Israel's national anthem says that the hope of the Jewish people will never be lost. Maintaining the hope of returning to the promised land for two thousand years is certain proof that hope is not lost. That hope takes two thousand years to materialize into reality is, to say the least, alarming.
The 98 hostages who remain in Gaza after more than fifteen months of captivity constitute an open and bleeding wound for the entire Israeli society. They are living proof of the failure of an intelligence and security apparatus that boasted of its achievements. The impossibility of bringing them back home, many of them already dead, results in total bitterness for everyone. Government, opposition, left and right argue, fight and blame each other. But the solution is not achieved by establishing guilt after the fact.
Israel's enemies are very powerful. They have more than just weapons and military resources. They have the conviction and determination to die in the attempt to destroy their enemy, inflicting pain and suffering even at the expense of their own people. Something very difficult to understand, and even more difficult to deal with.
During these fifteen long and atrocious months, which continue impassively, there has always been the hope of achieving the rescue of the hostages and some agreement that will put an end to hostilities. Optimism regarding some agreement rises and falls. From time to time there have been initiatives and negotiations, declarations and pressures, announcements and denials, which feed the hope that has never been lost, the patience that never runs out.
The whole world is watching for January 20, 2025, when Donald Trump will be sworn in as president of the world's leading power. His statements regarding the hostage issue have fueled hopes for an early release of the prisoners in Gaza. At the time of writing this note, several news outlets are announcing that they are at the most successful negotiation point ever, with multilateral delegations in Qatar. In Israel, there is fear both of the high price that will have to be paid to reach an agreement and of the magnitude of the disappointment and frustration if, once again, nothing concrete is reached.
Donald Trump is a pragmatic businessman. As an ally of Israel, he inspires confidence in the Israelis and in their current government. We all want an agreement that will bring the hostages back and an immediate pacification of the area, a cessation of hostilities and peace. Hopes are boosted these days by the novelty that Donald Trump represents, by his previous statements and the commitment he has shown. Will this be enough to convince those who can reach an agreement to release the hostages? So far, the good intentions of his soon-to-be predecessor have not been enough.
Hostages are a very powerful tool in the hands of their captors. They give them tremendous negotiating power and colossal protection. Israel is feeling the fatigue of fifteen months of high tension on seven simultaneous war fronts, in the extensive international diplomatic arena that is very hostile to it and in the merciless domestic politics of a country that is simply harassed. Just as Israel is getting tired, everyone is very tired of this cruel dynamic.
The freshness of a new and powerful actor feeds the hope that has never been lost. Intentions and declarations have never been enough, but it must be acknowledged that Trump's stance has generated confidence, as did Joe Biden when he visited Israel just after October 7 and mentioned the famous “don't”, a term that has been proven is subject to multiple interpretations.
Jews and Israelis are very used to having hope, living off it and thanks to it. From a historical perspective, this is praiseworthy and relevant. It explains a lot about why a nation survives in adverse conditions. From a real-time perspective of our days, it is part of an illusion that does not help the victims.
Jews who live in expectation of the Messiah and the solution of their problems by any means, be it human or divine, or a combination of both, are once again experiencing a difficult time with this delicate issue of the hostages in Gaza and everything surrounding it. The changes in geopolitics confer, with some reason and not so much certainty, a hint of greater hope.
Hope will certainly never be lost. What is lost is patience, if not life. Let us hope for the best… always, and with patience.
Elias Farache S.
DO NOT ACCEPT ANY KIND OF CEASEFIRE, MUSLIM TERRORISTS, MURDERERS AND THE MUSLIM ARAB PEOPLE ONLY UNDERSTAND FORCE, THE WORDS AND GESTURES OF GOOD WILL ARE FOR THEM A SIGN OF WEAKNESS THAT DRIVES THEM TO CONTINUE KILLING AND KIDNAPPING JEWS!!!! RECOVERING THE HOSTAGES IS A MORAL OBLIGATION AND WILL ONLY BE ACHIEVED BY DESTROYING HAMAS, KILLING ITS LEADERS NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE HIDING!!!!
RELEASING MUSLIM TERRORISTS MURDERERS IN EXCHANGE FOR HOSTAGES IS A SERIOUS MISTAKE, AS WAS “SHALIT”, HIS MOTHER WAS HAPPY BUT… HIS RELEASE CAUSED THE DEATH OF THOUSANDS OF JEWS, THE SUFFERING AND PAIN OF THOUSANDS OF JEWISH MOTHERS WHO LOST THEIR CHILDREN DUE TO THE RELEASE OF MORE THAN 1000 MUSLIM TERRORISTS MURDERERS IN EXCHANGE FOR “SHALIT”!!!!
PEACE x PEACE!!!!
EYE x EYE!!!!
KAHANA LIVES……LONG LIVE KAHANA!!!!
AM ISRAEL HAI !!!!
ISRAEL HAI !!!!