Israel At War – Day 35
Peace In The Middle East

Control Of Gaza Post-War

We’ve heard about the constant pressure on Israel to not control Gaza once Hamas is eliminated and to turn it over to an international peace keeping force, but in another interview, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that they will be the ones in control as seen in this article from 24news.tv (see https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/1699597487-netanyahu-reaffirms-no-cease-fire-israel-s-post-conflict-goals-in-gaza) :

In an interview with Fox News on Thursday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firmly rejected the possibility of a cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza, emphasizing that it would mean surrender to terror and the victory of Iran's axis of terror.

Netanyahu insisted that any cease-fire would be contingent on the release of Israeli hostages.

Addressing concerns about Israel's intentions in Gaza post-conflict, Netanyahu clarified, "We don’t seek to occupy, but we seek to give it and us a better future in the entire Middle East."

He reiterated that Israel does not aim to govern Gaza but rather seeks a lasting solution by defeating Hamas. While he did not set a specific timetable, Netanyahu expressed a commitment to proceed step by step, minimizing civilian casualties and maximizing the impact on Hamas terrorists.

They Don’t Trust An International Force

In a separate meeting with mayors from border towns next to Gaza, he said this in an srticle from The Times Of Israel (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-says-idf-will-control-gaza-after-war-rejects-notion-of-international-force/) :

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday the IDF will remain in control of the Gaza Strip after the current war ends, and will not rely on international forces to oversee security along the border.

Netanyahu made the comments in a meeting with the mayors of Gaza border towns at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. The local leaders oversee many of the communities that were assaulted and had their residents murdered and kidnapped in Hamas’s October 7 massacres of southern communities. Others have faced daily barrages of rockets from Gaza over the past month, and many communities have been evacuated as Israel presses ahead in its military campaign, leaving tens of thousands internally displaced.

“IDF forces will remain in control of the Strip, we will not give it to international forces,” Netanyahu said, according to a readout from his spokesperson, not saying whether it would do so for the short or long term.

No Ceasefire Confirmed – Again

It seems people everywhere keep talking about a ceasefire, that is except Israel and Hamas, the two parties at the heart of the war. Netanyahu made the point again in the Foxnews.com interview. Here is what he added in a quote from that news report in relation to how it would not be good for hostage releases (see https://www.foxnews.com/world/israels-netanyahu-doubles-down-rejecting-gaza-ceasefire-hostages-released-call-biden) :

"It’ll hamper our effort to get our hostages out because the only thing that works on these criminals, on Hamas is the military pressure that we’re exerting," he said.

In the instance of Hamas agreeing to release hostages, Netanyahu said, "There would be a cease-fire for that purpose, and we’re waiting for that to happen. It hasn’t happened so far."

A person in the US state department, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel, agreed that a cease fire would not stop Hamas at all:

Patel argued a cease-fire right now "would not prevent Hamas from continuing terror attacks and firing rocket attacks at Israel in the future. And on the contrary, it would let Hamas off the hook, allow Hamas enough time to regroup, and we can’t allow that. And no nation can be expected to tolerate those kinds of conditions."

The UN Failed To Condemn Hamas But Condemns Israel

While it is sad, it is altogether predictable that the United Nations (UN) will not condemn Hamas terrorism but will condemn Israel. In an article found on Foxnews.com we read this about this turn of events in the UN (see https://www.foxnews.com/world/after-failing-to-condemn-hamas-terror-group-un-adopts-8-resolutions-condemning-jewish-state) :

A United Nations watchdog has criticized the organization for passing multiple resolutions this week condemning Israel for various alleged human rights violations, but making no condemnation of Hamas or other groups or nations, at a time when antisemitism is on the rise.

"The U.N.’s assault on Israel with a torrent of one-sided resolutions, just one month after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, and on the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, is surreal," Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, said in a press release.

"The only purpose of these eight lopsided condemnations is to demonize the Jewish state," Neuer said. "The world should not be deceived that these annual resolutions advance the cause of peace or human rights in any way."

Hillel went on to say this about the UN actions:

"Today’s farce at the General Assembly underscores a simple fact: the U.N.’s automatic majority has no interest in truly helping Palestinians, nor in protecting anyone’s human rights; the goal of these ritual, one-sided condemnations is to scapegoat Israel," said Neuer.

Eliminating Hamas Is Impossible

So says Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh in an article in The Times Of Israel (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/pa-premier-israel-cant-destroy-hamas-as-its-an-idea-and-not-just-in-gaza/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&utm_medium=desktop_site&utm_campaign=netanyahu-says-idf-will-control-gaza-after-war-rejects-notion-of-international-force) :

The goal that they are setting — they will never reach this goal… because Hamas is not only in Gaza,” he told the France24 news outlet, referring to the ongoing war in the Strip, launched in response to the terror group’s October 7 massacre in southern communities.

“Hamas is an idea, it’s not only a military structure or an organization in Gaza. Hamas is in the West Bank and Lebanon and Syria, Hamas leadership is in Qatar, and everywhere. So to say that the goal is to eliminate Hamas — it is totally not going to happen,” he said.

He goes on to add this:

“Because what you see today, the war is on all Palestinians,” he added, noting the spike in deaths in the West Bank since the beginning of the war.

Did Anyone Bring Up The Psalm 83 War?

I will sound like a broken record now, but eliminating Hamas will mean controlling the other areas he mentioned of West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria. That would be right in line with the Psalm 83 war. It’s all right there if you actually listen to all the parties involved as they speak. It’s their words, not mine. If you take the time to put all the various quotes from these leaders, you hear it over and over again. The goal of the Arabs which includes the Palestinians is to completely eradicate the area and even the world of all Jews. And it’s a spiritual war since it is right out of the book of the spirit of Antichrist, as we see in various portions of the Bible, especially the prophetic ones. We need to stop living in a fairy tale world and realize that peace in the Middle East will only happen when Israel controls the land. So when you pray for the peace of Jerusalem you’re also praying for the fulfilment of the Psalm 83 war.