The Two Places Causing The Shadow to Fall Over Israel's Great Reputation irking It's Enemies

 Nadene Goldfoot

Israel at times has had to fight on 7 fronts.  The two most important and long lasting has been Gaza with Hamas terrorists and Lebanon with Hezbollah terrorists.  Throughout Israel's formation in May 1948, Israel as been attacked and on the defensive.  Even though they followed everyday uptodate legal procedure of being born into this world again to live in their ancient lands, their new neighbors refused to accept them.  The question of why fell upon them like a ton of bricks, and they did their most to change that, but as it turns out, came down to a fact surrounding religion, and by 1967, was really fighting for survival when they won the huge battle of all nations ganging up on them, and the feeling was that G-d was helping them. 

President Trump, the last man on earth I ever thought who could bring together many of the neighbors with Israel into peace created the Abrahamic Accords, and had 4 counties join under his wing: United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. Countries who had already made peace were the closest to Israel: Jordan and Egypt. 

Iran, SO far away from Israel and so determined with their Shi'ite religion, have been determined to destroy Israel, so have used others as their revolvers of death.  That's how the Houthis got in the act and terrorists galore.  

So, where are we with the present day fight?     Lebanese army forces entered the southern town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya today after the IDF vacated the area, marking the first stage of a U.S.-brokered pilot arrangement intended to transfer control of parts of southern Lebanon to the Lebanese military.

 Under the framework, the Lebanese army is also expected to enter the villages of Froun and Srifa. Those villages lie outside the Yellow Line but remain under Israeli observation and fire control, without a permanent IDF ground presence. 

Military & Political Dominance of Hezbollah: The heavily armed Iran-backed militia commands a superior military and political force in the country. Any forceful attempt by the Lebanese state to disarm Hezbollah risks igniting another internal sectarian war.   The state lacks a formal declaration of war or the air defense capabilities required to challenge broader regional conflicts. Consequently, the army has withdrawn from multiple southern border positions to avoid heavy casualties and direct confrontations with better-equipped foreign forces.  Since Israel has had to be in there, they are gaining back their power as Israel fights Hezbollah.  

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is preparing for a historic White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, where he is expected to present a plan for disarming Hezbollah and press for a broader Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.   Lebanon's ability to stand up against Hezbollah without an Israeli presence is highly uncertain and threatens to spark an internal civil conflict. The Lebanese government and military are currently attempting to enforce a US-brokered framework agreement that requires disarming Hezbollah, but the militant group has rejected the deal and warned that any forced disarmament will lead to civil war.         

The IDF and Shin Bet announced the elimination of Adham Ibrahim Sha’aban Nasman, a senior Hamas commander who directed the Hamas infiltration from Gaza City during the October 7 2023 massacre and later took part in holding multiple Israeli hostages captive, including Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Ziv and Gali Berman, Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest and Omri Miran. 

He was killed in an airstrike in Gaza over the weekend.   

Israeli forces currently maintain control over a significant portion of the Strip, with long-term goals surrounding security zones. In parallel, some proposals have floated building secure zones for housing, water, and power infrastructure to facilitate civilian resettlement and restart local economies. Various recovery frameworks are tied to the U.S.-led "Board of Peace," which is designed to oversee the day-to-day administration of Gaza by Palestinian technocrats while managing reconstruction and demilitarization.  The United Nations estimates that clearing an estimated 50 million tons of rubble will take up to 15 years and hundreds of millions of dollars. Some international backers and the Arab League have proposed phased recovery plans that begin with temporary housing and eventually move toward constructing a new port, airport, and economic zones.

Al-Hayya joined the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1980s and Hamas in 1987.^] He participated in the First Intifada and was arrested and imprisoned by the IDF multiple times, spending three years in Israeli prisons. During the First Intifiada, Al-Hayya worked as a part-time teacher.

 Under its newly elected political chief Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas has outlined an agenda focusing on a complete Israeli withdrawal, securing international reconstruction funds without yielding total political influence, and resisting displacement. Al-Hayya has been a Hamas official for decades. He was regarded a close associate of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and has been described as "one of the few people whom Sinwar felt he could rely on."  

Hamas is facing intense pressure to surrender its arms as part of ongoing, US-brokered peace and ceasefire negotiations. Relinquishing their military arsenal is a central—and highly contentious—demand to achieve lasting stability in Gaza.