Rafah

 

 

Understandably, ‘Black Saturday’ is usually associated with the brutal assault carried out by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups on Israeli communities in the Gaza periphery on October 7, 2023.

However, it also brings to mind an earlier ‘Black Saturday.’

At dawn on Saturday, June 29, 1946, a curfew was imposed throughout British Mandatory Palestine. Seventeen thousand British troops were dispatched to institutions and settlements to seize arms and documents and to arrest the leaders of the Yishuv and of the Haganah.

During that Black Saturday, more than 2,700 Jews were arrested throughout the country and taken to the Rafiah (Rafah) detention camp.

One of them was my father-in-law, Gad Tavel. During the two months he was interned at Rafah he communicated with his wife and daughters at Ein Harod by post. We still have a sketch he made of the detention camp.

 Israel’s hostage dilemma is one of the most challenging the country has ever faced. Among the calls to free them “at any price” is the claim that freeing hostages is the highest Jewish value. A closer look at this topic in post-Biblical commentaries shows a far more nuanced approach.

Notable among the people advocating different opinions are a number of highly esteemed medieval Jewish law (Halacha) commentators. Perhaps the greatest of all was Maimonides who argued that ransoming Jewish lives takes precedence over providing alms for the poor in one’s community. A few centuries later, the authoritative book of commandments, the Shulkhan Arukh, penned by Rabbi Yosef Karo, stated unequivocally: “Every moment that one delays in ransoming Jewish captives… is tantamount to spilling blood.”

The opinions of both renowned sages are equally relevant today.

 At this juncture it’s important to add that the texts I have quoted are open-source, and publicly accessible. 

In one of my posts written in 2009 I mentioned a meeting between Minister of Defence at that time, Ehud Barak and a group of Israeli high school students. In an obvious reference to Gilad Shalit a senior student due to be called up for military service asked, “If I fall into enemy hands can the state guarantee my safety?”

Barak's answer was blunt and to the point. “The state can't even guarantee you will stay alive." He said facing the student but directing his remarks to attentive ears in Gaza. "The state of Israel is willing to do anything to free kidnapped soldiers – but not at any price."

Later the same day a Hamas spokesman intimated that Barak’s ‘message’ had been received.

For the purpose of clarification, I’m adding a margin note: - Gilad Shalit as we well remember, was held captive by Hamas for five years and four months. He was released after a lopsided deal was reached between Israel and Hamas to free him in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners.

Yahya Sinwar, currently the Hamas leader in Gaza was among the Palestinian prisoners included in the deal. At that time, he had served 22 years in prison for orchestrating the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians he believed were collaborating with Israel.

Fast forward to the present day.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said early on Tuesday, after returning from talks in the Middle East, that negotiations had reached the point where it was up to Hamas to take the next step. Her visit included participation in the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting held in Riyadh.

"It now lies solely in Hamas' hands, to see that the hostages are finally freed," Baerbock said.

Although the precise details of the latest deal have not been made public, the proposal is understood to involve a pause in Israeli military operations in exchange for some of the remaining hostages.

Hamas has said it requires time to consider the offer. AFP quoted an unnamed Hamas source on Tuesday as saying the group wanted to reach a decision "as quickly as possible." Baerbock responded sceptically. "We've experienced this repeatedly in recent months," she said. "The Hamas terrorist organisation is still pursuing the same objective of continually attacking Israel and prolonging this awful war." 

Egypt's state-run Al Qahera TV reported late on Monday that Hamas would return again with a written response to the latest Israeli proposal passed to them by mediators from Qatar and Egypt. Israeli news media reported that Israel will not be sending a delegation to Cairo for ceasefire talks until it has a reply from Hamas on the latest proposal.

However, at a meeting of hostages' relatives, Netanyahu said he would invade Rafah "with or without" a deal.

His comments follow renewed warnings by the US against a Rafah invasion unless civilians were properly protected.

In a phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu on Sunday, US President Joe Biden "reiterated his clear position" on Rafah, a White House statement said.

More than half of Gaza's 2.5m population is in Rafah, having fled there to escape fighting in other parts of the territory.

Israeli sources told the Reuters on Monday that plans to attack Rafah would be shelved in favour of a "sustained period of calm" if a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israeli was reached.

Days earlier, Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israeli Channel 12 television that "if there will be a deal, we will suspend the [Rafah] operation".

But on Tuesday the prime minister insisted that the war would continue until Israel had achieved all of its objectives in Rafah.

"The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question," ...-"We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there with or without a deal, in order to achieve total victory,"

Indirect talks have been at an impasse for weeks, although the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said on Monday that he hoped Hamas would accept what he has called Israel's "extraordinarily generous offer" for a truce.

According to Israeli media outlets, the government is concerned that reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is about to issue warrants for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, before the end of the week. I’ll hazard a guess and say - “It won’t happen!”

Netanyahu commented on a possible arrest warrant on Friday, April 26, "Under my leadership, Israel will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defence."

An editorial in the Jerusalem Post this week juxtaposed two unenviable options. “The case for a full-scale military operation into Rafah to dismantle Hamas is compelling. Proponents argue that only by decisively eliminating the threat of Hamas can Israel secure its long-term security and deter future aggression. This approach promises a clear end to the current threat but comes with a high potential cost—significant loss of life and continued instability in the region. Conversely, the argument for negotiation underscores the immediate need to cease the suffering of our citizens. This pragmatic approach seeks a resolution that could potentially save lives by preventing further military escalation and would allow for the quick return of our hostages. Such negotiations could also pave the way for a more stable future, setting the stage for longer-term peace processes. Yet, this is not merely a strategic decision; it carries profound moral implications. As a nation committed to the sanctity of life, can we justify a prolonged military engagement with the likelihood of substantial casualties on both sides? Or is our moral imperative to prioritise the immediate rescue of our hostages, potentially at the expense of broader security concerns and justice?”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday he had still not seen a plan for Israel's promised offensive on Rafah that would protect civilians, repeating that Washington could not support such an assault.

Blinken and Netanyahu met in Jerusalem for 2-1/2 hours on Wednesday, after which Israel repeated that the Rafah operation would go ahead despite the U.S. position and a U.N. warning that it would lead to "tragedy."

I’ll conclude  by saying  “Yet to be concluded and hoping for the best.”

Have a good weekend.

Beni,

2nd of May, 2024.