184. Israel at War, Explained: Why Isn't There a Hostage Deal?

Hezbollah attacked Israel on October 8 last year, laying siege to the north of the country that has killed civilians, burned entire towns to the ground, and driven tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes. Israel is now fighting back in an effort to push Hezbollah off the border and stop the attacks. Let’s look at what’s happening and why now.

Hamas executed six hostages. Israelis accuse Prime Minister Netanyahu of abandoning them for his own self-interest. They no longer trust the government to get the hostages back or wage this war effectively. So why isn't there a hostage deal? And how is Netanyahu managing to stay in power?

Prime Minister Benjamin addressed the United States Congress amidst a wild week of politics. We’ll examine a few takeaways regarding his own standing, Kamala Harris, the Left, and the upcoming US election.

Israel’s exceptional hostage rescue operation on June 8 — and how the upside-down world condemned it.

President Biden imposed a temporary arms embargo on Israel. He’s holding back certain types of weapons to try to prevent Israel from invading Rafah in southern Gaza. How should we think about this decision?

Hamas continues to hold 132 hostages. That’s 132 war crimes committed each and every day they are held. The best way to end this round of war is for Hamas to return them immediately. Instead they are subjected to the whims of international politics, diplomatic maneuvering, and demands on Israel to pay an ever-steeper price for their return.

It’s not just Israel and the Palestinians who have to make changes to create a Palestinian state. The U.S., Europe, and the moderate Arab countries will need to work together to run Gaza, ensure Israel’s security, and, most importantly, defend decent civilization from the existential threat of Islamic jihadism.

Israel has to make changes to get to a Palestinian state, but so do the Palestinians. Violent rejectionism, delegitimization of Israel, and the right of return all perpetuate the conflict. To achieve their own state, Palestinians have to give up trying to eliminate Israel.

If a Palestinian state is the ultimate goal, then Israel, the Palestinians, and the international community are all going to have to do things they really don’t want to do. Today we’re looking at this from Israel’s angle, with the focus on security.

Israel has fought two wars in Lebanon — is a third one coming? Today we’re taking a brief look at the history of Israel’s involvement in Lebanon.