Deals with the Devil
Trump and Bibi deserve credit, but history should temper our excitement.
The October 7th hostages may finally be coming home. Israelis and all people of good will are praying that this long nightmare for the families will finally be coming to an end. According to the White House, it could happen as soon as Monday. The president is flying to the region to meet with the parties and the negotiating team. Mr. Trump, wants to be there in person as this deal takes hold.
For Donald Trump, the 20 point plan, coming on the heels of Israel’s attempted elimination of Hamas leadership in Qatar (a bold and consequential move), was part of a one-two punch that made the cessation of hostilities possible.
This is a moment that shows engaged U.S. leadership matters. Surgical use of our military assets under Trump and strong support for the Netanyahu government against Islamic terror since January, changed the course of a war that earlier this year seemed like another quagmire in the region.
The president’s profile on the cover of the Jerusalem Post today with the headline “He’s bringing them home,” is the well-deserved nod, most Democrats here are unwilling to provide Mr. Trump, after President Biden’s weakness helped create the conditions for the massacre.
But even with ‘phase one’ of the plan in the beginning stages of execution, the larger fight against Islamic terrorism, which has grown since the October 7th Massacre, continues. I recently discussed the Unholy Alliance and the spread of this dangerous ideology in my Substack column.
Today, Golda Mier’s words from 1973 are sobering and appropriate, “Perhaps it is early yet to say ‘in the aftermath of the war,’ for we are actually living under a cease-fire in a war which has not yet ended.” It’s not going to end anytime soon.
Anytime the U.S., Israel or any rational state actor attempts to negotiate with a non-state group committed to an ideology of death, we are making a deal with the Devil. As we know, the Devil is cunning, ruthless, and deceitful.
Not only will the dead-enders and zealots, who remain dug-in among the vanquished in any conflict, still seek to halt any progress, but the underlying structure of Islamic terror networks, including ISIS and al-Qaida continue to exist.
The terror groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Islamic Jihad, as well as the Iranians, who have been diminished militarily by Israel’s offensive campaigns, are weakened but not nearly gone.
The forthcoming civil affairs work that must be done with a coalition of Arab state actors, the U.S. and Israel, will present additional security concerns and unrest. As I saw first-hand in Iraq, restoring essential services, rebuilding an economy and providing adequate shelter and nutrition must be done quickly or the situation on the ground will again collapse into chaos.
Islamic terror is a lion that prowls seeking the destruction of souls. Israel has paid a high price for this moment in the form of the release of thousands of jihadi prisoners who could rejoin the battlefield against the Jewish people.
Let’s allow ourselves to hope in these days ahead. But let’s not be so naïve as to think the war against the Jewish people will end with this deal. There is much work to be done that is truly unprecedented in the region. There are still forces who are more than willing to die trying to continue the jihad. The ideological battlefield has expanded to Europe and the U.S. in ways like never before seen.
The apostles of antisemitism and Islamofascism don’t care about documents and photo-ops, handshakes and speeches. I’ve said before, this was never really about Gaza. It’s about creating chaos in the West for the benefit of Marxists and authoritarians who use Islam as justification for terror. Deals with the Devil are only a mirage of progress.