GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 90

Lines Drawn In The Sand

Face The Consequences

We haven’t talked about the Houthi rebels in Yemen for some time, but efforts to curtail their ship seizures in the Red Sea is reaching a point where the international forces may need to be more proactive than reactive as we read in this article from i24news.tv:

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron demanded an immediate halt to Houthi rebel attacks on civilian ships transiting the Red Sea's essential Bab al-Mandab Strait on Thursday, warning that consequences await if the assaults continue.

When asked, Cameron declined to specify the precise actions the UK may pursue with allies, but called targeting commercial vessels carrying vital trade “illegal” and not justified by conflicts like Hamas’ war with Israel.

You can see how theses leaders all want to disconnect any actions against the Houthis from the war In Israel:

“This is about the freedom of navigation. This is about the ability of ships to carry their cargo,” Cameron asserted during a trip abroad. “The world economy, every economy, will suffer if ships keep coming under attack in this unacceptable way.”

A defiant Iran-backed Houthi insurgency in Yemen has struck vessels over 20 times since October - claiming falsely in most cases that they maintain ties to Israel. The attacks escalated since the rebels vowed solidarity with Hamas.

They are connected, though in spite of the efforts to not see that the rebels statements of supporting Hamas are pretty clear. As long as these countries occupy and deal with the Houthis, I’m sure Israel won’t stop them. But at some point the talk must lead to actions or the attacks on ships will not stop:

Cameron’s unequivocal statements indicate potential readiness to back a multinational armed response. Though he declined elaborating on what actions the UK might take if Houthi strikes targeting civilian and cargo ships continue unabated.

Who Will Run Gaza?

It depends on who you talk with these days when any mention of who will control Gaza once Hamas is taken out. According to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, it won’t be Israel as we see in this article from The Times Of Israel:

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday presented a four-pronged plan for how to handle the Gaza Strip after the ongoing war with the Hamas terror group ends, including putting local Palestinian authorities in charge of civil affairs.

The plan, which was set to be presented in discussions on Thursday evening in both the limited war cabinet and the broader security cabinet, does not include the Palestinian Authority, nor does it recommend resettling Gaza.

The plan marks the first time a senior Israeli official has laid out a detailed blueprint for the Strip after the war, but it does not yet represent official policy, as there are stark differences among the coalition.

The plan will have to get support from the entire government and that could be a tall order:

While these stances are shared by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the emphasis on Palestinian civilian control over Gaza and the lack of Israeli civilian presence there has angered hardline coalition partners, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaking out against the plan while a member of the war cabinet suggested that the defense minister is merely speaking for himself.

Four Pillars

According to the same report, the plan is based on four parts:

First, Israel will provide information to the civilian operators in Gaza, and be responsible for inspecting incoming goods.

Second, a multinational task force, led by the US in partnership with European and moderate Arab nations, will take responsibility for running civil affairs and the economic rehabilitation of the Strip.

Third, Egypt, which is noted as a “major actor” in the plan, will take responsibility for the civilian border crossing to the Gaza Strip, in coordination with Israel.

Fourth, existing administrative mechanisms will be maintained, provided that officials are not affiliated with Hamas. Local authorities that currently deal with sewage, electricity, water and humanitarian aid distribution will continue to operate, in collaboration with the multinational task force.

This proposed plan will have to clear a lot of hurdles because the United States already has their plan and it includes the Palestinian Authority which Netanyahu already is on record as opposing. And there is still talk of a two-state solution which Israel said at the start of the war they are not doing again:

But more unpopular than talk of a PA-controlled Gaza Strip after October 7 would be an Israeli commitment to move toward a two-state solution, and Gallant did not specify how Israel plans to recruit allies abroad to help it rebuild the Strip without taking steps toward Palestinian statehood.

Gallant’s plan also stated that residents of northern Gaza will not be permitted to return to their homes until all hostages held by terrorists in Gaza are returned, and noted that there are no plans for a reoccupation or resettlement of Gaza after the goals of the war have been achieved.

As I said, this is not a done deal, and personally I don’t see how it will make it past the talking stages.

It’s Still Land Given By God

All of these proposals miss the overall point and that is that God gave Israel the land and His will is that they have it back. There is no dividing the land in His plan which is the only plan that will last. I don’t know how it will happen, but I believe one of the end results of this current war, a war I see ending with the Psalm 83 war, will see Israel living in Gaza and even more of the land promised to them in the Bible. How can I say that? Again, I’m not sure how it will get to this point, but the conditions of the War of Gog and Magog described in Ezekiel 38 are seen this way:

You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’… Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? (Ezekiel 38:11, 17, NKJV)

Eventually those walls are going to have to come down. And right now, people who left the northern Israel borders will not go back until they know it is safe. How will they feel safe? If the terrorists threats are gone. Connect the dots, people. Hezbollah will not go quietly into the good night, nor will Hamas. Or the Houthis. Or even Iran. A larger conflict is on the horizon and I feel it will be an outgrowth of what is happening right now. While we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we must also pray that the IDF dispatches all vestiges of terrorism because that peace won’t come until the threat of another October 7th are gone and the constant blaring of rocket sirens are a thing of the past for the citizens of Israel. Pray specifically for those to occur. Lord let it happen and happen soon.