Shalom, friends.
Washington has moved from handshakes to hardware, standing up a multinational hub in Kiryat Gat to verify the truce, hunt for our fallen, and block reconstruction cash from flowing to Hamas. The tempo is deliberate: Vance wheels up, Rubio wheels in, CENTCOM sketches the stabilization force, and a dedicated team forms to bring every body home. Israel set the red lines early — no Turkish or Qatari boots — and will vet every name on every badge.
North, the “quiet” is cosmetic. Precision strikes continue, including the kill of a Radwan squad commander near Ein Qana, while Hezbollah reloads faster than the Lebanese Army disarms. Riyadh just froze a donors’ conference for Lebanon’s military, calling it ineffective. In plain language: Beirut still won’t take the guns; Israel will keep removing the hands that hold them.
Inside the Knesset, sovereignty took an early, narrow vote for Ma’ale Adumim and a wider debate for all of Judea and Samaria. These are preliminary readings, but they surface the strategic reality: Israelis see the high ground as home ground, not a bargaining chip, and the Americans are already signaling “not now.” Expect pressure and persistence.
Abroad, the World Court delivered a familiar advisory — more aid and work with UNRWA — while ignoring the terrorist rot documented in UNRWA. Meanwhile, a plausible bright spot: talk of Azerbaijan in a stabilization force. A secular, Muslim-majority partner that already shares security interests and energy links with Israel makes enforcement more legitimate and less Western-uniform dependent.
It’s out. Finally. Rooted Truth: Israel’s Case Against the Deniers just launched — my unapologetic defense of Israel’s legitimacy, written for people who prefer evidence to hashtags. It’s history, law, and a touch of righteous stubbornness bound between covers. Your friends have opinions. Now you’ll have receipts. Get the book →
The War Today
US officials arrive for ‘Bibi-sitting’ as Washington tightens ceasefire oversight of Israel
Washington is hard-wiring enforcement: a ~200-troop multinational hub in Kiryat Gat to verify the truce, coordinate recovery of hostages’ remains, vet a Gaza technocratic authority and keep reconstruction money out of Hamas hands. Back-to-back visits by VP J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with CENTCOM planners, advanced a stabilization force; Israel barred Turkish or Qatari troops and will vet all personnel. The U.S. is courting Saudi and Gulf funding, while bereaved families pressed to hold off “Phase 2” until every body is returned; Vance said some remains are deep underground and will take time to locate. CENTCOM’s concept includes a dedicated multinational task unit to find the fallen.
Bottom Line: The American train isn’t slowing. If this tempo secures the fallen, constrains Hamas, and keeps foreign spoilers out of Gaza, Israelis will grit their teeth and accept the protectorate optics; if it drifts into process over outcome, expect friction—and corrective action.
Read more at Ynet →
Nearly a year after truce, women in south Lebanon say war never ended
Tens of thousands of Lebanese remain displaced from the south nearly a year after a November 2024 truce meant to calm the frontier. Israeli precision strikes continue as Hezbollah re-embeds along the border. Reconstruction is frozen, with donors conditioning funds on Hezbollah’s disarmament.
Why It Matters: The northern front never truly went quiet—and Hezbollah’s reach now extends far beyond it. Lebanon’s own prime minister has called on the group to disarm and act as a political party, a rare admission of national fatigue with its state-within-a-state. Meanwhile, a U.S. Senate panel traced Hezbollah’s drug and money-laundering network across Latin America, warning of operatives active inside the United States. The Iran-Hezbollah axis isn’t a border problem; it’s a global one. Until the group is forced north of the Litani, stripped of its arsenal, and denied its foreign revenue streams, civilians won’t return safely—and Israel won’t ease deterrence.
Read more at Jerusalem Post →
Thousands of Arabs slip into Israel from PA monthly, officials warn
Security officials estimate some 40,000 Palestinian Authority residents breach the security line into Israel every month through gaps in the barrier and thin surveillance. Most cross for work, but cases like the 122 suspects stopped near Lachish highlight how the same holes can be used for reconnaissance or terror. Local councils blasted a manpower shortfall and unsealed breaches; the IDF and Border Police said they made the arrests.
Bottom Line: Secure the barriers, prosecute Israeli facilitators, surge patrols and sensors—treat illegal crossings as a live-security vector, not a labor shortcut. October 7 taught the cost of ignoring gaps—we don’t need another lesson.
Read more at JNS →
Inside Israel
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