DAY 106 OF THE GAZA WAR: Biden and Netanyahu, Hostages, Tunnels, Targeted Attacks in Syria and Lebanon

Tel Aviv Diary January 20, 2024

Tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 21st, there will be a Zoom briefing: 6 PM Israel time, 11AM EST, 8 AM PST

The major story in Israel, both yesterday and today, has been the most recent phone call between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Biden. This conversation represents the first time the pair had spoken in four weeks. Following their discussion, both the White House and the Prime Minister's office released statements indicating that it had been a positive conversation.

The call between the two leaders took place one day after Netanyahu addressed the Israeli public, declaring he would not be compelled to consent to the creation of a Palestinian State, even at the behest of the United States. Netanyahu has been working to engineer a crisis with the US for political leverage, in attempts to position himself as the only Israeli leader capable of standing up to the US.

However, Biden proved too smart for Netanyahu, employing a judo-like strategy to refrain from giving Netanyahu the confrontation he sought. Instead, when questioned during a press gathering about his ability to collaborate with Netanyahu on reaching an agreement for a two-state solution, Biden responded affirmatively. The President elaborated by noting that  there are all kinds of states around the world, including several UN member states that do not maintain an army.

During Shabbat in Israel, in an unusual move, the Prime Minister’s office issued the following statement:

In his conversation last night with President Biden, Prime Minister Netanyahu repeated his consistent position for years, which he had also expressed at a press conference the day before: After the elimination of Hamas, Israel must remain in full security control of the Gaza Strip to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel — and this conflicts with demands for Palestinian sovereignty.

After Shabbat, all the leading right-wing politicians issued declarations ruling out a Palestinian State. If you look carefully at the declarations, alongside Biden’s statement, both can be correct/true. Netanyahu speaks as though delegating defense responsibilities to another nation — in the context of statehood — is implausible. It's important to note that neither Biden nor the Saudis are advocating for the immediate creation of a Palestinian state, either tomorrow or next year. Rather, they both desire a process that would eventually lead to its establishment.

You can see my on-air discussion this morning on the topic (@I24 News) below:

HOSTAGES AND DEMONSTRATIONS

This evening, as is the case every Saturday night, there were two demonstrations in Tel Aviv. The first demonstration, held in Kikar Habimah, teemed with protesters demanding Netanyahu's immediate resignation. This protest has been steadily growing in size each week. Tonight, the crowd spilled beyond the kikar.

Many of those protesters subsequently marched to Kikar Hachatufim (Hostage Square at the Tel Aviv Art Museum) to participate in the weekly demonstration demanding the urgent return of the hostages. 107 days in … The families of the hostages are slowly losing hope in the government's willingness or ability to negotiate a release deal. Consequently, they are planning more militant actions.

On Friday, security cabinet member, Gideon Sa’ar disclosed the conditions set by Hamas for the release of the hostages. The demands include Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza, backed by international guarantees that it will not return. Israel will have to release all of the security prisoners it holds, including all of the attackers and rapists from the October 7th massacre. If these are indeed Hamas’s unwavering demands, then it is difficult to envision any Israeli government agreeing to them under almost any circumstances.

GAZA

The Army spokesman announced that IDF forces in Khan Younis discovered an entrance to a large tunnel. Engaging in combat, they successfully eliminated the terrorists who were defending that tunnel. Once inside, they advanced to some sizable internal rooms where they discovered artifacts left by hostages previously held there, including a child's drawings. This discovery shed additional light on the appalling conditions under which the hostages were held. Sadly, yet again, we found no hostages, only evidence of their prior presence at the location.

In other areas of Khan Younis, IDF troops continued to find stores of weapons and ammunition, which they successfully destroyed.

A reader asked: Are Gazans able to go back to their homes now, if the IDF continues blowing up tunnels? The answer is complicated. In some areas, such as large parts of northern Gaza, Israel does not yet want the Palestinians to return to their homes. From an engineering standpoint, most of the tunnels can be destroyed without endangering the buildings above. The IDF destroyed the tunnels under Shifa Hospital without damaging the hospital.

HOUTHIS

The United States has attacked Houthi targets in Yemen again tonight. This is the sixth time US forces have retaliated against the Houthis.

LEBANON AND SYRIA

On Saturday, an airstrike targeted an apartment in Damascus, where the head of intelligence and his deputy from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were located. Both of them, along with three others, were killed in the attack. The Iranian President vowed revenge on Israel. Additionally, this afternoon in Lebanon, a missile strike destroyed a car carrying the Hamas official responsible for armaments in Lebanon and the West Bank, resulting in his death.

AVIATION

Delta Airlines stated today that all its flights to Israel are canceled through the end of April. This announcement comes at a time when numerous European airlines are resuming their flights to Israel. While European airline crews often have the option to return home on the same day, that is not feasible for crews flying from the US to Israel, due to the longer flight duration. As a result, US flight crews are required to stay in Israel for a few days before their return journey. However, the crews are currently unwilling to do so.

Currently, El Al remains the sole airline to providing direct flights between the US and Israel. Keep this in mind when the better times return and you have a choice of airlines to fly.