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In-Depth Issues:
Secretary of State Nominee Rubio Defends Israel's Conduct in Gaza War, Slams ICC - Ben Samuels ( Ha'aretz)
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), nominated to be U.S. Secretary of State, said at his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday that Hamas "deliberately targeted civilians."
"The ones they didn't murder, the families they didn't eviscerate, the people whose skulls they didn't crack open, they kidnapped and to this day continue to hold innocents they took in a deliberate operation."
"Israel in responding to that had to go after Hamas. How can any nation-state on the planet co-exist with a group of savages like Hamas? They have to defend their national security and national interest."
"There's a difference between those who deliberately target civilians and those who do what they can to avoid civilians being caught up against an enemy who doesn't wear a uniform, hides in tunnels, hides behind women and children and using them as human shields. There is no moral equivalency."
He also said the International Criminal Court (ICC) targeting of Israel "is very dangerous for the United States. This is a test run to see if we can go after a head of state of a nation that's not a member. If we can get Israel, they will apply that to the United States at some point."
"The moral equivalency of [the prosecution of Israel] was offensive. Hamas carried out an atrocious operation, sending a bunch of savages into Israel with the explicit purpose of targeting civilians."
"They knew there were no soldiers at the music festival, they knew there were teens and young families in the communities."
Azerbaijan Foils Iranian Plot to Kill Senior Jewish Community Figure ( Jerusalem Post)
The Azerbaijani secret service (DTX) thwarted an Iranian-backed terror attack targeting a prominent member of the Jewish community, sources within the community confirmed.
Two suspects - Georgian citizen Aqil Aslanov and Azerbaijani citizen Ceyhun Ismayilov - were apprehended near a Jewish center.
Aslanov, a known drug trafficker, was offered $200,000 for the task by foreign intelligence agents while abroad.
He recruited Ismayilov, and they both collected and transmitted information on the target's residence, workplace, and habits to their handlers.
In 2024, during the war with Hamas, Azerbaijan increased its oil exports to Israel by 55%, despite Iranian and Turkish pressure.
Israel Supreme Court Rejects Palestinian Authority Appeal to Overturn Terror Compensation Law - Lital Dobrovitsky ( Ynet News)
The Palestinian Authority petitioned Israel's Supreme Court last May to overturn a law which allows victims of terrorism to demand compensation from the PA. On Monday, Supreme Court Acting President Isaac Amit rejected the PA's petition.
Amit ruled that "the Palestinian Authority pays terrorists and members of their families significant amounts of money and benefits, in close connection with the criminal acts of terrorism they committed....The PA's compensation policy is disgusting. It is intolerable." Justice Khaled Kabub and Justice Yael Wilner joined Amit in the decision.
According to the PA, there are 180 claims pending against it for compensation for acts of terrorism.
Amit added that the PA "claims a violation of its rights, but the alleged violation stems from its actions and its choice to pay money and benefits to murderers stained with the blood of innocent Israelis."
"The Palestinian Authority has the option of choosing a different path and to cease its policy that rewards and encourages carrying out terrorist acts."
Follow the Jerusalem Center on:
Why Hizbullah Wants Lebanon's New President to Succeed - Michal Kranz ( UnHerd)
Joseph Khalil Aoun, head of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), is the new Lebanese president.
It would be in Hizbullah's interest for Aoun to succeed because his foreign backers are their only path toward funding reconstruction in the war-battered Shia south.
With Iran retreating across the region, Hizbullah can hardly rely on Tehran to help rebuild shattered towns and villages in its strongholds, making Aoun's connections to Gulf financiers absolutely critical.
With over 99,000 homes destroyed or damaged and around $2.8 billion in looming reconstruction costs across the country, Hizbullah's ability to facilitate the recovery of its community will be central for its political future.
Hizbullah's fundamental promise to be a guarantor of economic and political security for Lebanon's Shia may start to come apart as Lebanon suffers under the combined weight of economic disaster and the ravages of war.
Bowing to Western demands, at least in part, Hizbullah acted to keep its reputation to its base alive and well.
Nvidia Investing $500 Million in New Israeli Computing Facility - Assaf Gilead ( Globes)
Nvidia Corporation is constructing one of the largest server farms in Israel, near Yokne'am in the north of the country.
Industry sources estimate the total investment in the Data Center Engineering Facility at over $500 million.
The new site was constructed within less than a year, and will start to operate in the first half of this year, supporting expansion of Nvidia's research and development activity in Israel.
The new facility will be stronger in its computing and processing power than Nvidia's Israel 1 supercomputer, which last November became the 34th strongest computer in the world.
The systems and labs at the new site will serve engineering and product groups in developing new hardware and software technologies for accelerated communications, processor design, and AI software.
Amit Krig, Nvidia-Israel site leader, said, "The new research, development and engineering site will enable Nvidia...to continue developing the technologies that drive artificial intelligence, the most important technological power of our time."
See also New Nvidia-Israel Center to Focus on Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence Supercomputing Infrastructure - Erez Linn ( Israel Hayom)
Anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace to Pay $677,634 after Covid Loan Fraud Allegation - Micahel Starr ( Jerusalem Post)
The Anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) has agreed to pay $677,634 to settle allegations that it defrauded federal Coronavirus loan programs by stating that it was not a political or lobbying entity, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Tuesday.
JVP will be paying twice the amount it received for a $338,817 loan under the Paycheck Protection Act program.
The U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Attorney's Office said an investigation confirmed that JVP was primarily engaged in political activities, such as organizing a letter campaign to members of Congress to enact an arms embargo against the State of Israel.
The settlement and federal investigation was the result of a whistleblower complaint by the Zionist Advocacy Center.
Search the Recent History of Israel and the Middle East
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Biden Announces Gaza Ceasefire and Hostage Deal
President Joe Biden said Wednesday: "Today, after many months of intensive diplomacy by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal. This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity." (U.S. Embassy in Israel)
See also Trump Says Won't Let Gaza Become "Terrorist Safe Haven"
Following the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, incoming U.S. president Donald Trump said that his White House would "continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven." (AFP)
See also Iran Says Gaza Ceasefire Is a "Victory" for Palestinian Resistance
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday: "The end of the war and the imposition of a ceasefire on the Zionist regime is a clear and great victory for Palestine and a greater defeat for the Zionist regime. The resistance remains alive, thriving, strong...and has deeper faith in the divine promise of liberating the al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem." On X, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Palestinian resistance and Iran-backed "Resistance Axis" succeeded in forcing Israel to "retreat." (Reuters)
- Trump's Incoming U.S. National Security Advisor: Hamas Must Have No Role in Governing Gaza
Incoming U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told podcast host Dan Senor on Wednesday
that it "astounds me that people try to put [Hamas] in some type of special category. These are hostage-taking, murderous, rapist, torturers that never should ever have any role in governing."
He asserted that the Palestinian people should not be subjected to such leadership, and emphasized the necessity of eradicating Hamas to achieve a stable and peaceful future for the region. "This is about imposing consequences for those who would do this type of horrendous act like we saw on Oct. 7, who would take Americans or other allies hostage."
Waltz emphasized that a ceasefire in Gaza does not mark the end of Israel's objectives in the war. He underscored the necessity of fully demilitarizing Gaza, dismantling Hamas to prevent its resurgence, and ensuring Israel's right to self-defense. (JNS)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- Gazans Celebrate Ceasefire Deal - Lior Ben Ari
Gazans on Wednesday evening celebrated the news that a ceasefire agreement has been reached after much of Gaza has been destroyed and most of its residents displaced. Hamas claimed victory, calling the ceasefire deal "a turning point in the struggle on the way to the ultimate goal of liberation."
In Khan Yunis, Hamas terrorists joined the celebrations with their guns raised. There were celebrations in the West Bank city of Ramallah and on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
(Ynet News)
- Report: 3,000 Terrorists for 33 Hostages
Following announcements that a ceasefire and hostage deal had been reached on Wednesday, Arab media published the alleged provisions of the deal. The Prime Minister of Qatar confirmed that 33 hostages will be released. In exchange, Israel will release 2,000 convicted terrorists, including 250 who were sentenced to life imprisonment. In addition, Israel will release a thousand terrorists captured after Oct. 7.
(Jerusalem Post)
- Hamas Leader Hails Oct. 7 Atrocities, Calls Ceasefire a Defeat for Israel
Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said Wednesday during a televised speech from Qatar that the Hamas-led massacres of Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, was a "military accomplishment" and "a source of pride for our people...to be passed down from generation to generation." He said the group would continue to pursue Israel's destruction. "Our people will expel the occupation from our land and from Jerusalem at the earliest time possible." (Times of Israel)
- U.S. Official: Five Female Israeli Soldiers Expected to Be Freed on Sunday - Ben Samuels
A senior U.S. official said Wednesday that five female Israeli soldiers are expected to be released on Sunday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. He added, "The catalyst of this intensive diplomacy was the defeat of Hizbullah, the ceasefire in Lebanon, and a massive isolation of Hamas that got them back to the table."
"Hamas has no free-standing brigades or military organization anymore. Have they recruited poor Gazans? Yeah, but that is a far cry from an organization that invaded Israel in military formations with thousands of organized fighters on Oct. 7." (Ha'aretz)
- IDF Destroys Rocket Launch Sites in Gaza -
Yoav Zitun
IDF troops uncovered and dismantled multiple sites in the Beit Hanoun area in northern Gaza used to launch rockets toward Israel, as well as several rockets intended to launch, the IDF announced on Wednesday.
(Ynet News)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
The Gaza War
- The Hostage Deal Is the Price of Israel's Weakness on Oct. 7 - Amb. Michael Oren
Israel could not simultaneously destroy Hamas and secure all of the hostages' release. The terrorists who regarded the hostages as the key to their survival would hardly give them up for less than an Israeli commitment to end the war.
Israel believed that by increasing military pressure on Hamas, it could compel the terrorists to free the hostages. The strategy appeared to work when, in November 2023, Hamas released 105 of its 251 hostages in exchange for a weeklong ceasefire and the freeing of 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Israel reasonably assumed that ratcheting up its operations in Gaza, especially in Hamas's Rafah stronghold, would yield similar results.
But Hamas, convinced that mounting international condemnation of the war's conduct would soon force the Israelis to surrender, dug in its heels. Israeli forces entered Rafah and several refugee camps, killed senior Hamas leaders, and dispelled Hamas's hope of opening a second front with Hizbullah in Lebanon - yet no new hostage deal ensued. Instead of buckling to military pressure and releasing hostages, the terrorists shot them.
If and when the ceasefire breaks down, the Israeli government is counting on the Trump administration's unbridled support in completing the destruction of Hamas.
Perhaps this outcome was unavoidable from the beginning. Perhaps the deal is the only way of reconciling Israel's goals of annihilating Hamas and repatriating the hostages. Perhaps, despite Israel's subsequent military triumph, this is the price for the failures of Oct. 7.
The writer is a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and Deputy Minister for Diplomacy. (Free Press)
- The Impending Hostage Deal - Ron Ben-Yishai
The military pressure exerted by the IDF on northern Gaza in recent months was the main leverage that led to flexibility on the part of Hamas and made clear to the terror group that it would do well to agree to a deal now, before thousands more of its fighters are killed, and before the IDF advances further and destroys Gaza entirely.
However, the disadvantages of the deal cannot be ignored. The release from jail of thousands of Palestinian murderers could bolster the ranks of Islamist terror groups that were depleted during the war in Gaza and the West Bank.
(Ynet News)
- Is a Gaza Ceasefire Part of a Wider Strategy? - Col. Richard Kemp
A ceasefire in Gaza may be one part of a wider strategy for the Middle East already agreed between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President-elect Trump. A primary objective is undoubtedly to destroy Iran's nuclear program, which represents an existential danger to Israel and threatens the Middle East and the world. It looks unlikely that Trump would send in U.S. forces for this mission, but that isn't strictly necessary. What is needed is for the U.S. to give Israel the military assistance and diplomatic cover it requires, which Biden refused to do.
The writer, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, was chairman of the UK's national crisis management committee, COBRA. (Telegraph-UK)
- Without the Hostages, the Gaza War Would Have Been Over Months Ago, with an IDF Victory - Maj. (ret.) Andrew Fox
If all goes to plan, a terrible war will be over, innocent civilians on both sides can start to rebuild their lives, and the hostages will be free. These are objectively Good Things. On a human, compassionate level we should all be delighted.
Tactically, Hamas have taken a severe beating, having lost as much as 90% of military capability and 80% of manpower, although they have boosted their numbers with untrained recruits. Sinwar, Deif and most other key leaders are dead. However, Hamas retains administrative control of Gaza.
Strategically, Hamas will consider this deal to be a victory. Unrestricted inflow of aid, coupled with reduced Israeli oversight and reconnaissance, will allow Hamas to rebuild in short order. Qatar, Turkey and Egypt will support Hamas's rebuild to a significant extent. This deal exponentially increases the risk of a Muslim Brotherhood hegemony filling the void left by Iran's Shia Crescent of proxies in Syria and Lebanon.
Internationally, Hamas have won the most resounding victory imaginable in the world's media, in Western states, and on the internet. The international press has ultimately handed Hamas a win through the fact of their continued survival and eventual rebuild. Hamas has seen booming popularity in Judea and Samaria/West Bank. The stock of the Palestinian cause rides high internationally.
This deal completely validates Hamas's strategy of taking hostages. Without the hostages, this war would have been over months ago, with a convincing IDF victory. The IDF rank-and-file have won every fight. Yet, Israel appears to have seized defeat in Gaza from the jaws of victory. Due to international political pressure, the IDF has been operating with the handbrake on throughout this campaign. In the long term, it is unlikely that Hamas will remain dismantled, or that Israel's borders will be any safer from future attacks in decades to come.
The writer, who served in the British Army from 2005-21, is a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society and a lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. (Substack)
- A Deal with Hamas - Nadav Shragai
While some may support the deal to bring the hostages home and others oppose it, there exists a third path: acknowledging that this is a poor deal, albeit potentially unavoidable. Since 1985, Israel has released thousands of terrorists through various deals, gestures, and diplomatic frameworks. About half of them returned to terrorism and murdered Jews. Hundreds were killed or wounded by these released terrorists.
The 1,150 Palestinian terrorists released in the Jibril deal of 1985 became the backbone of the first intifada, resulting in the murder of 165 Israelis. Half of the terrorists released following the Oslo Accords joined Palestinian terror groups, with many participating in the second intifada that claimed 1,178 Israeli lives.
The terrorists released to the West Bank, Gaza, and abroad will inject new life into Hamas. They will likely rehabilitate it and form its new leadership. Senior IDF and Israel Security Agency officials admitted in the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet that the influx of released terrorists into the West Bank and Gaza areas will be catastrophic.
(Israel Hayom)
- The True Cost of the Hostage Deal - Herb Keinon
Israel's agreement to the emerging hostage deal in exchange for thousands of Palestinian security prisoners, including convicted terrorist murderers, marks a triumph of the heart over the head. Saving the lives of the hostages is seen as an expression of the solidarity and mutual responsibility that has always been a cornerstone of Israeli society.
Those opposed to the deal are judging the agreement based on whether it is good in the long term. They argue that the deal will incentivize hostage-taking, and that releasing thousands of Hamas terrorists will inevitably lead to more terrorism. In 2011, Israel released 1,027 security prisoners, including Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7 attack, for Gilad Shalit. How many Israeli lives were lost as a result of that deal?
The final concern is that Hamas still retains control of Gaza's civilian infrastructure and is left in place under the agreement. It is only a matter of time before it regroups and rearms.
The joy of seeing hostages reunited with their families will be profound, but the true cost of that moment may only be fully reckoned many years from now. (Jerusalem Post)
- Is Trump Pushing Israel toward a Bad Deal? - Ariel Kahana
The hostage deal currently taking shape stipulates that an unspecified number of hostages kidnapped on Oct. 7 will be returned to their families in exchange for Hamas's military, economic, and governmental rehabilitation.
According to senior Israeli officials, Trump's rigid expectation for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finalize a deal before his presidential inauguration is what compelled Netanyahu to accept the current framework.
The agreement will undoubtedly bolster Hamas. Despite suffering substantial losses, Hamas stands to receive at least 1,000 new operatives directly from Israeli prisons. This influx of "new blood" is likely to reignite violence. These released prisoners, some of whom are particularly violent offenders, have undergone years of ideological reinforcement and organizational consolidation while in Israeli custody, preparing for their eventual return to terrorist activities.
Historically, mass releases of prisoners have consistently triggered waves of renewed terror. The newly freed operatives are expected to quickly integrate into Hamas's extensive network across Judea and Samaria, Gaza, Qatar, and Turkey, from where they will likely orchestrate new attacks.
Furthermore, the Hamas deal encompasses a substantial increase in the flow of goods and fuel into Gaza, bolstering the group's military and economic capabilities.
(Israel Hayom)
- We Must Never Forget the Evil that Is Hamas - Danny Cohen
The imminent ceasefire in Gaza is a moment to remind ourselves of the evil and depravity of Hamas and what it is that Israel has been fighting. During their genocidal killing spree on Oct. 7, Hamas seized babies, the disabled, the elderly and Holocaust survivors as hostages. The terrorists paraded bleeding young Jewish women through celebratory crowds in Gaza, they allowed mobs to attack injured captives. Hostages who were released or rescued reported details of how they were tortured, starved and sexually abused.
It is important for us all to understand what kind of enemy Israel has been facing and why it is so important that Hamas is destroyed. Yet with a deep perversity, the focus of the world's wrath has been on Israel's response to a mass terrorist attack rather than on those who started the war with acts of utmost barbarity.
I have not seen any protests on the streets of London demanding the end of Hamas's control of Gaza. There has been no social media outpouring to condemn a group of violent Islamists who want to destroy their regional neighbor. And beyond the Jewish community there has been little concern for the plight of the hostages.
The writer was the director of BBC Television (2013-15). (Telegraph-UK)
- Hamas Hopes Prisoners' Release Will Offset Gaza Devastation - Jack Khoury
Hamas will try to portray the release of numerous Palestinian prisoners as a success. It will also try to show that despite suffering major blows, it is still a dominant player in the Palestinian struggle.
Hamas's newfound flexibility is due to several reasons. Even Gazans who support Hamas are pressuring it to end the war because of the Strip's near-total destruction, along with the hunger, disease and emotional damage, which will also be felt in Gaza for generations to come. Another reason is Hamas's geopolitical isolation following the ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah, combined with the developments in Syria.
(Ha'aretz)
- Ceasefire Deal with Israel Comes as Hamas Is Severely Weakened - Matthew Mpoke Bigg
Hamas may claim victory after a ceasefire with Israel that was announced on Wednesday, but 15 months of war have left it severely weakened. Israel's bombardment and invasion of Gaza after the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas have decimated 21 battalions of its Qassam Brigades.
In September, the Israeli military said more than 17,000 Hamas fighters had been killed, including a number of senior commanders. Israeli forces killed the commander of Hamas's military wing, Muhammad Deif, in July; another top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, later that month; and the group's leader, Yahya Sinwar, in October.
Ahron Bregman, a former Israeli military officer and expert in Middle East security issues at King's College London, said, "Israel has turned Gaza into dust, but Hamas is still standing and they have not raised the white flag." The Iran-backed regional proxy network that has helped sustain Hamas has also been decimated. (New York Times)
- Hamas's "Resistance" Has Achieved Nothing for the Palestinian People - Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib
When a ceasefire in Gaza is announced, Hamas's fascists will do everything they can to frame this as the ultimate victory. They will wear their military uniforms, emerge from their tunnels, stop hiding in schools and displacement centers, and very quickly reassert their control. They'll even get a few Gazans to celebrate and dance for them.
The reality, however, is that no Gazan will seriously celebrate after 15 months of death and destruction. Every single person in Gaza has not only experienced the most traumatic chapter of their lives, but has been directly impacted by the destruction of 70% of the Strip, and the death of tens of thousands, with every single person having a relative or close family member who was killed.
The reality is that the Islamist terrorism of Hamas, masquerading as "resistance," has achieved nothing for the Palestinian people except for billions of dollars in wasted resources and tens of thousands of needless deaths, with Gaza in ruins 20 years after the withdrawal of Israel in 2005.
Hamas's propaganda machine, run by Qatari state media Al-Jazeera, will work overtime to turn a catastrophic disaster into a victory, desperately seeking to promote the armed resistance narrative as one that is heroic and valiant when it is cowardly and ineffective.
The writer, a Palestinian-American humanitarian activist, is a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council. (X)
Turkey
- Turkey's New Threat to Israel - Yoni Ben Menachem
Following the fall of the Assad regime, senior Israeli security officials have expressed alarm over Turkey's growing involvement in the region. According to the Jacob Nagel Committee's report on Israel's defense budget, published on January 6, 2025, Turkey's ambitions to "restore the Ottoman crown to its former glory" present a pressing security challenge.
The report highlights the possibility of an extremist Syrian regime with an anti-Israel ideology replacing Assad's government.
Reports in the Turkish press indicate plans to establish military bases in Syria equipped with air defense systems, ostensibly to protect against Israeli airstrikes. Erdogan has also pledged support the new rulers of Syria by providing weapons and assistance in building a Syrian army weakened by Israeli strikes.
The Assad regime's secular governance over five decades contrasts starkly with the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood's influence under al-Jolani has already sparked opposition among Syrians, particularly due to efforts to introduce Sharia law into schools and public life. Popular resistance to these changes echoes the Brotherhood's failures in Tunisia and Egypt.
The Turkish army, one of the largest and most formidable in the Middle East, represents a significant challenge to Israel's security, with 425,000 active personnel and an additional 380,000 reservists. Western intelligence sources suggest Erdogan harbors ambitions of reviving the Ottoman Empire, seeking to position himself as a modern-day sultan or caliph overseeing Sunni forces in the Middle East, including Jerusalem, which was once part of the Ottoman Empire.
(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
See also Turkish Hyper-Activity Reverberates throughout the Middle East - Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser and Lenny Ben-David (Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
See also Turkish Government Video Presents Erdogan as Heir to Ottoman Dynasty (MEMRI)
Observations:
- In September 2024, the IDF geared up for a high-stakes commando operation to destroy a clandestine precision missile factory established by Iran on Syrian territory. However, a significant concern loomed over the decision-makers in Jerusalem - the potential American reaction.
- "As we approached the Syria operation, tensions with the U.S. were at a breaking point," an Israeli source reveals. "Throughout the conflict, the U.S.' primary concern was the possibility of opening a front against Iran and spiraling into a full-scale war. Their watchword was 'stability.' It was evident to me that an attack on the Iranian missile factory at this juncture would not sit well with the American administration. From their viewpoint, it was an absolute non-starter."
- IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi believed coordinating the operation with the Americans was unavoidable. However, Israel's top political echelon had become convinced that if the White House got wind of the operation beforehand, American officials would staunchly oppose it and might even leak its existence to derail it.
- The resolution to this dilemma, mirroring the approach taken throughout the tumultuous Israeli-American relationship during the war, centered on presentation. It was decided that Halevi would be the one to brief the Americans, starting with his close associate, CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Kurilla. There was a perception that Halevi was viewed by the White House as a moderate and judicious figure, driven by professional considerations and inclined to avoid escalation with Iran. Halevi and Kurilla had developed a strong professional rapport over the course of the war, which had blossomed into a close friendship.
- Halevi briefed Kurilla on the specifics of the Syrian operation and its necessity, allayed concerns about igniting a conflict with Iran, and requested that Kurilla relay the message to his superiors in Washington. The approach proved effective. The White House was persuaded not to obstruct the Syrian operation, and the rest is history.
- During the war, collaboration between the two nations reached unprecedented levels, with the U.S. meticulously approving Israeli attack strategies, and senior White House officials participating in cabinet meetings and General Staff forums in Israel - a level of involvement previously unseen.
- Yet there were instances where Israel executed critical operations without prior notification to the U.S. - such as the targeting of Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah - or took actions that directly contradicted the White House's explicit stance, as seen with the incursion into Rafah. Heated arguments between the two sides were not uncommon.
- Despite these disagreements, Netanyahu viewed sustained American support for Israel as an invaluable asset. The Israeli political and security leadership unanimously agreed that without Washington's backing, Israel would be compelled to halt the war before achieving all its objectives.
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