GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 190

Everyone Is Restless Now

The Natives Are Restless

In a report from The Jerusalem Post we see that the protests to being the hostages home are heating up more and more as each day passes:

Family members of Gaza hostages issued an emergency statement on Saturday evening outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

The statement said: "If in order to receive our loved ones quickly and alive, the price is a ceasefire, agree to end the war and return all the hostages in a deal now. Then, you will be free to deal with the threats from Gaza. First, save lives. The lack of coordination that leads to decisions that endanger the lives of the abductees is carelessness and a crime."

Additionally, thousands gathered Saturday evening at the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to call for the return of the hostages held by Hamas.

The protestors issued an official statement:

The official announcement about the rally read: "The Prime Minister and the cabinet must rescue and release all the hostages! For their freedom and the freedom of all the people of Israel!"

Among the speakers this evening were Shai Binyamin, the daughter of hostage Ron Binyamin, Yizhar Lifshitz, the son of hostage Oded Lifshitz, and Noam Perry, the daughter of hostage Haim Perry, who marks his 80th birthday in captivity.

Believing that it is Netanyahu who is in the way, they are also calling for new elections to oust him:

"The government of destruction is leading us from disaster to disaster and does not have the moral and public legitimacy to continue to serve," reads the official statement of the organization Free in Our Country. "We must ensure that leadership that is committed to the needs of the people and the state is established—and not to its sectoral and survival needs."

The goals of these protestors is commendable and the goal is a good one, however the short term benefit of ending the war to get the hostages home will not serve them or Israel in the long term. Hamas knows that if they can get Netanyahu out of office by holding on to the remaining hostages longer, they have leverage to use them to get more than they are asking for even now. And as we discussed in a previous video, the very people they are protesting for may not even be alive. It is hard to accept, but supporting the Prime Minister in keeping pressure on Hamas will accomplish their goals quicker.

Opposition To Netanyahu Comes From More Sides

A former security leader came out recently hitting the Prime Minister with strong criticism as we read in an article from The Times Of Israel:

Former head of the Shin Bet internal security service Nadav Argaman launched a full-scale assault against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Channel 12 that was broadcast Thursday, saying Netanyahu was directly to blame for October 7, “the worst disaster since the state’s establishment,” and was leading Israel to its “doom.”

“Netanyahu is not fit to be prime minister of Israel,” Argaman told the network’s Uvda investigative program.

Calling for swift elections, Argaman, who led the Shin Bet between 2016 and 2021, mostly under Netanyahu, argued: “Morally he cannot [run for office again]. He is responsible for a monumental failure. He is responsible. There’s no one else… Someone who does not take responsibility for a failure of this magnitude is not fit to be a leader of the Jewish people.”

Argaman went on to give examples for his harsh words:

Israel, he said, was “already in the abyss, and if Bibi Netanyahu does not leave office — it will be our doom… I think if the State of Israel doesn’t get its act together and fast, we’ll reach some very, very, very bad places.”

Argaman said Netanyahu was directly responsible for a policy that strengthened Hamas over the years, supplying it with millions of dollars in Qatari cash to buy calm while allowing it to build itself up for the massive attack. Argaman said that when he was leading the service, the prime minister repeatedly demurred on his proposals for aggressive policies toward Hamas, including taking out its top leadership.

“We pushed for it strongly, including presenting operational plans. I won’t say more,” he said. “Bibi preferred to weaken the Palestinian Authority.”

Argaman went on to say that the war is essentially over and new elections are needed:

Asked if he thought it was tenable to hold elections during a war, Argaman replied: “I think the war is over. We are fighting, [but] not at war.” He noted that only “small forces” were still stationed in the Gaza Strip. “Israel should have headed to elections yesterday.”

“Ultimately, the ones who will topple the government are the people,” said Argaman, clarifying that he had no intention to run for office himself. “Otherwise this war — what he calls a war — will continue” until the next election.

He also blamed Netanyahu for the instability in the country after the Prime Minister tried to overhaul the Supreme Court and also appointed people who shouldn’t be where they are now:

Argaman said Netanyahu “is responsible from the start” for the failures leading up to October 7.

“From the moment he let [Justice Minister] Yariv Levin lead the crazy judicial overhaul, through the delusional ministers he appointed: He took [Itamar] Ben Gvir, took [Bezalel] Smotrich, let one ruin the economy, let the other ruin internal security, and this is what we look like today.” Argaman was referring to the two far-right religious firebrands whom Netanyahu appointed as ministers for national security and finance, respectively, in his current government.

West Bank Unrest

In a report from i24news.tv we see how Palestinian settlers in the West Bank are causing trouble:

Settlers have unleashed chaos in the village of al-Mughayyir in the West Bank, resulting in the injury of six Palestinians, one critically, after being shot in the head.

These events unfolded following the disappearance of 14-year-old Benjamin Achimeir from a nearby illegal outpost.

In a subsequent report, the teen was found slain as part of a terrorist attack. The violence only increased as the day went on:

Footage captured the intensity of the situation as settlers opened fire and hurled stones at Palestinians in the town, located approximately 17 miles north of Ramallah. Clashes ensued between the two groups as local Palestinians attempted to defend their community.

Wafa reported that, in addition to the critical head injury sustained by one individual, the other five Palestinians suffered gunshot wounds to their lower extremities.

The IDF released a statement on the incident saying, "In recent hours, clashes have developed between Israeli and Palestinian citizens in several locations in Judea and Samaria, during which participants threw stones and opened fire. Dozens of Israelis and Palestinians were injured in various degrees.”

Even the firetruck dispatched to put out the fire was attacked:

Settlers set ablaze a residential home in al-Mughayyir, and shockingly targeted the firetruck that arrived to douse the flames, exacerbating the chaos and destruction.

Later, it was reported settlers reportedly escalated tensions further by opening fire on the funeral procession of Jihad Abu Alia, who tragically lost his life during yesterday's rampage by settlers in the same village.

Israel is also restless because of the specter of an attack from Iran and such tensions may only increase in the West Bank because those there will surely take sides. When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem we can see it is needed now more than ever.