The "Times of Israel" is a mainstream publication in this country and
the largest English-language publication.
*For the first time, Israel just lost a war *
David K. Rees, Jan 15, 2025,
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/for-the-fist-time-israel-just-lost-a-war/
For 16 years, Israel has been forced to fight war after war in order to
defend itself. It won the wars in 1948, 1967, and 1973. It fought
Hezbollah to a draw in 2006.
That has just changed. The peace deal it just cut with Hamas was clearly
a win for Hamas and a loss for Israel. No wonder people in Gaza are
cheering. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SRcKSUa558
This is what Hamas won in this war:
1. It turned world opinion against Israel.
2. It has negotiated the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners,
many of whom have been sentenced to life terms.
2. While some of its leaders were killed, they will be replaced with new
ones.
3. While many of its fighters were killed, according press reports,
Hamas has been rebuilding its fighting wing, which now has 12,000
soldiers in Gaza.
4. Hamas has proved that Israel is willing to give up huge amounts to
get a small amount in return.
5. Hamas gets to claim proudly that the October 7, 2023 massacre brought
about terrific results. In fact, Israel is weaker now than it was on
October 6, 2023.
6. It really pays to take hostages.
7. While much of Gaza has been destroyed, the world is about to provide
huge sums in order to rebuild it. One can expect that a significant
amount of these sums will indirectly wind up in Hamas’ coffers.
8. Hamas will still control Gaza. UNRWA will remain as it has been.
9. The war has created a serious rift between Israel and the United States.
10. Initially, Hamas will only have to release three hostages. It will
have to release 4 more hostages shortly after that. During phase one of
the deal, only a total of 33 hostages will be released. Israel may trade
more Palestinian prisoners being held by Hamas for more hostages after
that. Thus, at the end of phase one of the deal, Hamas will be able to
continue to hold roughly 30 hostages, some of whom may already be dead.
10. Israel has failed in its objectives as stated at the beginning of
the war, which included the total elimination of Hamas in Gaza.
11. It pays to commit war crimes, including not only the war crimes that
Hamas committed during the October 7th massacre, but by firing thousands
of missiles into Israel, every one of them a war crime.
12. The cost to Israel of this war has been enormous. Not only has Hamas
been able to kill over 400 Israeli soldiers in Gaza since the October
7th massacre, but Israel’s national debt has increased substantially and
its economy has been hurt as well. It has been estimated that Israel’s
economic activity has been reduced over 20% by the war.
13. While Israel will get some respite from Hamas forces in Gaza, it
still has the remaining parts of Iran’s axis of resistance, including
the Houthis and Hamas on the West Bank, and Iran, to deal with.
14. Israel will begin to to withdraw its troops from Gaza and, for now,
the killing will cease.
What Israel has obtained that it did NOT have on October 6, 2023.
1. Almost nothing.
The deal has three phases. Apparently, the terms of phase one have been
agreed to. Phases two and three require additional negotiations. Hamas
could refuse to negotiate reasonable conditions during these phases,
making sure that it does not give anything more to Israel. Not all of
the hostages will have been released. Hamas will still be able to
rebuild its system of tunnels of which roughly 40% still remain.
This is not the first time that Hamas and Israel have fought wars and an
agreement was reached. Every time Hamas has broken its word and started
yet another war. This happened most recently in 2021. Since then it has
allowed Qatar to bring millions of dollars in aid to it in return for
peace. In fact, during the following two years, Hamas built its
complicated system of tunnels and thousands of missiles while preparing
for the October 7th massacre. There is no reason to believe that Hamas
will NOT break its word and attack Israel from Gaza again.
There is an irony to all of this. Netanyahu sold his soul to the racist,
ultra-religious, ultra-right wing political parties led by Smotrich and
Ben Gvir in order to put together a coalition that would allow him to
once again become Israel’s Prime Minister. In order to achieve this, he
gave Smotrich and Ben Gvir important ministries and great control over
the West Bank while retaining the Foreign Ministry and Defense ministry
for Likud. He did so believing that it was critical that he be the Prime
Minister in any upcoming war, which was expected to come during his
present term. Unfortunately, instead of his legacy being the man who
could defend Israel, he will go down as the first Prime Minister of
Israel ever to lose a war.
About the Author
Before making Aliyah from the United States, I spent over three decades
as a lawyer in the United States. My practice involved handling many
civil rights cases, including women's- rights cases, in State and
Federal courts. I handled numerous constitutional cases for the ACLU and
argued one civil rights case in the United States Supreme Court. I
chaired the Colorado Supreme Court's Committee on the Rules of Criminal
Procedure and served on the Colorado Supreme Court's Civil Rules and
Rules of Evidence Committees. Since much of my practice involved the
public interest, I became interested in environmental law and worked
closely with environmental organizations, including the Environmental
Defense Fund (EDF). I was on the Rocky Mountain Board of EDF. I received
an award from the Nebraska Sierra Club as a result of winning a huge
environmental case that was referred to me by EDF. I also developed
significant knowledge of hazardous and radioactive waste disposal. I was
involved in a number of law suits concerning waste disposal, including a
highly-political one in the United States Supreme Court which involved
the disposal of nuclear waste. As I child I was told by my mother, a
German, Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Germany, that Israel was a place
for her and her child. When I first visited Israel many years later, I
understood what she meant. My feeling of belonging in Israel caused me
to make Aliyah and Israel my home. Though I am retired now, I have
continued my interest in activism and the world in which I find myself.
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