Prof. Kobi Michael: After 11 months of attritional war that Israel cannot tolerate any more, Israel signals that it would be better for Hezbollah to be serious around the negotiating table (with yesterday’s strikes). If they will not be serious in this regard, then Israel will be much more serious.
This is only the beginning… and if the Hezbollah reactions will cross the Israeli red lines, then Israel will be in an all-out war with Hezbollah.
Published in inews uk September 24, 2024.
Fleur Hassan-Nahoum: I believe that Iran’s strategy was initially progressing well, but now it’s unraveling. Iran’s primary objective is to carry out its agenda, which involves eliminating Israel and ensuring that the United States is no longer a significant player in the Middle East’s strategic landscape.
Hezbollah is their most prominent and successful proxy. Iran established, funded, and armed Hezbollah, transforming it into one of the world’s most powerful terrorist organizations. They employed a similar strategy with Hamas, the Houthis, and now are expanding their influence in Iraq.
Currently, they are in disarray. Their communication networks are disrupted, and Sinwar is hiding in a tunnel, under siege by Israel. As a result, Iran is desperate to demonstrate that it is still capable of retaliating.
The interview took place on Fox News, on September 24, 2024
Prof. Kobi Michael: IDF has been preparing for the attack, repositioning its forces from Gaza.I think it will happen sooner rather than later. I still hoped Hezbollah, seeing the preparation for all-out war, would come to the table. But the optimism in this regard is very low and there are no real expectations from Hezbollah, and from Iran, which backs it.
Published in The Epoch Times, September 18, 2024.
Meir Ben Shabbt: The land route through Israel became the safest trade route between Europe and Asia. What was impossible before the Abraham Accords because of the boycott in the Arab world against Israel, became the preferred and most worthwhile route.
The traffic jams and the congestion at the border crossings with Jordan and Egypt verify the dry numbers, and indicate that despite the war, business continues.
Published in The Times of Israel, September 15, 2024.
Asher Fredman: The leadership in the United Arab Emirates and Morocco prepared the ground for a warm peace between their nations and Israel. They ensured that Israelis could not only walk around safely in their countries, but would also be welcomed with open arms. We sell water and gas to Jordan and Egypt, and there is some tourism, but there is antisemitic incitement in the public sphere, in the media and in the education system there, and there was never a connection between the peoples, resulting in the fact that when the pressure increased a little, the public pressure was also very stifling. Even though the governments did not cut ties, the very hostile atmosphere affected the leaders’ ability to maneuver moves, which did not happen in the countries of the Abraham Accords, where public opinion has been damaged and we no longer see festivals and large public conferences like before the war. But on the other hand, the leaders said that we are maintaining with ties with Israel, and we will not allow extremists, like Iran’s Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, to burn these ties.
Published in Arutz 7, September 16, 2024.
Prof. Kobi Michael: Without a major breakthrough in Gaza, there will be no breakthrough in the other arenas.
As long as Hamas has the responsibility and control over the supply of humanitarian aid to the civilian population, this creates the impression that Hamas is still the governing power and will remain so after the war, This can only be changed with a permanent Israeli military presence, making it responsible for the distribution of aid while preventing Hamas from regrouping.
Published in The Media Line and Ynet, September 15, 2024.
Prof. Zaki Shalom: Most of the Jewish community in the United States still supports the Democratic Party, almost 70% of them, until now, are supportive of the Democratic Party. Maybe now, because of Trump’s campaign, things will change. But when Kamala Harris says she is supporting an immediate ceasefire – what does she mean? She means that Israel needs to stop the war without achieving its goals, that Hamas will remain in power in Gaza and the attack of Oct. 7 might be repeated again from Gaza. It’s nice words to say we’re supporting a ceasefire, but for Israel right now this is actually labelling it as a defeated state.
The other component of her speech was the support for the two-state solution. She knows very well that this Israeli government is totally rejecting this position, and she knows that even the Knesset has been rejecting it. We see what’s going on now in Judea and Samaria, which is very close to the Israeli central populated areas. If God forbids, what happened on October 7 might start from Kalkilya or Tulkarem, it’s going to be in Tel-Aviv, Natanya or other places. So she knows it, and these views of hers are not really pleasant to Israeli ears.
Published on ILTV, September 11, 2024.
Prof. Kobi Michael: Smuggling on that border always existed and it involved terrorist elements of arms smuggling, including shootings, but the scope was much smaller. The Jordanians are trying to curb the phenomenon, but just as Israel face challenges in doing so, so does the Hashemite Kingdom.
Published in JNS, September 10, 2024.
Reporter Mark Weiss spoke with Ruth Wasserman Lande about the question over the security arrangements for the Philadelphi corridor , the 14-kilometer route along the Egypt-Gaza border, has increased tension between Israel and Egypt. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a strongly-worded response to PM Netanyahu’s accusation implying Egypt had helped smuggle weapons across the Philadelphi Corridor.
Cairo is demanding the IDF’s immediate withdrawal from the Rafah terminal and from the Philadelphi Corridor.
September 8, 2024.
Prof. Kobi Michael: While Hamas was rebuilding its forces to some extent, it was “certainly” not replacing what it had lost. It still cannot function in an organized military formation. It is making efforts to recruit youths to fill the ranks, but it does not have the ability to train them, so this is a limited achievement. They are mainly turning into cannon fodder.
However there is no doubt that it will continue to make an effort to recover [in northern Gaza], including militarily, and its achievements will be more significant if Israel is not there in the form of a fixed military presence, a military administration. A general siege on the area until the remainder of Hamas’s remaining organized forces is destroyed is also needed.
Published in JNS, September 5, 2024.
