I must admit that I have been less attentive during the last two weeks to the rush of events, which to some have given rise to great optimism regarding the future; to others, great pessimism.
The reason is that I have undergone something of a personal revolution: As I approached my 82nd birthday, I decided to move. So last Monday, I downsized from a large apartment in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Nayot, where I have lived on my own for the last 20 years, to a quaint apartment in the city’s Migdal Nofim senior residence, on the edge of Kiryat Hayovel.
Now, I am living in a community of over 160 senior citizens. I have met many previous acquaintances whom I knew in the 1970s and 1980s, and some more recently. I have already established a pleasant relationship with one of my new neighbors, who appears to have a similar world view and temperament as mine.
Although consumed with the move, I have been able to take a peek at the news, now that Hot and Bezeq technicians have connected me to cable TV and the Internet at my new abode.
The news remain largely the same
Some things seem to have stayed the same. At the moment, there is no clearer picture today regarding the return of the remaining 50 living and dead hostages (four of whom are foreigners) than before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington last week.
There is continued fierce fighting by Israeli military units in the Gaza Strip, with almost daily casualties among our fighting forces, and dozens of Palestinians, including both Hamas terrorists and civilians, being killed every day in Israeli attacks. And there are no clear plans for the future of the Gaza Strip – except for continued talk by Netanyahu and other members of the government about the total defeat of Hamas and the banishment of what remains of its leadership from the Gaza Strip.
There is no talk about the return of all the hostages; just the return of 10 living hostages and another 18 dead ones within the next 60 days, primarily due to Netanyahu’s refusal to end the fighting.
Talks seem to be going on between Israel and various international bodies about extending and improving the humanitarian aid reaching the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, without the aid falling into Hamas’s hands.
Humanitarian crisis in Gaza
Defense Minister Israel Katz is talking about constructing a “humanitarian city” – but more like a vast camp of temporary lodgings on the ruins of the city of Rafah – for most of the displaced and homeless population of Gaza, which critics in Israel have inappropriately referred to as “concentration camps.” Nevertheless, the whole concept sounds atrocious and contrary to international law.
Some in the country speak of the voluntary transfer of this displaced population to countries willing to accept large numbers, though there are no indications that any countries are prepared to do so. Trump’s Riviera plan for Gaza seems to have vanished. We have not heard of any plans in which Israel is willing to agree to, or even consider, regarding some alternative non-Hamas Palestinian, Arab, or other foreign rule for Gaza.
In Israel, there is talk of some form of Israeli military rule in the Gaza Strip, which Netanyahu is said to support, but which the military top brass is said to object to, for lack of manpower and financial resources.
Of course, this impression I get of the overall situation is not necessarily accepted by the Israeli Right. That sector is primarily worried about the possibility that during his visit to Washington, Netanyahu agreed to some compromise in the Gaza Strip that will involve the return of all the hostages in exchange for ending the war, leaving Hamas still in some form of control there.
On Channel 14’s The Patriots program, the impressions I have mentioned are mocked with a lot of insulting facial expressions, conveying presenter Yinon Magal’s total contempt and disrespect.
It all looks like an awful, pointless mess, though despite the impression one gets from the media and official government spokesmen, US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu did work something out during their two meetings last week. To which all one can say is “lu yehi” (let it be).
At least now, as I settle into my new home – meeting my new neighbors and arranging my apartment – I have something else to focus most of my energy on.
The writer has written journalistic and academic articles, as well as several books, on international relations, Zionism, Israeli politics, and parliamentarism. From 1994-2010, she worked in the Knesset Library and the Knesset Research and Information Center.