The ceasefire and return of the living hostages drew reactions from numerous Jewish organizations and from world leaders. In Israel this development also drew a statement from the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, headed by Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III.
“Along with millions living throughout our war-torn region, we, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, rejoice at the recent enactment of the ceasefire in Gaza and the successful release of captives.”
As many members of the various Christian denominations are Palestinian Arabs, the statement that was published on Tuesday also supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Couched in diplomatic and spiritual terminology, it reads:
“We take this opportunity to recognize the huge and courageous efforts of all who worked to accomplish this major achievement, especially those of President [Donald] Trump. As he announced before Israel’s Knesset yesterday, we trust that this first stage of the ceasefire truly signals the end of the Gaza war and that any further disagreements between the parties will be resolved through negotiation or reconciliation rather than the resumption of hostilities. Indeed, our region as a whole has suffered long enough to contemplate otherwise.
“While welcoming the commencement of this agreement, we nevertheless recognize that the people of Gaza and other communities in our region continue to suffer, with hundreds of thousands having lost their homes, their health, their family members, and their livelihoods. We therefore strongly encourage a rapid surge of food, clean water, fuel, medical supplies, and temporary shelters into the Gaza Strip and other affected communities as a prelude to a speedily enacted program for the massive clearing and rebuilding of destroyed homes, businesses, and civilian infrastructure.”
The statement further appealed to the concerned parties and the international community as a whole to widen the scope of the current negotiations to include “an end to the occupation of both Gaza and the West Bank, leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace with the present state of Israel. Only in this way, we believe, will a just and lasting peace be truly established in the Holy Land and throughout the larger Middle East.”
The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches also offered words of encouragement: “We would also like to give a special word of encouragement to those living inside St. Porphyrius Orthodox Church and Holy Family Catholic Church, as well as those serving at Al-Ahli Anglican Hospital: your perseverance in faith amidst the immeasurable hardships of the past two years has served as a shining example for us all.”
The statement concluded: “We pledge to you our continued prayers and support, and we will work diligently to ensure that the weeks and months ahead will be a vindication of your trust in God’s divine providence. In this spirit, we join with our fellow Christians and others of goodwill around the world in giving thanks to the Almighty for leading us to this auspicious moment, even as we realize that the work of peacebuilding has only just begun.
“May God grant us all the grace to rededicate ourselves to this vital task, shepherding us toward that golden age of peace so long envisioned by the prophets and sages of old –”
KAN's role in helping the hostages
FAMILY MEMBERS of returned hostages have been unstinting in their praise of Israeli radio and television outlets for keeping the hostage issue at the forefront of the national consciousness. Some have reported that while in captivity their loved ones occasionally heard the voice of a parent or another close relative on the radio.
Hamas apparently favored Kan Reshet Bet, because this is the station where hostages most often heard the voice of a loved one, giving them hope in the knowledge that people in Israel were doing all they could to hasten their release. Ironically, any images they received were via Al Jazeera, which, though banished in Israel, gets feeds from other channels, and Israeli television channels get footage inside Gaza from Al Jazeera.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi would do well to rethink his threats against KAN, the Public Broadcasting Corporation whose units include Reshet Bet, through which some of the hostages could cling to hope.
Strangely though, KAN reporter Suleiman Maswada – whose updates on negotiations and related matters were broadcast morning, noon, and night for months – was nowhere to be seen or heard on the historic day of the hostages’ return or during the subsequent coverage of Trump’s visit and Gaza’s future on all of Israel’s television channels and key radio stations.
Trump boosts Netanyahu
WHILE TRUMP’S visit was essentially to celebrate the return of the hostages and to promote his peace plan, it was also a terrific boost for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election campaign, given the number of compliments that the US president showered on Netanyahu. However, Trump also urged the prime minister to be kinder to Opposition leader Yair Lapid, whom he characterized as a “nice guy.”
It should be noted that both Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin heartily applauded sections of Lapid’s speech, as did Lapid to sections of Netanyahu’s speech. Applause is part of body language, and the further apart the hands, the more enthusiastic the applause. Interestingly, President Isaac Herzog’s hands remained close together, and applause on his part was perfunctory at best.
Perhaps it was because he was barely given a role other than that of a ceremonial decoration, though Trump did recommend that he pardon Netanyahu and relieve him of his legal pressures. Sara Netanyahu was in her element when she received a spontaneous kiss on the forehead from Trump.
Israel's recognition of Trump
Although Trump may have missed out on the Nobel Peace Prize and is justified in fuming over the fact that it was awarded to Barack Obama, who had not yet done anything substantial to warrant the award, Trump could not complain that Israel honored former president Joe Biden more than him.
During his all-too-brief visit on Monday, Herzog informed Trump that he intends to personally present him with Israel’s highest civilian award, the Medal of Honor, to recognize the prime minister’s significant role in bringing home the hostages. A press release to this effect was issued on Sunday, with an embargo till 6 a.m. on Monday.
The award also recognizes Trump’s steadfast and unwavering support for Israel, his unique contribution to Israel’s security and the well-being of its citizens, and his commitment toward an era of peace and mutual cooperation within the entire region. The actual presentation will be made at some time in the future.
When Herzog presented the medal to Biden in July 2022, it was done in an act of unprecedented pomp and ceremony, which will be hard to beat. It may also mean another visit to Israel by Trump or a visit to the White House by Herzog.
As all the hostages and their immediate families should be present at such an event, in addition to members of the diplomatic corps and many other distinguished figures, it will probably take place in Israel at a time when Trump’s peace plan is well under way. He may also receive the Israel Prize, for which he is being nominated by Netanyahu.
Knesset speaker Amir Ohana under widespread criticism
Meanwhile, Knesset speaker Amir Ohana has come under widespread criticism not only from the Opposition but also from journalists across the board for deliberately omitting Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit and Attorney-General Gali Baharav Miara from the invitation list to Trump’s address to the Knesset and conducting what was supposed to be a non-partisan ceremonial event as if it was an assembly of the Likud Central Committee.
Lapid called on Herzog to refrain from attending the opening of the winter session of the Knesset if Amit and Baharav-Miara are again excluded from the invitation list. Herzog was also critical of Ohana, whose response was that he is the one who decides what happens in the Knesset. But journalists were quick to remind him that the government is made up of three branches and that only two were represented at a gathering honoring Israel’s greatest ally.
In other words, he was thumbing his nose at law and order and demonstrating to the world that despite all claims to democracy and unity, Israel is still a very divided country.
The deliberate omission of the chief justice and the attorney-general was not Ohana’s only break with protocol. Generally speaking, at events in which there are several distinguished figures, only two or three people with the highest status are mentioned in order to avoid offending anyone whose name may be omitted.
Ohana went through a very long list that included Jerad Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, stating that he had escorted them to the sites of the massacre, possibly gloating in the fact that the boy from Beersheba could form a friendship with an American billionaire and the daughter of the president of the United States.
The Trump family’s interest in Israel actually began long before 2017, when Trump moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In 2008, Trump, whose wealth stems from real estate development, sent Ivanka – who had good business sense and was his close adviser to Israel – to scout out real estate property to invest in, but which in the end came to naught.
The initial interest may have been the influence of Kushner, whom Ivanka met in 2005 and dated for three years. The couple broke up briefly but got together again and were married in 2009; they will celebrate their wedding anniversary on October 25.