Middle East Update Amir Tsarfati

Ceasefire, Fire, Ceasefire: Is This Finally The Time For Peace? Don’t Bet On It

Amir Tsarfati

Another week has gone by, and it appears that my country is back at war. Or maybe it isn’t. It’s so hard to tell these days. In one moment, we have a big celebration over the signing of a ceasefire agreement. We see our living hostages come home in a semi-timely manner, according to the agreed-to terms. The remains of our beloved deceased hostages also start coming in. They’re late and the delivery is sporadic, but at least it’s something.

The next thing I know, I’m reading about our soldiers being killed again in Gaza. I’m seeing the IDF retaliating against the terrorist aggression. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not surprised. Anyone with half a brain knew that Hamas couldn’t abide by any agreement that didn’t say, “Hamas gets everything and Israel is going to drown themselves into the sea.” But there was that flicker of hope hidden in the back of my brain somewhere behind an idea for my next book and my craving for another espresso that said, “Maybe, just maybe, this time the fighting will be over.” The five young children of Master Sergeant Yona Efraim Feldbaum, 27, who are now fatherless can attest to how ridiculous that thought was.

But wait, now the ceasefire is back on as of yesterday! Is this finally the time for peace? Of course not. I’m sorry, but the 20-Point Plan put out by the Trump administration is a joke. Although Hamas has agreed to it, they’ll never fully implement it. They’ll never disarm, as required by the agreement. They’ll never willingly step down from power as the plan mandates.

My only hope is in my understanding that both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump play chess, while the rest of the countries of the Middle East are still trying to figure out on which side of the board they should set up their checkers. Using pressure from Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and other Muslim nations, Hamas was pressured into signing a deal they don’t have the character to keep. Now, when the terrorists inevitably break the deal and Israel retaliates with strong measures, these other nations are boxed into criticizing Hamas for not keeping the agreement that they themselves had helped to broker.

If that’s what’s really happening, then let me stand and give the President and the PM a respectful slow clap. If, instead, either of them actually believed that this 20-Point Plan would lead to peace, then I’m just going to stay seated and shake my head in disappointed wonder.

Ceasefire, Fire, Ceasefire

As I mentioned above, we are back in a state of ceasefire as of yesterday. Last week, I mentioned how Hamas snuck into Israeli Yellow Zones in Gaza to prepare attacks against IDF troops. Those attacks began, killing several IDF soldiers and wounding others. Israel struck back with a vengeance, as they were entitled to do, both by terms of the agreement and for morality’s sake.

After Yona Feldbaum’s death, more than 100 terrorists were killed in a 14-hour period of airstrikes. In addition, observation posts, weapons production warehouses, launch posts, underground tunnels, and mortar shell firing posts were all hit.

President Trump endorsed Israel’s retaliation, saying, “They took out an Israeli soldier. So the Israelis hit back, and they should hit back.” We have now returned to a state of ceasefire. We’ll see how long Hamas lets it last.

The Bigger Picture of the Middle East

When Trump affirmed Israel’s right to retaliate against Hamas, he added a very important sentence that could easily go unnoticed. He said, “You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave.” Most people believe this fracas is all about Israel and Hamas, but it’s really about much more.

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, IMEC, is a visionary plan that will revolutionize commerce from India to Europe. Essentially, it is a trade route that begins in India and crosses the Arabian Sea to the United Arab Emirate. From there, it begins a rail and/or road journey that goes through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and into Israel, where it arrives in Haifa. At that point, the goods are put on ships and transported to Europe. Using this method will increase the speed of transportation between India and the West by 40 percent.

This new transportation system is the ultimate goal, and it is a financial boon to all countries involved. Hamas needs to understand that if it in any way interferes with the construction and operation of this proposed route, the countries will ensure the cessation of its existence. When you follow the money in Europe and the Middle East, the Gazan terrorists are on the wrong side of the equation.

Hezbollah Has Got to Go

Time is running out for the Lebanese government to save their country. Even as Israel is conducting air attacks against Hezbollah in the south, Iran is rearming the terrorist group in the north so they can eventually move south to the Israeli border. Unfortunately, Lebanon’s government is militarily weak, even to the point of running out of explosives in its efforts to blow up Hezbollah’s arms caches. The country is at a tipping point of either breaking free of Hezbollah’s grip or caving in to it. If the Lebanese leadership does not end the terrorist stranglehold on their nation, other countries will be forced to step in.

Unfortunately, the lion’s share of the work of destroying Hezbollah will fall on the shoulders of the Israeli military.

Overnight, IDF troops snuck into Lebanon, going about a kilometer across the border to the village of Blida. Once there, a firefight ensued, and a Hezbollah operative was killed. The troops then retreated back into Israel.

In response, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said, “I have instructed our army to resist any Israeli attack on the liberated areas of the south to protect our lands and our citizens.” According to the IDF, a suspect was spotted in a building used by Hezbollah and the force moved to arrest him. Gunfire took place, and the target was killed. We’ll watch to see if this incident escalates.

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