How Trump Brought Hamas to the Table

Peter Berkowitz  "The terror group’s sudden openness to Trump’s peace plan is the product of his decision to flip the diplomatic script: advancing peace by negotiating with Israel’s Arab neighbors." 

 . . . "Trump flipped the diplomatic script. If he brings Hamas on board, he will have transformed a seemingly intractable situation into a merely exceptionally difficult one. 

"On Friday, President Donald Trump gave Hamas a Sunday deadline to respond to his peace proposal to end the Gaza war. Hours later, the Iran-backed terrorist group replied, agreeing to release all the hostages and enter into negotiations for a permanent ceasefire. At the same time, Hamas stated that hostages will be released only “with the provision of the field conditions necessary for the exchange process.”

"On Friday evening, Trump announced: “Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly. . . this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”

"Trump’s ambitious plan provides for, among other things, the prompt release of Israeli hostages; disarming Hamas, demilitarizing the territory, and deradicalizing the population; increased humanitarian aid to, and rebuilding of, Gaza; the formation of a technocratic government; the introduction into Gaza of an “International Stabilization Force”; and reform of the Palestinian Authority (PA) as the crucial precondition for launching a “credible pathway” to a Palestinian state.

"It’s not clear to which of the deal’s provisions Hamas has agreed to, or whether this means the end of the war in Gaza. But Trump’s gambit indicates that the war, which would enter its third year on Tuesday, is closer than ever to a turning point. How did this happen?

"Trump’s Middle East diplomacy can appear haphazard and erratic. One day, seemingly off the cuff, he can declare that Gaza’s approximately 2.2 million Palestinians must be moved from the war-ravaged territory in order to clear away tens of thousands of tons of rubble and transform Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” The next month, he can affirm that nobody will expel Palestinians from Gaza. Yet his ambitious plan to end the Israel-Hamas war and redevelop Gaza consolidated a fundamental transformation of America’s approach to the region, one which he set in motion in his first administration." . . .More...

Peter Berkowitz is the Tad and Dianne Taube senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and is a columnist for RealClearPolitics. From 2019 to 2021, he served as director of the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. State Department. His new book is “Explaining Israel: The Jewish State, the Middle East, and America.”

Stephen Miller Says it’s Time to Unleash State Power Against Rampant Left-Wing Terrorism Ravaging America

1. Cassandra MacDonald  

   "Thankfully, no DHS officers suffered serious injuries. Still, the attack is part of a staggering 1,000% increase in assaults on immigration agents, which DHS attributes to sanctuary policies that embolden criminals and hinder cooperation."

"In a post to X on Saturday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said it is time to use the full force of legitimate state power to dismantle the growing scourge of left-wing terrorism.

"Miller’s urgent warning seemingly came in response to a shocking ambush on federal agents in Illinois early Saturday morning.

"The attack took place in Broadview, Illinois, near Chicago, where Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents were rammed and boxed in by 10 vehicles during routine patrols.

"One assailant, a woman armed with a semi-automatic gun, had posted chilling online threats to “f-ck up” ICE agents, complete with doxxing and calls for violence." . . 

. . . "According to McLaughlin’s statement, the incident unfolded during routine patrolling in Broadview, the same suburb where agents faced assaults the previous day. Agents were suddenly surrounded and boxed in by ten cars, preventing any escape.

"One driver deliberately rammed the federal vehicle, prompting agents to exit and confront the threat. The ramming suspect, described as an armed woman, was wielding a semi-automatic weapon, leaving officers no choice but to open fire in self-defense.

"The woman, who sustained non-life-threatening wounds, drove herself to a nearby hospital for treatment. Shockingly, she had been flagged in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection intelligence bulletin just last week for doxing federal agents and inciting violence online.

"This brazen assault comes amid President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation push under Operation Midway Blitz, a targeted enforcement surge against criminal illegal immigrants in the Chicago area." . .   More...

Israel-Hamas war: '80% of bodies' found, including children, were tortured

Oct 15, 2023; Sky News

About what you would expect from people who murder Toddlers with their bare hands.

Raw, Uncensored Footage On The Ground At D-Day

War Stories

"This documentary delves into the historic D-Day landings in Normandy, focusing on the handful of cameramen and photographers who risked their lives to document the invasion. It reveals the challenges they faced, from dangerous conditions to the limitations of their equipment, and shows rare, uncensored footage from Omaha Beach. "War Stories is your one-stop shop for all things military history. From Waterloo to Verdun, we'll be bringing you only the best documentaries and stories from history's most engaging and dramatic conflicts. "Do you love uncovering the past, exploring historic sites, and venturing to distant lands? Join History Hit today and stream hundreds of exclusive documentaries, with new releases every week. Plus, enjoy ad-free access to our podcast network for even more history every week: https://historyhit.com/subscribe You can find more from us on: warstoriesdocs  

"I always find myself looking at their faces in these videos and wonder to myself if that individual survived the war, did he ever find peace after the horrors of WW2. So sad how many lives were lost, but it was unfortunately a necessary means to an end to the evil that was the Axis Powers. These young men truly changed the world for the better. I honestly wish I was alive during this time simply to experience that MASSIVE amount of national pride and love of country that was so prevalent and strong during the war."

Dinah Project presses Israel to charge Hamas terrorists for sexual violence

"Two years after the massacre, Israel has still not prosecuted any of the hundreds of terrorists arrested on Oct. 7, 2023." Sad that "Palestinians" and the Western left hate Israel more than they care for any decent people of Gaza. TD

Linda Gradstein

"On the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, the Dinah Project is working hard to encourage Israeli prosecutorial authorities to charge Hamas terrorists with using sexual violence as a weapon of war, as well as to increase international awareness of the issue.

"The issue of sexual violence as a weapon of war presents unique challenges, according to Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, a founding member of the Dinah Project as well as a founding academic director of The Ruth and Emanuel Rackman Center for the Advancement of Women’s Status at Bar-Ilan University, where she is a professor of law.

Ruth Halperin-Kaddari. Photo by Anat Geva Sharon.

“It is often impossible to connect a specific perpetrator to a specific victim, which is the usual way that prosecution works,” Halperin-Kaddari told JNS in a recent interview. “In the case of Oct. 7, there are very few survivors because most of the women were killed afterwards.”

"In addition, she said, much of the forensic evidence that would have proven the use of sexual violence was destroyed in the fighting. “It was a war zone,” she said. “The first priority was to recover the bodies, identify them and bring them to burial, so no forensic tests were performed.”

"Halperin-Kaddari previously served three terms on the United Nations Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

"The Dinah Project, named after the Biblical Dinah, the daughter of Jacob who was raped, was launched after the Oct. 7 massacre to pursue justice for victims of sexual violence. It was founded by Halperin-Kaddari, a legal scholar and former chief military prosecutor, Att. Col (Res.) Sharon Zagagi-Pinhas, and former judge and deputy attorney general Nava Ben-Or." . . .

Home - Dinah Project    Recognition and justice for victims of sexual violence in conflict 

                       Remembering the atrocities of October 7th, 2023.

"Patten and her team, tasked to gather, analyze, and verify information on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) from October 7 onwards, documented clear evidence of severe sexual acts such as rape, torture, and humiliation. Incidents of rape and gang rape occurred at several locations, notably the Nova music festival, Highway 232, and Kibbutz Re’im.

"The team found a patten of victims, mostly women, who were partially or fully naked, their bodies shot and mutilated, across multiple locations.

"While acknowledging the circumstantial nature of this evidence,
the team concluded it indicates deliberate sexual violence, including sexually motivated torture and cruel treatment. The team was also convinced that this violence persists against the remaining hostages." . . .

Contains the film "Screams Before Silence":

Screams Before Silence

A documentary film about the sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas on Ocober 7, 2023,

led by Sheryl Sandberg (Kastina Communications)

War to intensify if hostages not freed ‘in the near future’

 

IDF finds two terror tunnels near hospitals in Gaza City   

. . . "Hamas “operates systematically within hospital complexes, exploiting humanitarian facilities for military purposes. For years, the terrorist organization has built an underground system beneath hospitals across the Gaza Strip, used to manufacture weapons and to conduct combat operations,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said." . . . 

War to intensify if hostages not freed ‘in the near future’  “The prime minister is in regular contact with President Trump, who stressed Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off,” the spokeswoman said.

"A possible sticking point is that Hamas claims it does not have all the hostages’ bodies and would need time to locate them, some of which have been buried, or are in areas controlled by Israel’s military."While the details are ironed out, the Israeli Defense Forces have taken a defensive position in the Gaza Strip, with orders to fire when fired upon. The IDF has also suspended certain bombings, but no official ceasefire is in place, Badrosian told JNS." . . .

In the End, Everyone Hated the Iranian Theocracy

 VDH’s Blade of Perseus- Victor Davis Hanson

"The new reality is that either Israel or the U.S.—if they keep their earned confidence within proper limits—can now ensure a non-nuclear Iran by easily blowing up its costly nuclear program as often as it is rebuilt."

"It is hard even to digest the incredible train of events of the last few days in the Middle East.

"Iran had been reduced to an anemic, performance-art missile attack on our base in Qatar—the last Parthian shot from a terrified regime, desperate for an out—and a ceasefire.

"Iran would have been better off not launching such a ceremonial but ultimately humiliating proof of impotence.

"Even worse for the theocracy, Iran’s temporary reprieve came from the now magnanimous but still hated Donald Trump.

"So ends the creepy mystique of the supposedly indomitable terror state of Iran, the bane of the last seven American presidents over half a century.

"For Supreme Leader Khamenei, it was hard to swallow that U.S. bombers got their permission to fly into Iranian airspace from the Israeli air force.

"A good simile is that Trump put a pot of water on the stove, told Iran to jump in, put the lid over them, then smiled, turned up the heat—and will now let them stew.

"As postbellum realities now simmer in Iran, the theocracy is left explaining the inexplicable to its humiliated military and shocked but soon-to-be-furious populace. All the regime’s blood-curdling rhetoric, apocalyptic threats against Israel, goose-stepping thugs, and shiny new missiles ended in less than nothing.

"A trillion dollars and five decades’ worth of missiles and centrifuges are now up in smoke. That money might have otherwise saved Iranians from the impoverishment of the last fifty years.

"How about the little Satan Israel, to which Iran for nearly 50 years promised extinction?

"Israel had destroyed Iran’s expeditionary terrorists, Iran’s defenses, its nuclear viability, and the absurd mythology of Iranian military competence. And worse, Israel showed it could repeat all that destruction when and if it is necessary.

"So, the most hated regime in the world crawled into the boiling pot because it looked around in vain for someone to void Trump’s ultimatum for a cease and desist.

"But there were no last-minute saviors to rescue them." . . .  More...