...And There You Have It.
Who is thanking who?
I might have (thankfully) been wrong about how Hamas would not release all the hostages, but I was right about the charedim refusing to give credit to the IDF for this incredible result. But I was right for the wrong reasons. Here’s the statement that Agudas Yisrael just put out:
It’s not that, as I said yesterday, they are so anti-rationalist that they refuse to give credit to any human endeavor. They are perfectly happy to express appreciation to Trump (who does indeed deserve our gratitude). But not a single word about the 915 soldiers who gave their lives, and the endless tens of thousands more who sacrificed their health and so much else, in order to help make this happen! Absolutely disgraceful.
So since the “Gedolim” have nothing to offer, I’ll instead quote the words of a random person on LinkedIn, Naftali Berezin, who wrote as follows:
Over 915 IDF soldiers have given their lives over the past two years, fighting with courage and determination to protect Israel and the Jewish people from the threats in Gaza and Lebanon.
The pain their families carry is unimaginable.
There is no deal that will ever bring them back, before God enacts the resuscitation of the deceased.
Every day without them, every memory that turns bittersweet, is a reminder of the tremendous price paid for our freedom and security.
And yet, even through the grief, there’s a deep sense of honor and purpose, knowing that their sacrifice was not in vain.
That all the hostages have finally come home.
That these brave Soldiers gave their lives for something larger than themselves, so that the people of Israel, Jews everywhere, can live in safety and peace.
May their souls rest in peace.
And may we always remember their sacrifice.
And I’ve leave you with this poetic text in Hebrew that is circulating:
Let us all keep in mind that Trump is an unreliable ally. We can applaud what he has done, but bear in mind what Trump does is what he perceives as good for himself. Right now our interests coincide with his, and we have the added support of Witkoff, Kushner, and Ivanka Trump. But, he has consistently turned against "friends" when he perceives them as being somehow disloyal.
Trump stepped in as Hamas was defeated and needed an escape route, which he provided.
As grateful as we all are for the release of the surviving hostages, I have questioned why he hadn’t intervened earlier, and possibly saved more hostages.
The only answer I can come up with is that Hamas wouldn’t “follow Trump’s lead” until they had no alternative. Had he stepped in earlier, he would have appeared lame. I can’t help thinking he, or his advisors, saw an opportunity in Hamas’s desperate situation, and took it.
Granted, his involvement resulted in the release of the surviving hostages, but I perceive it as much more a result of the actions of the IDF, rather than from Trump’s ability to bring any change in the thinking, philosophy, or long range goals of Hamas and its allies.
For the AY to ignore the role of the IDF is contemptible. To rephrase an idea, “ It is better to keep silent and appear wise than open your mouth and prove yourself a fool.” In this case, the worst type of fool, an ungrateful one.