(Day 521) Swords of Iron – “Leave, Surrender, or Else”

Chaim starts by talking about the direst talks between US Special envoy Adam Boehler and Hamas officials, which is making some Israelis nervous while others are encouraging it. Hamas reportedly agreed with Boehler to allow an international coalition into Gaza to oversee the demolition of military infrastructure, release the remaining hostages, agree to renounce any claim on political leadership in the Strip and agree to a 5-10 year truce with Isreal during which Gaza would be rebuilt. But they will NOT agree to disarm.

Chaim says this is a sticking point that he doesn’t think can be unstuck. He asks his viewers to leave a comment saying what they think about it.

Next he speaks about the situation in Syria, where the ruling regime and some of its allied militias carried out a massacre of Alawites and Christians in recent days. Chaim says this is what we expect from jihadists, but he wonders why there are no protests against this situation in London, New York or any of the other places where protests against anything and everything Israel does or doesn’t do are so common.

The major world powers and the UN are also strangely silent about all this.

Next Chaim speaks about the situation in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has stopped allowing truckloads of tents, food, fuel oil and other products to go into the Strip because there’s no shortage of this stuff, it’s just all been stolen by Hamas so they can use it for their own purposes. Once again, Chaim points out, the European governments are clamoring for Israel to let more trucks in, totally ignoring the context and the reasons why the shipments have been halted.

In a related development, Turkey is blocking Israeli participation in NATO exercises, despite it being a NATO partner country.

All of this is weighing on the talks in Doha, Qatar, where Israel is insisting that Hamas either disarm or leave the Strip. US President Donald Trump says they’ll never disarm, so the solution is for them to leave. Chaim says we’ll soon find out if this is the correct approach.

But Hamas has also accepted a proposal to extend the cease-fire till the end of March, which is also the end of Ramadan, in exchange for some more hostages, but then they didn’t follow through. Chaim says it’s very frustrating to have these endless flip flops.

Next he speaks about the longstanding alliance between Israel and the Druze community which Israel is now extending to the Druze in Syria. THis is both a moral imperative and also a strategic imperative as it will provide a shield against jihadist pressure on Israel’s northern border.

Chaim concludes by quoting Psalms 112:6-8; Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established; he will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies.