Israel’s Strategy In Syria: Analyzing the Approach To The New Rebels Regime [Resource], J Street Policy Center
Col. res. Ron Shatzberg, Co-Director of the Economic Cooperation Foundation, explains the recent Israeli operations in Syria and outlines some initial strategic recommendations for Israel and the US administration.
Israeli Defense Minister Katz: Israel Will Have Full Security Control in Gaza, Like in West Bank, After War, Haaretz
On Tuesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed that Israel “will assume security control in Gaza” with “full freedom to act, just as in Judea and Samaria,” using the biblical name for the West Bank, after “destroying” Hamas.
Faced With Mounting Public Anger, a Weakened Hamas Starts To Compromise, The Washington Post
A new proposal for a 60-day pause in hostilities and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners includes key concessions from Hamas, which relented on its demands for a complete halt to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, a Hamas official told The Washington Post.
Family of US Protester Killed by Israeli Forces Presses Blinken for Investigation, BBC
The family is calling for a US criminal investigation and for the Department of State to acquire basic details from the IDF such as the unit involved and the identity of the commander, lawyer Brad Parker told the BBC. “The fact that they use live ammunition at protests at all has become normalised because there’s been so many deaths and so much killing, and Aysenur was a victim of that impunity,” said Mr Parker.
Negotiators Say Israel and Hamas Are Inching Toward a Ceasefire Deal. This Is What It May Look Like, AP
During the first phase, Israeli troops would withdraw from some Palestinian population centers, allowing many Palestinians to begin returning home. But Israeli troops wouldn’t leave Gaza altogether at this stage. They would remain along the Philadelphi corridor – a strategic strip of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Hamas Fears Trump Will Allow Israel To Resume Gaza War After 1st Phase of Hostage Deal, The Times of Israel
Hamas is concerned that US President-elect Donald Trump will allow Israel to resume fighting in Gaza at the completion of the first phase of the three-stage ceasefire that is currently in advanced negotiations, four sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.
Israel’s Ben-Gvir Dismissive as Former Hostage Recounts Sexual Assault in Gaza, Haaretz
The released hostage told Ben-Gvir that women in captivity are raped, to which the minister replied that the alternative is “the rape of 10,000 girls.” He is also heard shifting blame for the failures that lead to Hamas’ October 7 attack.
Israeli Strike in Gaza Kills at Least 8 From the Same Family, Palestinians Say, AP
An Israeli strike in Gaza killed at least eight people from the same family, most of them women and children, Palestinian medics said Tuesday. The strike late Monday hit a house in Gaza City’s central neighborhood of Daraj, according to the Health Ministry’s ambulance and emergency service.
Villagers in Syrian Golan Worry Israeli Stay in Demilitarized Zone Will Be Long-term Occupation, Haaretz
A week after the fall of Syria’s Assad regime and the Israeli army’s entrance into the border demilitarized zone, villagers living on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights have asked the new government in Damascus and other Arab countries to work to secure Israel’s withdrawal from the area.
Father of Hostage Thanks Ossoff, Warnock for Their Votes, The Atlanta Jewish Times
Yehuda Cohen writes, “The continuation of the war despite the justification being ‘to return the hostages’ has not led to any Israeli family members being released for over a year now. The math is simple, a hostage deal and ceasefire saw the return of 105 hostages, military operations have brought home four hostages, for which we are grateful, but this also came at an extremely high military and civilian cost.”
Manuel Trajtenberg on Israel’s Future, Moment Magazine
In an interview with Laurence Wolff, Israeli economist Manuel Trajtenberg shares, “It is impossible to predict what Trump will do. He wants to put an end to the war in Ukraine. He wants ‘deals,’ not necessarily peace, but quiet. At the same time, I believe that the appointment of the new pro-annexation U.S. ambassador to Israel probably will not influence policy.”
Syria’s Collapse and Israeli Attacks Leave Iran Exposed, The Washington Post
Susannah George reports, “U.S. administrations have been careful to avoid any direct confrontation with Iran, and the Biden White House warned Israel against hitting nuclear or oil facilities in its October attack. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled a desire to capitalize on gains against Hamas and Hezbollah and take on Tehran more aggressively under a new U.S. administration.”
An Israeli Order in the Middle East, Foreign Affairs
Amos Yadlin and Avner Golov write, “Israel should push for a political framework to match its battlefield successes. An Arab-Israeli coalition backed by the United States could repel threats from Shiite and Sunni radicals, provide the Palestinians with a realistic political future, safeguard Israel’s security interests, secure the return of the Israeli hostages still in Gaza, and prevent another attack on Israeli soil.”