin is reminiscent of the early 2000s”, (Hebrew), Makor Rishon 14 August 2023 (https://bit.ly/3V1Xn3W).)
  • Behind the illusory display of security coordination and the facade of security, we find more and more officers and members of the PSF taking a significant role in encouraging and supporting terrorism:
    • Ostentatious military funerals for terrorists who were not PSF staff, organized and attended by the PSF; senior PSF officers pay condolence calls to honor the memory of terrorists killed while attempting to murder Israelis; (Tamer Alkilani, a terrorist from the Lions’ Den, was killed in Nablus in October 2022. Senior PSAF officials, including the governor of Nablus district, the deputy commander of the Nablus region, and the commanders of the PASF, paid a condolence visit to the mourners tent. Ibrahim Navlesi fired at IDF positions and at worshipers at Josef’s Tomb (and wounded Shomron Brigade Col. Roi Zweig). After a six-month manhunt, he was eliminated in August 2021 by the IDF. The commander of the PASF and the commander of the Nablus region awarded his mother a PASF badge of honor as a token of appreciation for her firm stance, “a model and a symbol for emulation.” Muhammad Elaraishi, a Fatah activist, was killed in October 2022 after clashes with the IDF in Nablus. According to the instructions of the commander of the Nablus region of the PASF, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Salama Laaraishi, an official military funeral was held for the terrorist. Wasim Khalifa, a Fatah operative, was killed in August 2022 after violent clashes with the IDF near Josef’s Tomb. He was given an official military funeral in which PASF operatives in the Nablus district participated. Military funerals were also held for Adel Daoud and Amjad Abu Aliya, who were killed (in two different incidents) after throwing Molotov cocktails at IDF soldiers. Their bodies were carried by operatives of the PASF. Abu Mazen called Abu Aliya’s father to console him. Also see, “The Palestinian Authority and Fatah have adopted a policy of full solidarity with Palestinians killed while carrying out terrorist attacks against Israel or in confrontations with Israeli security forces,” 17 November 2022. The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (https://bit.ly/49W2yXa).)
    • Senior PA officials take pride in the “shahid” (martyrs), wounded and imprisoned members of the PSF; (Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night Palestinian Authority Security Forces Officers’ Involvement in Terrorism, Regavim February 2024. Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night)
    • Children and other family members of PSF staff and officers are actively involved in terrorism, alongside PSF officers who personally carry out murderous attacks against Israel. (Ibid.)
    • PSF officers disrupt Israeli security forces’ operations in Judea and Samaria; (“The heroes of the PASF block the IDF from entering Jenin” (https://bit.ly/3T4Spkq); “The heroes of the PASF in Hebron” (https://bit.ly/435pFwk); “Members of the security services in Hebron intercept the occupation forces and prevent them from advancing towards the city” (https://bit.ly/3wKsl6D); “The security services prevent the occupation forces from storming the Wadi al-Hariya area in the city of Hebron” (https://bit.ly/3V7Db0z); “IDF forces on an operation in the village of Bidya in western Samaria were blocked by Palestinian policemen armed with Kalashnikov rifles. The incident is even more serious because the village is in Area B where the Palestinian Authority has no security jurisdiction according to the Oslo Accords, and any Palestinian activity in the village requires IDF approval. The location – only two kilometers from the Israeli communities of Etz Ephraim and Barkan.” (https://bit.ly/49ENY6F).)
    • After the outbreak of the war on October 7th, Fatah commanders serving in the PA security apparatus in Jenin issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Abu Mazen, demanding that he declare a total and open confrontation against Israel “by any and all means,” otherwise they would declare a military revolt. (David Israel, “Blinken Doesn’t Blink as Abbas Submits Wish List Spelling the End of the Jewish State,” Jewish Press 1 December 2023 (https://bit.ly/49MM5oU).)
  • In December 2020, the identification of PSF personnel with terrorist activists was so high that armed AL Aksa Martyrs Brigades militants released a statement in the name of the AL-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades warning against targeting the PSF! (Alarabiya Palestine on Facebook, 13 December 2020 (https://bit.ly/49H8kfR).)
  • In September 2022, the situation was so dire that Israel issued a severe warning to the PA regarding participation of PSF personnel in acts of anti-Israel terrorism. (See Yoni Ben Menachem, “The Terrorism of the Palestinian Authority’s Security Forces,” (Hebrew), News1, 18 September 2022 (https://bit.ly/3wGHMMZ) and Orit Perlov and Udi Dekel, “Chaos in the Palestinian Authority,” Institute for National Security Studies, 18 September 2022 (https://bit.ly/49LfxLN).)
  • Since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, members of its security apparatus have been directly and actively involved in terrorism against Israeli citizens and the IDF. Two particularly glaring incidents – the events of the Western Wall Riots and the Second Intifada – saw Palestinian Authority Security Forces at the height of their involvement in acts of terrorism. (Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night Palestinian Authority Security Forces Officers’ Involvement in Terrorism, Regavim February 2024. Officers by Day, Terrorists by Night)
  • The PA not only does not eschew or denounce the “PSF terrorists” within its ranks, it glorifies the memory of those killed in the act of terrorism and lauds them at ostentatious military funerals, gushing official condolence visits, memorials in public institutions and more. This conduct is one aspect of the support offered by the PA to terrorists, an aspect that is also expressed in the payment of salaries to imprisoned terrorists and the families of terrorists killed while committing their barbaric crimes. (Ibid.)
  • All told, we identified 46 “PSF terrorists” who were killed during the period covered by this study (2020-present) in the course of committing terrorist attacks targeting Israeli citizens, Israeli security personnel and IDF soldiers and were posthumously crowned as “martyrs.” (Ibid.)
  • Between 2021 and 2023, at least 25 “PSF terrorists” were arrested by Israeli security forces due to involvement in terrorism. At least 7 “PSF terrorists” were wounded in the course of carrying out terror attacks against Israeli citizens and IDF forces in this period. It should be noted that our study considers those who were killed or apprehended, and does not take into account those who escaped perpetrated attacks but escaped justice. (Ibid.)
  • In other words, Regavim research identified a total of 78 PSF terrorists who were active during the period covered by this study. It is clear that these data underestimate the phenomenon, and cannot be considered a definitive tally of the extent of “PSF terrorists” in the period we have examined. (Ibid.)
  • As noted, according to PSF Spokesman Colonel Talal Dweikat, “Speaking for the Fatah Movement and for the Palestinian Authority Security Forces for some 30 years, the PSF has sacrificed more than 2000 martyrs,” meaning terrorists who were killed in the course of committing attacks or battles with IDF forces. (Ibid.)
  • Earlier research: https://israelbehindthenews.com/category/special-reports/foreign-military-aid-to-the-palestinian-authority-special-reports/

 

A Foreboding Sign of the Next Four Years

US officials announced Wednesday that they’ve “helped” Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal.

Israelis are divided on the deal and protests have broken out for and against it throughout the country.

While virtually all Israelis are eager to bring the hostages home from over 15 months of Hamas captivity, many are concerned over the potential dangers of a deal that would in its first phase see the release of roughly 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages, as well as the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from key parts of the Gaza region.

The deal, which had been aggressively pushed by US President-elect Donald Trump and his emissary Steve Witkoff, gave Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud) and the Israeli public an ominous taste of what should be expected over the next four years.

Trump just forced Netanyahu to accept an agreement that is almost identical to a deal the prime minister refused to accept in July 2024 – a deal he insisted it would irreparably harm Israel’s security.

Outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed at the Atlantic Council in Washington on Tuesday that the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority would ultimately run Gaza according to the agreement.

“Israelis must abandon the myth that they can carry out de facto annexation without cost and consequence to Israel’s democracy, to its standing, and to its security,” Blinken said.

One of Washington’s primary concerns throughout this war has been that Israel would return to directly controlling Gaza and would ultimately rebuild the Jewish communities destroyed as part of the 2005 Gaza Disengagement.

The idea of a return to Gaza has gained popularity within certain sectors of Israeli society over the last year and the Biden’s administration has appeared powerless to ensure that this wouldn’t actually take place. But now that Donald Trump is days away from being sworn in, the president-elect has fully thrown himself into the American efforts to push Israel out of Gaza.

Steve Witkoff, a Florida real estate billionaire close to Trump who’s been working with Biden administration envoy Brett McGurk to achieve the agreement, came at Prime Minister Netanyahu like a bulldozer. According to a report in the Haaretz newspaper, Witkoff even forced Netanyahu to leave his family lunch and meet the US envoy on Shabbat in order to advance the deal.

The message was clear. Trump isn’t playing games and won’t tolerate any of Netanyahu’s “tricks” this time around.

In an interview with Israeli journalist Barak Ravid following his first term, Trump castigated Netanyahu for blocking his efforts to divide the land of Israel. Trump told Ravid that he believed Netanyahu “did not want to make peace. Never did.”

While the vast majority of Israeli society and most pro-Israel Diaspora Jews bought into the fantasy that a second Trump presidency would benefit the State of Israel, what’s already become clear is that Jerusalem would have likely had an easier time maneuvering the new geopolitical reality had Vice President Kamala Harris won the election in November.

Following Israel’s uncanny achievements in this war and its emergence as the regional power in West Asia, Trump appears eager to cut Netanyahu down to size.

While it’s true that Trump’s tone towards Israel has been friendlier than that of Harris or President Biden, such rhetoric is often irrelevant when it comes to actual policy.

Since the 1967 Six Day War, it has been consistent bipartisan US foreign policy to force Israel to surrender the lands won in that war. The first Trump administration showed no deviation from this pattern. Trump attempted to force a two-state “Deal of the Century” on Israel and only failed because he was outmaneuvered by Prime Minister Netanyahu at the time.

So despite Trump’s likely genuine warm feelings towards Israel (based on a perception of Israel as an outpost of American power), he’s coming back into office with an axe to grind with Netanyahu and a sense that Israel owes him something for all the friendly gestures he made to Jerusalem prior to the unveiling of his two-state plan.

During the last 15 months of war, Netanyahu defied the Biden administration at almost every point. Washington’s attempts to tie Israel’s hands for the most part failed. This was partially made possible by the fact that most Israelis perceived Biden and his team as somewhat hostile, coupled with a perception of Biden being weak.

Prime Minister Netanyahu actually increased his own domestic popularity by proving himself able to stand up to the Americans on several occasions.

On a deeper level, Netanyahu’s defiance of Washington caused the people of Israel to enjoy significant advancement in our internal development.

The experience of continuously ignoring American demands and then succeeding at our military objective each time showed the nation that we can say no to Uncle Sam and still thrive as a result. Israel actually emerged from this multi-front war as the regional power through this process. And the public caught a glimpse of how strong Israel could be when our leaders behave like heads of an independent state.

Had Harris won the presidential election, this process of furthering Israel’s internal liberation would have likely continued. But Trump is a whole different breed of US president. For starters, his superficial pro-Israel rhetoric caused many Israelis to regress. It’s easy for Israelis and Diaspora Jews to believe that the Democrats are against us while the Republicans are on our side. But the reality is that the United States as a global hegemon struggling to retain its dominance in the world has regional interests in West Asia that are diametrically opposed to Israel’s.

It therefore stands to reason that Jerusalem benefits most from a weak leader in the White House – especially one perceived as overtly hostile to Israel.

Many Israelis on the right, especially those not ready to confront the hard realities of the US-Israel relationship, have put forward the erroneous theory that this deal is something Netanyahu actually desires – that the prime minister wants to withdraw Israeli forces from the Netzarim corridor and the Philadelphi route and to allow the Western-backed Palestinian Authority to ultimately take control of Gaza.

This analysis ignores the fact that Prime Minister Netanyahu had resisted such moves at every turn until now. Israel’s military even expanded its infrastructural presence in Netzarim in anticipation of remaining in the corridor for the foreseeable future.

Netanyahu had also successfully resisted pressure from the Biden administration to talk about a “day after” plan. This is likely because he knows that the only plan for Gaza that could serve Israel’s true interests is one that Washington and its allies could never accept – namely permanent Israeli control.

This is likely not only because Netanyahu understands that Israel needs a military presence in Gaza in order to effectively protect the country’s south but also because he sees the Gaza Disengagement as an injustice that he could envision – under the right geopolitical conditions – correcting through the rebuilding of the Gaza Jewish communities destroyed in 2005.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is more of an ideologue than he lets on. But unlike his predecessor, Prime Minister Yitzḥak Shamir, Netanyahu generally doesn’t have what it takes to confront the Americans head on. He tried a more direct approach during his first term in office and got taught a harsh lesson by President Bill Clinton. Since then, he’s adopted a style of misleading American leaders into thinking he’s on board with their plans – only to quietly sabotage those plans.

This infuriated Trump last time around.

Rightist Israelis should be careful not to place too much blame on Netanyahu for this deal. It’s true that he didn’t stand up to Trump in the same manner that he had been resisting Biden until now. But Trump is coming in hot with a score to settle and is determined to trap and impose his agenda on Netanyahu.

The conclusion those unhappy with this ceasefire and hostage deal should reach is that the US-Israel relationship is deeply abusive and dangerous to Israel’s longterm survival. Netanyahu might not be perfect but, unlike his political rivals, he’s keenly aware of the unhealthy nature of the relationship and has been taking quiet steps to increase Israel’s military and economic independence.

How the prime minister will weather the Trump storm for the next four years remains to be seen but those in the national camp should offer him the necessary support and maneuverability to bring his A-game on Israel’s behalf.

The State of Ramallah and the State of Gaza

In good time, four more of our abductees were released in a well-planned event by Hamas. This event must be understood in its true light – the bottom line is that Hamas adheres to the doctrine of muqawma, resistance.

Israel’s starting point must be that Hamas is preparing for another round with Israel, that it is returning to internal terrorism against the Gazans under its rule, and that Hamas is making it clear to Ramallah and the world that it is the government of Gaza, without Ramallah.

Israel’s starting point must be that Hamas is preparing for another round with Israel, that it is returning to internal terrorism against Gazans under its rule, and that Hamas is making it clear to Ramallah and the world that it is the government of Gaza, without Ramallah.

The message to the Gazans was embedded in the handcuffs that Hamas fighters put on Hazm’s chest in Palestine Square in Gaza, and the message to Ramallah and the world was that Hamas signed the agreement with the Red Cross – it, not Ramallah.You could say that this signature is the official death certificate of the Palestinian state. There is a government in Ramallah and another government in Gaza. Period.

The ceremony with the Red Cross has another meaning. For the first time, Hamas recognizes the international organization that bears the cross, something it has refused to do until today. One could say that with this, Hamas is separating from ISIS, which sees the Red Cross as a “crusader” organization and an enemy.

This recognition is related to the fact that the released abductees were dressed in uniforms, and by doing so, Hamas wanted to say that it was moving from the stage of an ISIS militia to the stage of a state army, seeking global recognition.

It is suspected that this move is in line with, or was inspired by, the Golani state in Syria, which is a regime aligned with Hamas. It too is seeking global recognition, and is in the process of transitioning from militias to an army. Are Qatar and Turkey the mentors of these processes, which are parallel in their occurrence in Gaza and Syria? There is no proof, but that is what it seems.

The nature of the state of Gaza can be learned from the appearance of the flags that waved in the square: Most of the flags are green, belonging to Hamas, and are large and prominent. A minority are small Palestinian flags. In other words: this is the state of Hamas before it is a Palestinian state.

The nature of the state of Gaza can be learned from the appearance of the flags that waved in the square: most of them are Hamas green and are large and prominent. A minority are small Palestinian flags. In other words: this is the state of Hamas before it is a Palestinian state.

But the “Palestine” brand had significance in choosing the location for the hostage handover. Unlike the previous exchanges, in Saraya Square, this time Palestine Square was chosen. Saraya is a symbol of Hamas rule, and in that event Hamas sought to demonstrate that it alone owns the house in Gaza.

But the participation of Islamic Jihad in the liberation ceremony expresses that Hamas is not a government of Hamas alone, but that other groups are partners in it – for now, only Islamic Jihad. This is reminiscent of the process that Jabhat al- Nusra went through , when Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was formed, along with other militias.

A very prominent motif was the desire to humiliate Israel. “Zionism will not win,” was the inscription on a prominent sign printed in Hebrew and hung on the stage of the ceremony. And it can be said that in the matter of humiliating Zionism, Hamas is on the same page with important elements of the Israeli government.

The organizers put a microphone on the stage, when it seemed that one of the freed women would speak, but in the end someone convinced Hamas to give up that part. Qatar?

The desire to humiliate Israel was very evident in this ceremony. The insistence on all the signs of the Muqawama and the alliance between Hamas and Islamic Jihad – the coalition currently fighting against Israel in Jenin – should send us a clear message: the war will resume when Hamas is able to do so.

The desire to humiliate Israel was evident at the ceremony. The insistence on the symbols of the Muqawma and the alliance between Hamas and Jihad – the coalition currently fighting against Israel in Jenin – is a message: the war will resume when Hamas can do so.

The unregulated division between Ramallah and Gaza was also evident in the way Ramallah welcomed the liberated Palestinians. The modest flags in Ramallah were those of Fatah and the Democratic Front.

Palestinian security confiscated Hamas flags that were in the hands of Hamas supporters. The Popular Front has disappeared – both in Gaza and in Ramallah. So, Hamas and Jihad control the state of Gaza. Fatah and the Democratic Front control the state of Ramallah.

Ramallah is already working among donor countries to ensure that they do not provide any aid to Hamas. Because despite all the antics, Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, and aid must only pass through the channels of the PA, the only legitimate entity of the Palestinian people.

The donor countries accept this. Without any representation for the legitimate Palestinian cause, no one will invest in Hamas’ puppet state. In other words: Gaza will remain in ruins for a long time to come.

Despite the messages from Hamas, which tries to present itself as the government of Gaza, when you step out of the focus of Al Jazeera’s cameras, even the Gazans themselves are not part of it. The mayor of Rafah said that everything is destroyed, and that the residents of Rafah have nowhere to return.

What concerns Gazans today is finding their loved ones under the rubble of their homes. If we compare what is happening in Gaza to the processes that have taken place in Syria, the Syrians have understood that it is the entire culture of muqawma of the Bashar Assad regime that brought the great disaster upon the Syrians.

Ramallah is working to ensure that donor countries do not provide aid to Hamas, which, despite its antics, does not represent the Palestinian people. Without representation for the legitimate Palestinian entity, no one will invest in Hamas’s puppet state, and Gaza will be left in ruins.

It seems that similar processes will occur in Gaza, especially if it becomes clear to them that the culture of muqawma that Hamas insists on adhering to will deepen their disaster further.

Special Envoy to the Middle East Undermines America First Agenda

Two months ago, then-President-Elect Donald Trump, with his special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff by his side, reiterated: “If those hostages aren’t back … by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East.” His often-repeated statement gave hope to all seeking the release of the 98 Israeli hostages (including three with dual American citizenship) in Hamas captivity in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

It seemed President Trump wished to repeat the scene of the 52 Americans who were abducted by supporters of the Iranian Revolution on November 4, 1979, and released on Ronald Reagan’s inauguration day on January 20, 1981, though without publicly acknowledged blackmail payments. So, on January 5, 2025, he sent his long time friend and real estate developer Steve Witkoff to kick-start the stalled negotiations with Hamas in Doha, Qatar, alongside the Biden administration team.

On January 17, the Israeli government was pressured to sign a bad, complicated, and illogical ceasefire agreement, that was inconsistent with the philosophy of the new Trump administration. An extra bit of irony is that the “all hell” threat was supposed to be directed to Hamas, Qatar, and Iran, but not to Israel.

The deal includes three phases of ceasefire (the first 2 phases to last 42 days each). The first phase will see 33 hostages, including “women, children, elderly men, and individuals with critical medical needs”, released by Hamas. On Sunday, January 19, only two of the three American captives of Hamas were released. In return, Israel released hundreds of Hamas terrorists. The agreement also allowed 600 trucks with humanitarian aid to enter Gaza daily, under Hamas control.

Three weeks into the ceasefire, Israeli forces will be required to limit their presence to only key routes, and displaced northern Gazans will be allowed to return, with vehicle inspection taking  place under “Qatari Egyptian supervision“, instead of trustworthy Israeli supervision.

On day 22, the IDF will withdraw from the Netzarim corridor (which cuts Gaza in half) to a buffer zone 500 meters wide along the border with Israel. In total, some 30 Hamas terrorists will be released for each returned Israeli hostage, for a total of 3,000 Hamas terrorists. Senior terrorists will be deported to Qatar and Turkey, but the vast majority will be deported to Judea and Samaria, in the heart of Israel. America and Egypt will guarantee the deal. (See more details here)

Historically, about 80% of released terrorists return to terrorism. Israel’s domestic security force, Shin Bet, has said that 60% return to terror financing and 20% return to direct physical terror. Thus, at least 600 of the freed terrorists will continue their efforts to kill as many Israelis, including Americans, as they can. This deal guarantees a forever war with Gaza and radical Islam (Hamas) instead of a victory for Israel.

Why was Israel forced to accept such a bad deal when a much better deal could have been negotiated one month later, aided by the threat of force? Why did America push Israel to accept a deal that is so unfavorable to America’s long-term interests? Why did America push for a deal designed by the failed Biden administration, which was also favorable to radical Muslim Brotherhood countries such as Qatar and Turkey? What mistakes were made by the American negotiators, particularly by Steve Witkoff?

Save The West can only guess:

1) Witkoff was so eager to close a deal by January 19 to please his boss that he felt that he had to pressure US ally Israel rather than the unrelenting radical Islamic US enemy Hamas and its financial supporters, Qatar and Iran.

2) Witkoff did not properly consider the ramifications of the deal to US long-term foreign policy.

3) The full Trump national security team was focused on confirmation hearings in the Senate and could not focus adequately on this issue.

4) The staff surrounding Trump wanted to please his determination to “end the war”. Moreover, they didn’t have the courage to question the mistakes of his overzealous negotiator.

5) The happy prospects of facilitating the joyous release of these hostages very early in President Trump’s new term clouded the vision of his staff, who worked so hard to get him re-elected.

6) Witkoff had close financial dealings with Qatar and clearly overlooked Qatar’s financing of the global Muslim Brotherhood, which spreads anti-Christian and antisemitic propaganda through the al Jazeera propaganda TV outlet.

7) Having no real knowledge of the Middle East, but with financial links to Qatar, Witkoff did not understand that this deal re-invigorates the radical Islamic enemies of America (Iran and its proxies, as well as its proxies, Qatar and Turkey) in their quest to take over the Middle East and then the World.

8) Witkoff was apparently unaware that he was not ending the Israel war with Hamas/Iran, but turning it into an endless war, in violation of the Trump Doctrine to end “forever wars”.

9) Witkoff also abandoned the Trump Doctrine of “peace through strength”. Instead, he adopted the Democrat notion of peace through appeasement, which always leads to war.

10) Witkoff abandoned the Trump Doctrine of “America First.” Instead, he opted for Biden-Democratic policy of choosing Qatar and Hamas First. But the majority of Americans voted out the disgraced Democrat Pro-Communists/Islamists and their false narratives.

11) Witkoff ignored the Trump doctrine of “winning so often, that we will get tired of winning.”

12) Witkoff ignored the Trump doctrine of not overpaying for hostages.

13) Witkoff impaired the future success of the potential Abraham Accords expansion by appearing so weak and abandoning America’s only true ally in the Middle East.

14) WitKoff is facilitating the return of Gaza to Hamas, thereby forcing the residents of Gaza to live forever under the brutal rule of the Hamas Muslim Brotherhood Death Cult, instead of gaining some semblance of freedom under Israeli rule or, perhaps, the rule of Saudi Arabia and/or the UAE. We guess that the silent majority of American Muslim voters will be very disappointed by the prospect of such ongoing cruelty against their brethren.

So, how can the new Trump Administration recover from this major strategic blunder after the limited positive short-term glow of the hostage release fades? This hostage fiasco will cause allies to distrust the new Administration and enemies to not fear it.

1) Fire Steve Witkoff immediately, to set an example for future diplomats who ignore the noble aspects of the America First Trump Doctrine.

2) Review the vetting process to find out why Witkoff’s conflict of interest with Qatar was not detected. And why was he granted a National Security clearance?

3) Appoint a senior leader for a new Department of Policy Co-ordination (DOPC) so that rogue and incompetent appointees cannot subvert the Trump Doctrine.

4) Immediately purge all national security appointees who have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood (Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan) or Iran and its domestic sympathizers.

The new highly competent National Security team will now have lots of extra work to do to re-establish American national security credibility and the Trump Doctrine of America First. Let’s make America Great and Powerful Again!

Nauseous nonsense

The definition of nausea is “a feeling of sickness with an inclination to vomit.”

Subsequent frantic attempts by politicians and officials to justify this “deal” and idiotic pronouncements by the international community have been enough to induce a mass case of queasiness.

It must be stated at the outset that the return of the hostages is of the highest priority. This includes not only the living and the dead but also the bodies of soldiers and civilians who were kidnapped several years ago and cruelly held in the hell of Gaza. No justification whatsoever can be made for the sort of terrorist blackmail now being enacted.

Anything short of the return of every single illegally taken Israeli should be completely unacceptable. The very notion that terrorist murderers and rapists are able to control a drip-feed release of hostages is obscene. We now face a scandalous situation whereby Hamas and its allies can turn the screws resulting in anguished families wondering when they will ever see still-held loved ones.

The fact that the release of the hostages is being shlepped out means that at any stage, blackmail tactics will be employed to squeeze yet more disgusting concessions. Hamas knows only too well that all they have to do is to blame Israel for something and the international community will ride to their rescue as they have done in the past. Hypocrisy and appeasement are now the default positions of most of the UN and political leaders in democratic countries.

There is yet another nauseous component to this doubtful deal.

In exchange for the release of dead and living hostages kidnapped by Hamas and its terror associates Israel is releasing thousands of convicted terrorists from jail. These individuals have blood on their hands which means they are guilty of murdering Israeli civilians as well as IDF soldiers. Their victims were intentionally rammed with vehicles, stabbed, raped and otherwise brutally assaulted. Those murdered included the young and elderly, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and small children and even babies.

These murderers never showed any sort of remorse. On the contrary, they remain proud of their actions. Instead, they are hailed as heroes by their respective terror patrons and lauded by the PLO and an Arab Palestinian Authority touted by the international community as peace partners.

It is these despicable specimens of humanity who are now being released and returned to their families. They are welcomed back to PA-controlled territory as conquering champions of the evil Zionist regime. Even worse, hundreds are being released into Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. One must question this act of reckless lunacy and wonder at the complete lack of backbone and self-respect that sanctioned its implementation.

This scandalous situation is made even worse when you consider the devastating effect this flood of released murderers has on the families who have lost dear ones. Put yourselves in the shoes of the widows, widowers, orphans and bereaved families. They are getting a knock on the door and the representatives of the IDF or Government inform them that the killer of their family has been released.

Making the situation even more excruciating is the fact that TV and social media are showing these murderers being feted and welcomed back into their homes. Scenes of jubilation for murdering Israelis are rubbing salt into raw wounds.

Without any doubt these released terrorists will soon be back plotting and carrying out yet more murders. That is what happened after the release of terrorists in the Shalit deal and it is 100 per cent a certainty after this current release. In effect, the murder of more Israelis is guaranteed, all enabled by those facilitating this latest charade.

How do we know that murder and mayhem will follow?

The terror facilitators have already proclaimed their future intentions.

A senior Hamas official: “the destruction of Israel remains our primary objective.”  

Hamas thanks Turkey, South Africa, Algeria, Russia, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Belgium, Spain and Ireland for their support.

The Ramallah-based Arab Palestinian kleptocracy defended, glorified and celebrated 7 October. Just in case their message was not clear enough they followed this up by slandering and smearing Israel once again: “Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli camps which are worse than Hitler’s fascist holocaust furnaces.”

The common theme emanating from all these terror-supporting quarters is that the cease-fire is a resounding victory and merely a temporary pause in the ultimate goal of destroying Israel.

Unsurprisingly, despite this explicit message, the world’s media prefers to ignore the clear agenda and instead engages in spreading tendentious reports about the evil Israelis. Convicted murderers are lauded as innocent victims of Zionist oppression and elevated to equal status with kidnapped hostages.

As though this is not bad enough, we are forced to read, listen to and endure the most nonsensical pontifications by political officials.

According to these misinformed, uninformed and clueless individuals, peace and tolerance are about to dawn.

Despite Hamas terrorists now emerging from yet-to-be-destroyed tunnels beneath mosques, schools, clinics, hospitals and homes and the discovery of yet more weapons and rockets, the genetic hallucinatory “experts” are already proclaiming “peace in our time.”

Despite clear evidence to the contrary, Israel is being warned that unless it agrees to the creation of yet another terror state in its Biblical heartland, it will be forever branded as a threat to world peace.

The likes of Albanese, Wong and New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, join the rest of the UN in burbling the most inane nonsense. A common theme is that there must now be “a massive, rapid, unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”  Ignored is the stark fact that whatever aid has been and will be sent to Gaza is immediately hijacked by Hamas for its own purposes. Any deprivation suffered by locals is entirely the fault of the terror groups in charge.

Choosing to ignore this reality, befuddled politicians prefer to blame Israel and spout a myopic message of unreality.

Take this pearl from the NZ Foreign Minister: “to achieve a durable and lasting peace, we call on the parties to take meaningful steps towards a two state solution. Political will is the key to ensuring history does not repeat itself.”

Given the irrefutable stated aims of the terror groups involved and the articulated objectives of their patron, Iran, how can anyone in their right mind believe that the history of terror will not repeat itself?

It is glaringly obvious that for history NOT to be repeated, Israel must decisively put an end to the nefarious designs of its enemies.

PM Netanyahu must resign if he reaffirms his “doormat” status by withdrawing from Lebanon

PM Netanyahu must resign if he reaffirms his “doormat” status by withdrawing from Lebanon
Dr. Aaron Lerner 23 January 2025

We face many critical issues for our future, and if President Trump thinks that our leader is a “doormat,” we are doomed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a one-time opportunity to change his “doormat” status in President Trump’s eyes.
We all understand that we must keep IDF forces in Lebanon. This is not a political issue in Israel at all.

According to media reports, instead of informing the Trump administration that we are staying in Lebanon, we asked for permission from the Trump administration to remain there, and they objected. It was a mistake to ask for permission instead of declaring our intent, but that is behind us now.

When we caved into Trump’s envoy and accepted the terms of the agreement with Hamas, Trump labeled Netanyahu as a “doormat.”

It is critical to change the designation of “doormat” for our prime minister by Mr. Trump, because a country whose leader is considered a “doormat” will not win Trump’s support on Gaza, Iran, or any other critical issue.

Therefore, with great regret, if we withdraw from Lebanon in the coming days, for the sake of us all, Netanyahu must resign in a process that immediately installs a replacement who will act decisively (e.g., annexation?) to signal to Trump that he is not a “doormat.”

To be clear: I am not looking for an excuse to remove Netanyahu. With all my heart, I want him to do the right thing, so he can continue to lead.

But if Mr. Netanyahu has resigned himself to being President Trump’s “doormat,” he must resign.