DAY 96 OF THE GAZA WAR: Netanyahu No Settlements In Gaza, Quiet Day on Lebanese Broder, New Hostage Proposal From Qatar

Tel Aviv Diary, January 10, 2024

I am happy to say that this has been a relatively calm day. It was clearly one of the quietest days on the Northern Front since the beginning of this war, with only one barrage of Hezbollah rockets all day. Is this the quiet before the storm, or has Hezbollah decided to take a step back after suffering a series of significant losses over the course of the last few days? Time will tell.

Yesterday, it seemed as though we were on the brink of war in the North. Today, much less so. Let's hope this reprieve is a trend.

BACK IN GAZA

Fighting continued primarily in Khan Younis and central Gaza's refugee camps. The Army successfully captured a tunnel complex previously used to hold hostages. Regrettably, this operation follows a disturbing pattern of discovering locations only after they have been vacated.

In a somber announcement, the IDF confirmed the death of another soldier, 24-year-old Elkana Newlander, in Gaza

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During a visit to troops in Gaza, the IDF Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi conveyed a strong message: There is no place in Gaza beyond their reach to confront and dismantle Hamas. Halevi further cautioned that the IDF could take similar actions in Lebanon, if necessary.

NETANYAHU PUBLICLY RULES OUT SETTLEMENTS IN GAZA

Tonight, on the eve of the hearing at the International Court of Justice in Hague regarding whether or not Israel is “committing genocide,” Prime Minister Netanyahu released a brief video. In the clip, Netanyahu clearly stated, for the first time, that Israel has no intention of remaining in Gaza, and will not establish settlement there. Once again, Netanyahu has taken a step that is not in his own political advantage, but is in the best interest of the country. This marks the second time in a week that Bibi has publicly prioritized the nation's interests, (with the first instance being his appointment of Aharon Barak as a judge at The Hague). Is this a new Bibi?

IDF SPOKESMAN

Tonight, the IDF released a notable announcement. It addressed recent reports alleging that the Army had killed two “journalists” in Rafah. In its statement, the IDF asserted that they have evidence confirming that both of the individuals killed were members of the Islamic Jihad. The IDF released one of the documents they discovered, listing one of the “journalists” on the Islamic Jihad roster.

NEW HOSTAGE RELEASE PROPOSAL

There is a new Qatari proposal seeking both the return of all the hostages and an end to the fighting. The proposal calls for a staged release of hostages, in exchange for a staged withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to fighting. What is new about this proposal is that it would compel the Hamas leadership to leave Gaza. The major negative to this recommendation is that, albeit without its current leaders, Hamas would remain in power. Moreover, there is concern that most of the hostages are scheduled to be released towards the end of the steps.

It's not clear whether or not Hamas supports the latest Qatari proposal. The Israeli government is discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the proposal tonight. There are those who say— “Let's accept the proposal, pull out, and then a month later, after the hostages are back, go back in and destroy the rest of Hamas.”

BLINKEN’S ROUGH ENCOUNTERS

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken did not have an easy trip to the region. In his meeting with the Israeli War Cabinet, Blinken conveyed to the members that — just like you (Israelis) have aspirations, so do the Palestinians. Cabinet Minister Ron Derner responded, stating: 80% of the Palestinians support the brutal massacre that happened on October 7th, and it's with them you want us to make peace? Blinken’s most frustrating problem is the inability of the Israeli government to say what it wants to happen to Gaza after the war.

Blinken reportedly did not have an easier time in Ramallah, where he called on the Palestinian Authority to reform itself. PA President Abbas reportedly responded that it's the United States that needs to reform its relations with the Palestinians. The discussion was reportedly quite heated.

SETTLEMENTS

One of my readers commented on what I wrote (about two days ago), quoting a leader of the protest movement who said he had believed that the settlers were responsible for the fact that we were not reaching peace with the Palestinians. That protest leader now acknowledges that although he disagrees with them on many matters, the settlers themselves are not the problem — the root of the ongoing conflict lies in the deep-seated burning hatred Palestinians have towards us.

The reader asserted that “while technically true, the rather large footnote is that while changing Israel’s policy and its treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank is not going to make them like Israelis, or even stop fighting, it would be a critical first step to maintaining any positive association with the Arab world — without which, I fail to see any possible way forward in post war governance of Gaza, which is the center of gravity of all of this.”

I completely concur with that reader. I believe the presence of settlers significantly complicates our relationship with the Palestinians. At present, we are compelled to devote resources and time to defending settlements that aren't located on any border, but are instead situated amidst Palestinian-dominated areas. Although I don't see a two-state solution as feasible in the near future, it remains the only viable long-term resolution. The expansion of Jewish settlements within Palestinian population centers will severely impede the possibility of ever achieving a two-state solution. Furthermore, the attacks by some Jewish settlers on Palestinians are completely indefensible.

THE HOUTHIS

There was a major air battle last night over the Red Sea, with the Houthis firing 22 projectiles at ships. Here is how the US Navy reports the encounter:

On Jan. 9, at approximately 9:15 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthis launched a complex attack of Iranian designed one-way attack UAVs (OWA UAVs), anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Southern Red Sea, towards international shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting.

Eighteen OWA UAVs, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down by a combined effort of F/A-18s from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Gravely (DDG 107), USS Laboon (DDG 58), USS Mason (DDG 87), and the United Kingdom’s HMS Diamond (D34). This is the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since Nov. 19. There were no injuries or damage reported.

HOW DID ANTISEMITISM COME TO HARVARD

A very interesting article appeared in the Harvard Crimson, written by Harry R. Lewis ’68 who is a Gordon McKay Research Professor of Computer Science. Lewis served as Dean of Harvard College from 1995 to 2003. In “Reaping What We Have Taught,” Professor Lewis attempts to explain why antisemitism managed to blossom at Harvard. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/1/8/lewis-reaping-what-we-taught/

NEW DRONE DEFENSE

Rafael, an Israeli government company (manufactures of the Iron Dome), had been selling an air defense system called “Spyder,” internationally. To the best of my knowledge, the IDF has not purchased the system, to date. Rafael has now enhanced the “Spyder” system in what they call the “All-in-One configuration,” which includes the ability to intercept drones

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In collaboration with Israel’s Ministry of Defense and “Mafat” (The Ministry of Defense Directorate of Defense Research), Rafael achieved a successful test of the advanced Spyder Air Defense System. According to Israel’s Ministry of Defense:

Today’s test simulated various scenarios and demonstrated the system's ability to intercept challenging threats with precision and direct impact. This achievement marks a significant technological breakthrough, enhancing the system's adaptability to evolving complex threats in different environments.

It seems likely that the IDF is planning to purchase the Spyder system.

BUSINESS

Anecdotes, develops tools for regulatory compliance systems, has raised $25 million in a Series-B funding round led by Glilot Capital Partners, with participation from existing investors Red Dot Capital Partners, Vintage Investment Partners, and Shasta Venture. Additionally, new investors Vertex and DTCP have joined. This latest round brings the total investment in the company since its inception to $55 million.

Anecdotes operates in the GRC (Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance) field. The company's platform enables organizations to manage risk and compliance processes according to regulatory requirements by automatically collecting and normalizing information, eliminating the need for manual actions.