Day: October 22, 2023

Announcing on Wednesday that Israel had formed a unity government with the opposition, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference that “we put aside all differences to face an enemy worse than ISIS.”

The war cabinet includes the PM, along with his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, both from the right-wing Likud Party, as well as leader of the National Unity Party Benny Gantz, a former military chief of staff and head of the defense ministry.

Uniting a divided nation. “The most important action [now] is to establish the unity of the nation,” Netanyahu said in an attempt to convey unity to Israel’s enemies. Netanyahu himself has come under intense scrutiny in recent months for driving a wedge through Israeli society and politics by trying to diminish the power of the country’s judiciary.

Along with the military, the two political factions will oversee decision-making for the duration of the war in the Gaza Strip. No legislation unrelated to the war effort will be passed in the Knesset during this time, according to a statement released by both sides.

Crucially, this move sidelines far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition government, like National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who, according to Haaretz, rallied against the formation of a unity government that would dilute his own power.

In his address to the country, Netanyahu also confirmed new details of the Hamas attack against southern Israeli communities on Saturday, including revelations that families had been burnt alive, while children were handcuffed before being abused and killed. The gruesome imagery is indeed galvanizing a previously-divided people, but it is also stoking public rage at the government and intelligence community for failing to protect its citizens.

Prospects of a humanitarian corridor. As Israel continues to bomb Gaza and prepares for an imminent ground invasion, the Palestinian death toll is rising. Key Hamas leaders have reportedly been killed, along with hundreds of civilians.

The US, for its part, says it is working with Israel and Egypt to secure a humanitarian corridor for Gazans that would help evacuate civilians, after Israel imposed a blockade on the coastal enclave, cutting off water and food deliveries, and electricity. But this effort is complicated by the fact that Israel has in recent days bombed the only crossing connecting Gaza to the Sinai Peninsula. Meanwhile, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, who has made national security his top priority, has also made it crystal clear that he does not want to absorb an influx of Gazans or risk terrorists crossing the border. “National security is my first responsibility and under no circumstances will there be any complacency or negligence,” Sissi said in recent days.

The US’ stance. After Biden on Tuesday addressed the “sheer evil” of the Hamas attack, there are now reports the US could soon send a second aircraft carrier group to the Eastern Mediterranean in order to deter Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah from joining Hamas in the fight against Israel.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel this morning to meet with Israeli leaders, and will then head to Jordan where the issue of securing the release of civilian hostages taken by Hamas, including many Americans, will likely be the focus.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, said that he wants to visit Israel in a show of solidarity, putting an embarrassing spotlight on Netanyahu who has been broadly criticized for failing to adequately back Kyiv amid the Russian invasion.

The terrorist attack in Israel is a “gift” for Russia, who will find America’s attention now divided and its resources potentially shifted away from Ukraine, in what could prove a critical point in the conflict, an expert told Fox News Digital. 

“This couldn’t have happened at a better time for Putin and at the worst time for Israel,” Rebekah Koffler, president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting and a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, told Fox News Digital. 

“Putin will seize the momentum to escalate his war on Ukraine,” she added. “Israelis will pay with their blood for Biden’s incompetent foreign policy in Eurasia and his appeasement of Iran.”

Hamas terrorists launched thousands of missiles at Israel and invaded towns along the Gaza border on Saturday, killing at least over 1,300 people, including 27 Americans, and wounding thousands more, prompting Israel to declare war against the Iran-backed group.

ISRAEL MILITARY SPOKESMAN SAYS ‘EVERYTHING LABELED HAMAS IS A TARGET’ AHEAD OF EXPECTED GAZA GROUND ASSAULT

Many countries immediately and clearly condemned the attack, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who expressed how “deeply shocked” he was by the news, as did leaders of European nations, including Germany and France. 

Other major nations, such as China and Russia, remained very quiet on the subject. The New York Times earlier this week wrote that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “muted response” spoke “volumes” for a powerful figure who for many years projected the image of an ally to Israel. 

Putin finally broke his silence on Tuesday to blame the U.S. for the violence, saying during a visit from Iraq’s prime minister that it was “a vivid example of the failure of the United States policy in the Middle East.” 

Putin on Friday offered to mediate between Israel and Hamas and “stop the bloodshed,” telling attendees at a Kyrgyzstan summit that “Russia is ready to coordinate with all constructive partners.”

YES, BIDEN CALLS OUT HAMAS BUT HE’S ODDLY SILENT ON 4 MAJOR ISSUES HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

The South China Morning Post on Monday reported, citing Russian news media, that Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the coming days would visit Moscow, with Russia’s RBC news outlet saying it was awaiting confirmation of an official visit date. 

The Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hazif Nofal also claimed that the two sides maintain “daily contacts,” the SCMP reported. 

Peskov warned that the conflict risked spilling over into other regions – a concern shared by many nations, with President Biden repeatedly stressing that other regional actors must resist the urge to take advantage of the situation. 

Koffler advised that Putin will likely try to use his “leverage” with Israel, Iran and the Palestinian Authority to carve out a role for Russia to try and broker peace – or at least create “the perception of being an arbiter in this highly consequential long-standing confrontation.” 

ISRAEL RESPONDS TO HEZBOLLAH ATTACK FROM LEBANON DEPLOYING ‘TENS OF THOUSANDS’ TO NORTHERN BORDER

“Putin benefits from this conflict to go as long as possible,” Koffler said. “Putin who maintained a pragmatic relationship with Netanyahu and pursued a positive policy towards Israel since he became president is now irritated with Israel and likely wants to teach Tel Aviv a lesson.”

“After holding out for approximately a year, Israel, under relentless pressure from the Biden Administration, agreed to provide some defensive military hardware to Ukraine, to help it defend against Russia,” she explained.

Russia had warned Israel earlier this year that “all countries that supply weapons should understand that we will consider these to be legitimate targets for Russia’s armed forces.” 

If the conflict should grow and start to involve other actors in the region, Koffler believes Russia will “likely” align with the Arab nations – none of which have condemned the attack and some of which have blamed Israel for the attack – mainly as a means of trying to counter U.S. influence in the Middle East. 

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Qatar, which is acting as a banker for assets that the U.S. agreed to release to Iran in exchange for the release of some prisoners, said it holds Israel “solely” responsible for the “ongoing escalation” due to “ongoing violations” of the rights of the Palestinian people.

The United Nations Security Council convened on Sunday to discuss the conflict, failing to issue a statement on the conflict as any such statements can only be issued by consensus. 

Reuters contributed to this report.