🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 423, 2023 - December 2, 2024 🎗️

  

🎗️Day 424 that 101 of our hostages in Hamas captivity
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**

“I’ve never met them,
But I miss them. 
I’ve never met them,
but I think of them every second. 
I’ve never met them,
but they are my family. 
BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”


We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.

#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope

There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!
‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית


Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements


*5:05pm - north
Several rockets were reportedly launched a short while ago from Lebanon at Israeli military positions on the border in the Mount Dov area.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

The IDF has not yet commented.

It would potentially mark the first rocket fire from Lebanon since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect last week.


Hostage Updates 

  • After 14 months, IDF announces US-Israeli hostage Cpt. Omer Neutra killed on Oct. 7

    Neutra, a tank commander stationed on border during Hamas’s terror onslaught, was abducted with 3 fellow troops; military chief rabbi declares death based on findings, new intel

    Fourteen months after Hamas’s terror onslaught on October 7, 2023, the Israel Defense Forces on Monday said it had confirmed that Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, 21, was killed amid the attack and his body was being held hostage in the Gaza Strip.

    Neutra, a “lone soldier” from New York — called that because his parents were not in Israel — served as a tank platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion.

    Until now it had been believed that Neutra was alive and being held hostage.

    On the morning of October 7, 2023, he was stationed in a tank on the Gaza border near the southern community of Nahal Oz. Neutra was the tank commander, Sgt. Shaked Dahan was the driver, Sgt. Nimrod Cohen was the gunner, and Sgt. Oz Daniel was the loader.

    During the assault on southern Israel, their tank was attacked by Hamas terrorists with RPG fire and explosive devices. All four were then abducted to Gaza.

    Infamous footage from the attack showed Palestinians in civilian clothing standing on and around their tank while it was wreathed in smoke and flames, and the soldiers being dragged out by Hamas terrorists.


    A picture taken by Hassan Eslaiah shows Palestinians celebrating by a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis, October 7, 2023. (AP)

    Dahan’s death was confirmed in November 2023 and Daniel’s death was announced in February. Now, after 14 months, Neutra’s death was also confirmed. All three were killed on October 7, 2023, according to the IDF.

    Cohen’s fate remains unknown, though his father, Yehuda, told Ynet news on Monday, “We have received indications that Nimrod is alive. I am sure my son is alive, and I am fighting.”

    Neutra’s death was declared by the Military Rabbinate based on findings and new intelligence information, according to the IDF.

    In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his condolences to Neutra’s family and vowed that his body would be brought back to Israel for burial.

    “Omer was a man of values, blessed with talents and a Zionist in every sense of the word,” said Netanyahu. “He immigrated to Israel to enlist in the IDF, chose a combat path and was chosen to command and lead.”

    He added that Israel “will not rest or be silent until we return him home for a Jewish burial, and we will continue to act resolutely and tirelessly until we return all of our hostages.”

    Growing up in Long Island, New York, Neutra was a fan of the Knicks, and was the captain of his high school basketball team, his volleyball team, and the soccer team, when necessary. “That’s the kind of guy he is,” said his father, Ronen Neutra.

    Ronen Neutra, father of Omer Neutra, wears a shirt with an image of his son on it as he speaks to reporters after a meeting with US President Joe Biden and the families of Americans who were taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attacks in Israel, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

    Neutra decided to join the Israeli army after spending a gap year in Israel in 2020, putting off his plans to attend Binghamton University.

    MAY HIS MEMORY BE A REVOLUTION


  • The White House is working on a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza but is “not there yet,” the US national security adviser tells NBC, with fighting raging on as regional leaders meet to discuss the crisis.

    “We are working actively to try to make it happen. We are engaged deeply with the key players in the region, and there is activity even today,” says Jake Sullivan, according to a transcript released by the broadcaster.

    “There will be further conversations and consultations, and our hope is that we can generate a ceasefire and hostage deal, but we’re not there yet,” he adds.

    Sullivan tells NBC that US President Joe Biden has been closely coordinating with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    “He also spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu that day (of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire), and Prime Minister Netanyahu told him he agreed, the time is right. The moment is now,” says Sullivan, referring to the need for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. link  the only one standing in the way of a ceasefire, end of war and bringing home the hostages is Netanyahu. Let's hope that Biden can put enough pressure on Netanyahu (along with pressure from Trump) to end his personal madness and make a deal

  • Gantz: Forgoing a hostage deal for ‘political reasons’ cost the lives of 30 hostages

    National Unity chair Benny Gantz estimates that around 30 hostages who have died or been killed in Gaza since they were abducted on October 7 last year would still be alive today had the government not chosen to forgo a hostage deal for “political reasons.”

    Speaking at the Israel Hayom conference, Gantz argues that if Israel was able to come to an agreement with Hezbollah in Lebanon, it should have also been able to make a deal with Hamas, which he says is “the most dismantled” of Israel’s enemies.

    “The return of the hostages is at the core of the values of the State of Israel,” he adds. “It is the most important thing.” link The blood of those hostages who were killed in Hamas captivity is on the hands of Netanyahu, Smotrich and Ben Gvir. A deal to bring them home could have been made a very long time ago and on mulitiple occasions but Netanyahu's political and personal interests, mostly due to the pressures from Smotrich and Ben Gvir to bring down the government, was the indirect cause of their deaths. They will never be forgiven.

  • After Cairo talks, Hamas says it’s waiting for international pressure on Israel to end war

    A Hamas delegation discussed a ceasefire in Gaza with Egyptian intelligence officials, two officials from the Palestinian terror group tell AFP.

    The “delegation met with the head of the Egyptian general intelligence, Major General Hassan Rashad, and a number of Egyptian intelligence officials, and discussed ways to stop the war and aggression, bring in aid, and open the Rafah crossing” at Gaza’s border with Egypt, says a senior Hamas official who was part of the Cairo meeting on Sunday evening.

    A second Hamas official also present in Cairo tells AFP that “Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are making great efforts to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange,” referring to a planned exchange of Israeli hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian security prisoners held in Israel.

    “Our Palestinian people are waiting for American and international pressure on [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to stop the war and reach an agreement, as happened in Lebanon,” the official says.  link As always, there is a lot of speculation starting with Israel, specifically Netanhaya's people claiming that Hamas is now prepared to relax their demands in light of the ceasefire in Lebanon and the separation of Hizbollah attacks and Gaza war. I believe this is just gas lighting based on deflection and being able to claim that Hamas is the one preventing a hostage deal. Based on all that has gone on until now and my understanding of Hamas, the one thing that hasn't changed and will not change is their demand for a total end of the war and withdrawal of all Israeli troops. The areas of new flexibility may be in the amount of Palestinian prisoners to be released per hostage or relating to timing of Israeli withdrawal from Rafah or from the Netzarim routes 




Gaza and the South

  • The IDF releases videos obtained from cameras belonging to terror operatives showing them setting up booby traps in buildings in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya.

    According to the military, troops of the Kfir Brigade searching a building in Beit Lahiya found several hidden explosive devices alongside a camera that had documented the operatives planting them.

    The building was later demolished.

    In another raid, the IDF says the troops found a camera in a building showing operatives planting bombs in an apartment. Next to that building, the troops also found a rocket launching site, which was demolished, the military adds.  article and video

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

  • A French diplomatic source tells the Kan public broadcaster that Paris has warned both Israel and Hezbollah “against actions that endanger the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.”

    According to the report, the warning comes after France privately accused Israel of failing to follow the correct procedure when striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon since the start of the ceasefire last week.

    Israel has carried out several strikes against Hezbollah operatives and targets since the ceasefire came into effect, all apparently in line with the reported “side letter” from the US that accompanied the agreement and affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against renewed threats.

    According to reports regarding the contents of the letter, Israel reserves the right to act at any time, should the terms of the agreement be broken in southern Lebanon. Beyond southern Lebanon, however, it is reportedly only permitted to act if the Lebanese Army is unable or unwilling to deal with the violations.

    In all instances, however, Israel is reportedly required to notify the US wherever possible when it is required to take action in response to threats inside Lebanon.

    According to Kan, Paris has privately accused Hezbollah of violating the terms of the ceasefire as well.  link the government and the army need to be careful managing the ceasefire infringements so we don't dragged into full scale conflict again, while protecting the interest of Israel and the northern residents

  • The IDF confirms carrying out several strikes in Lebanon in the past day, following what it says were Hezbollah actions “that posed a threat to the State of Israel and violated the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

    The military says it struck several military vehicles operating at a Hezbollah missile manufacturing facility in the Beqaa Valley, and additional vehicles at several sites on the Lebanon-Syria border in the Hermel District, which were used by Hezbollah to transport weapons.

    The Lebanese army said earlier that one of the strikes targeted a military bulldozer while it was carrying out fortification work inside the Al-Abbara military base near Lebanon’s border with Syria, wounding one soldier.

    The IDF says that the incident is under investigation.

    Additionally, the military says it carried out strikes against several Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon today.

    “The IDF is deployed in southern Lebanon and acts against any threat that endangers the State of Israel,” the army adds.

  • IDF warns Iran not to try to smuggle arms to Hezbollah as Tehran sends reinforcements to Syria

    Speaking to Sky News Arabia, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the military has seen Iran sending reinforcements to Syria amid the rebel assault there this week.

    “We are closely following what is happening in Syria. We saw that the Iranian regime is sending reinforcements to Syria,” Hagari says to the outlet, according to remarks provided by the military.

    He says that “Syria belongs to the Syrians” and “what is happening in Syria concerns Syria and not Israel” — but the IDF “will make sure that Iran does not smuggle weapons to Lebanon and Hezbollah.”

    “We need to make sure that we are not threatened. We are a sovereign country and we will make sure that Iranian weapons are not smuggled to Hezbollah,” he says.

    “Hezbollah was defeated in the campaign and it is necessary to make sure that it does not receive weapons from Iran through Syria,” Hagari says.

    “And if they try to do it, we will act accordingly,” he adds.

    Regarding the ceasefire with Hezbollah, Hagari says that “the Lebanese people and the Lebanese government must make sure that these places in Beirut or in south Lebanon are free of weapons — not in the houses, not in the yards of the houses, not in the children’s rooms.”

    “We are committed to the ceasefire agreement. Sixty days is a gradual step to make sure that Hezbollah will not harm us or violate the agreement as happened in 2006. The Lebanese government and UNIFIL forces must do their job — it is in their interest too. We need this period to make sure there are no terror bases there,” he adds.

  • An Israeli drone targeted a Lebanese military bulldozer while it was carrying out fortification work inside the Al-Abbara military base near Lebanon’s border with Syria, the Lebanese army says.

    One soldier was wounded, it says.

    Israel and Lebanese terror group Hezbollah started implementing a ceasefire last Wednesday as part of a US-proposed deal for a 60-day truce to end more than a year of hostilities.

    There is no immediate comment from the IDF, but Israel has said it will use force to ensue there are no violations of the truce or attempts to smuggle arms into Lebanon.

     


West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

  •  The Palestinian Authority health ministry says four Palestinians were killed in this morning’s IDF drone strike near the West Bank city of Jenin.

    The ministry says it was informed of their deaths, indicating their bodies are being held by Israeli authorities.

       
  • National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir confirms a Channel 12 report that he has instructed the Israel Police to ban mosques from broadcasting the Adhan, or Islamic call to prayer, over loudspeakers.

    According to the report, the new policy would allow the police to enter mosques and confiscate loudspeaker equipment if found to be in use. The mosques found to be broadcasting the call to prayer would also be fined.

    In a post on X, the ultranationalist minister says he is “proud” to introduce the policy, which he says will put an end to the “unreasonable noise from mosques, which have become a hazard for the residents of Israel.”

    The policy has been condemned by members of Israel’s opposition, including Labor MK Gilad Kariv, who writes in a post on X that Ben Gvir “endangers the State of Israel” and warns that he “won’t stop until in the end, a match sets the barrel on fire.”

    The policy is also condemned by Hadash-Ta’al MK Ahmad Tibi, who charges that Ben Gvir “builds his base on hatred and persecution of Arabs,” and says that Netanyahu “bears responsibility for the pyromaniac minister’s rampage.”  link Ben Gvir the pyromaniac is always looking to provoke the Arab population as well as anyone who opposes him. It is his mode of standard operation and he looks for every opportunity to make the lives of the arabs harder.

  • Video footage has been published of the West Bank shooting attack on Friday in which eight people were wounded, three of them seriously, when a Hamas terrorist opened fire at a civilian bus near the settlement of Ariel.

    The footage shows the attacking unfolding at the Gitai Avisar junction, with the gunman opening fire at the bus at a bus stop and IDF soldiers returning fire.

    The assailant was shot dead by security forces. video of the terror attack


Politics and the War (general news)


  • Report: Senior minister in Netanyahu’s party told hostage families PM should be removed

    A senior minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party has told hostage families in recent days that the premier should be ousted along with the heads of security bodies over the failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7 massacre last year, according to Channel 12 news.

    The network doesn’t say who the minister is.

    It says the minister agreed with a series of accusations against the government voiced by the relatives of abductees taken during the Hamas onslaught.

    One such claim voiced by a relative, the report says, was that far-right views have entered Likud in the form of Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, who “thinks like [far-right minister Itamar] Ben Gvir.”

    Another argument by the same relative was reportedly that the government should agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal and then continue fighting, since “the prime minister knows well how to lie,” with the minister agreeing.

    When the relative asked about Netanyahu’s attacks on the leadership of the Shin Bet security service, the minister reportedly said: “I would have sent the head of the Shin Bet home a long time ago — him, [IDF Chief of Staff] Herzi [Halevi], [Mossad chief] David Barnea, and everybody.”

    Asked what about Netanyahu, the minister is said to have answered: “Netanyahu as well.”  link


  •  Shin Bet says it identified more than 200 Iranian cyber phishing attempts against senior Israeli officials

    The Shin Bet security service says it identified more than 200 Iranian phishing attempts against senior Israeli officials in a bid to secure their personal details.

    Among those targeted were senior security and political officials, academics and media personalities, the Shin Bet says.

    The hackers tried to get the Israelis to download an app that would then share their personal details, in some cases so that they could later be targeted in attacks.

    The Shin Bet says the targets were approached with individually crafted cover stories so as not to raise their suspicions. In one example shown by the Shin Bet, the hacker posed as Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs and told the target he was trying to coordinate a meeting with him and the prime minister.

    The Shin Bet says that it had identified and briefed those targeted by the campaign.


  • A senior Israel Defense Forces officer who until several months before the October 7 onslaught served as the head of the Southern Command, notified his subordinates that he does not plan to run for IDF chief of staff and he will resign when his current role comes to an end.

    Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano serves as the head of the IDF’s Strategy and Third-Circle Directorate, which is tasked with the military’s Iran file.

    The officer told his subordinates that after his stint was up, he would resign from the military and not run for any other position in the IDF including chief of staff, according to Hebrew-language media.

    Toledano’s name was mentioned in several recent media reports as a potential successor to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who indicated he would resign at the end of the army’s investigations into the failures on October 7.

    Toledano was the head of the Southern Command until July 2023, and before that, he was the commander of the Gaza Division. He also served as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary.  link Another senior officer taking responsibility for his role in what led up to October 7. We will see many more following the completion of the IDF's investigation into October 7 and more when the war ends. What we have yet to see and probably will never see is the one who bears the greatest responsibility, Netanyahu ever admitting responsibility. I have no doubt that he is thrilled with each IDF senior officer resignation and taking of responsibility as this helps him with his narrative that it was totally the responsibility and fault of the security forces and he isn't to blame at all. Disgraceful



    The Region and the World
    •    Iran says that it plans to keep military advisers in Syria after the city of Aleppo was overrun by rebels in a surprise offensive.

      The Islamic Republic, which has backed President Bashar al-Assad since Syria’s civil war broke out in 2011, says it only deploys military advisers in the country at the invitation of Damascus.

      “We entered Syria many years ago at the official invitation of the Syrian government, when the Syrian people faced the threat of terrorism,” says foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaeil.

      “Our military advisers were present in Syria, and they are still present” and would remain in the country “in accordance with the wishes” of its government, he tells a news conference in Tehran.

      Baqaeil did not specify whether Iran would be increasing its forces in Syria in the wake of the lightning rebel offensive.

      His remarks come a day after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Assad in Damascus to show support for the Syrian president.

      Aleppo fell to an Islamist-dominated rebel alliance over the course of the past week.


    • Iranian-backed militias entered Syria overnight from Iraq and were heading to northern Syria to beef up beleaguered Syrian army forces battling insurgents, according to two Syrian army sources.

      Dozens of Iran-aligned Iraqi Hashd al Shaabi fighters from Iraq also crossed into Syria through a military route near Al Bukamal crossing, a senior Syrian army source tells Reuters.

      “These are fresh reinforcements being sent to aid our comrades on the front lines in the north,” the officer says, adding that the militias included Iraq’s Katiab Hezbollah and Fatemiyoun groups.

      Iran sent thousands of Shiite fighters to Syria during the Syrian war and, alongside Russia with its air power, enabled Syrian President Bashar Assad to crush the insurgency and regain most of his territory.

      A lack of that manpower to help thwart the rebel onslaught in recent days contributed to the speedy retreat of Syrian army forces and withdrawal from Aleppo city, according to two other army sources. Militias allied to Iran, led by the Hezbollah terror group, have a strong presence in the Aleppo area.

      Hezbollah has been seriously weakened in its war with Israel over the past year.

    • US Navy destroys Houthi missiles and drones targeting American ships in Gulf of Aden

      US Navy destroyers shot down seven missiles and drones fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the warships and three American merchant vessels they were escorting through the Gulf of Aden. No damage or injuries are reported.

      US Central Command says that the destroyers USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane shot down and destroyed three anti-ship ballistic missiles, three drones and one anti-ship cruise missile. The merchant ships were not identified.

      The Houthis claim the attack in a statement and said they had targeted the US destroyers and “three supply ships belonging to the American army in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden.”

      Houthi attacks for months have targeted shipping through a waterway where $1 trillion in goods pass annually over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

      The USS Stockdale was involved in a similar attack on Nov. 12.


    • The US and the United Arab Emirates have discussed with each other the possibility of lifting sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad if he peels himself away from Iran and cuts off weapons routes to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, five people familiar with the matter tell Reuters.

      The conversations intensified in recent months, the sources say, driven by the possible expiry on Dec. 20 of sweeping US sanctions on Syria and by Israel’s campaign against Tehran’s regional network, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and Iranian assets in Syria.

      The discussions took place before anti-Assad rebels swept into Aleppo last week in their biggest offensive in Syria for years.

      According to the sources, the new rebel advance is a signal of precisely the sort of weakness in Assad’s alliance with Iran that the Emirati and US initiative aims to exploit. But if Assad embraces Iranian help for a counter-offensive, that could also complicate efforts to drive a wedge between them, the sources say.

      Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi visited Syria on Sunday in a show of support for Assad, and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke to Assad by phone about the latest developments over the weekend.



    Personal Stories
      
    Col. Asaf Hamami, 41: Witty commander ‘did not hesitate for a moment’
    Killed battling Hamas terrorists at Kibbutz Nirim on Oct. 7, his body taken captive; declared dead on Dec. 2

    Col. Asaf Hamami, 41, from Kiryat Ono, the commander of the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade, was killed fighting Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nirim on the morning of October 7, during the terror group’s onslaught on southern Israel.

    For eight weeks he was considered a Hamas hostage, until the IDF confirmed his death on December 2, officially listing his status as a “fallen IDF soldier held captive by a terror group” and his date of death as October 7.

    Hamami’s death was declared by the chief rabbi, based on findings obtained by the military in the Gaza Strip. The findings allowed Hamami to have a funeral according to halacha, or Jewish law, but his body remains in Gaza.

    Hamami is survived by his wife Sapir and their three children, and his parents, Clara and Ilan.

    On the morning of October 7, as Hamas launched its assault, Hamami was spending Shabbat at the Gaza Divison base near the border with his 5-year-old son, Alon. Hamami handed his son to other soldiers to take him to a safe place and set out to battle the terrorists.

    Hamami was remembered by his family and friends as a funny and witty officer, always wanting to be first, and his love for his family.


    Col. Asaf Hamami’s wife Sapir and son Alon mourn during his funeral in Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv, December 4, 2023, (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

    The commander of the Gaza Division, Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld, eulogized him at his funeral, saying: “You were purely a human being, purely a commander, purely a warrior.”

    “The way you fought and fell defined who you were. Family was so important to you, every time you talked about them it was hard to miss the smile and the sparkle in your eyes. Perhaps your consolation is that he fell as a hero,” Rosenfeld said.

    Hamami’s wife, Sapir, said he was “the perfect, most suitable partner for me. The deal between us was that you take care of the country and I take care of everything else.”

    “Not many know how funny you are, how witty you are. Thank you my love for 17 years of great love. Thank you for the children, thank you for a whole life. My heart is broken and crushed, but also at peace with your decision, because what hurts me so much today is also what made me fall in love with you,” she added.

    His mother, Clara said she recalled when Hamami was first drafted to the military to the Givati Infantry Brigade in 2001. “How much you wanted to grow up and join the army. You were so excited when you wore the green army uniform,” she said. “You considered yourself equal among equals… you did not ask for glory and honor.”

    Hamami’s father, Ilan, said he always “strove to be first.”

    “You were born to be a good friend and a pleasant person. When you enlisted, you joined the Givati ​​Brigade. We were all very proud of you and knew that there was a commander with values ​​like yours in the army who cares for his soldiers and subordinates,” he said.

    Col. Asaf Hamami, the commander of the Gaza Division’s southern brigade who was killed on October 7, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

    Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Hamami never hesitated. “Those who knew Assaf, as a subordinate, a commander, and a friend, always knew that where danger lurks and it is necessary to engage, that is exactly where Hamami would be found.”

    “That’s where he was there during his 22 years of service in the IDF, and he was also there on the day the war started on October 7. As soon as word of the terror onslaught became known, Hamami did not hesitate for a moment,” Gallant said.





    Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages





    How Will History Remember Benjamin Netanyahu?
    Prof. Anita Shapira
    Professor Emerita of Jewish History at Tel Aviv University.

    How will history remember Benjamin Netanyahu? It's a tough question. He is one of the most complex people ever to participate in the Israeli political arena.
    Years ago, when I was a young doctoral student at the Institute for the Study of Zionism at Tel Aviv University, we held a conference and invited Professor Benzion Netanyahu (Benjamin Netanyahu's father), who I believe was about 100 years old at the time, to give the opening lecture. The Head of the Institute, who was also the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Professor Daniel Carpi, greeted the esteemed guest. I was struck by this convening of the old revisionist aristocracy. They had lost favor after the Revisionist Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky passed away in 1940. Professor Netanyahu was Jabotinsky's secretary. Carpi was himself the son of an Italian revisionist leader. Netanyahu Sr. had grace and manners that matched the Jabotinskian idea of dignity. Professor Carpi observed aristocratic manners as well. He did not care for the Etzel underground organization alumni, who founded the official Zionist organization Herut and pushed aside the older revisionists. He saw them as a recently gathered mob. It turned out that Netanyahu Sr. was in agreement with Professor Carpi's disfavor of this new version of revisionism, which obviously lacked Jabotinskian dignity.
    What would Professor Netanyahu say about the behavior of his son, the Prime Minister of Israel? There is no dignity in it, certainly no greatness of heart. Benjamin Netanyahu was never supposed to be the scion of the family who would rise to greatness. True, he was sent to study in the best schools in America, but his father never harbored any great expectations for him. He obviously knew his son's character. It seems that Benjamin Netanyahu has spent his life trying to prove that he is a worthy heir of his father, that he is The Great Netanyahu. He even named a bypass near Jerusalem after his father, as if in this way, he can commemorate the greatness of them both.
    Now, Bibi Netanyahu's historical reckoning has arrived. Will he be remembered as the person responsible for the disaster of October 7, 2023, the one who plunged Israel into a purposeless and unending war, who splintered the bonds of Israeli society, and perhaps even sparked a devastating conflict with Hezbollah—all to sustain his deranged coalition and evade the grasp of the law? Or perhaps he will regain his senses, recall his father and the legacy of Jabotinskian dignity, and realize that returning the hostages home could unify nearly every Israeli and, perhaps, lead them to forgive him for some of the harm he has caused.
    Perhaps this will cause the coalition to fall apart, but even that is uncertain - where will all of these delusionals go? However, if he doesn’t do the right thing, he will be remembered in Jewish history as the one who abandoned Israeli citizens, the one responsible for the death and loss of hundreds of men, women and children, the one who at the pivotal moment, could not rise above petty concerns. That is not a good place to have in history. He would not wish to be remembered in this way. His father would not have wanted him to be remembered in this way.
    Benjamin Netanyahu, history is calling your name. Your decision will determine your legacy for ages!

    Acronyms and Glossary

    COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories

    ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague

    IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague

    MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp

    PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen

    PMO- Prime Minister's Office

    UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission

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