In any communication between two people, the basis for a clear understanding is to speak a common language, or at the very least, to have an intermediary that makes an accurate translation so that not only the language, but the intention is clear between the two parties.

That is the great tragedy of the so-called Israeli-palestinian conflict. A lot of players demand to be involved, most of them do not speak the language and this has created a huge historical misunderstanding whose failing results are still with us today.

In the case of the current efforts to strike a hostage deal with Hamas this misunderstanding has brought the deal to a standstill.

I’ll put it in simple terms: We (and by we I mean as much as part of the Israeli team as well as the American one led by Steve Witkoff), speak Westerner while Hamas speaks islamic extremism.

To have a meaningful discussion that leads somewhere, we must speak a common language and with radical islamic groups, the only language they understand is brutal, uncompromising violence.

Part of the Jewish people (most especially leftist Jews) and a lot of politicians and academics in the West, simply refuse to acknowledge this simple truth, blinded by what they perceive as their ‘western moral superiority’ and their misguided ’empathy’ making them believe ‘all humans are basically good and the bad ones are who they are because of circumstances’.

That is simply not the case. Pure evil exists and whoever doubts it should have a look at the uncensored version of the October 7 tapes. Religious fanaticism can produce absolute evil and no, Islamic fanaticism IS NOT the result of western ‘oppression’ or ‘colonialism’. It is the result of a strict interpretation of the Quran and the Sunnah and the firm belief the Jews are the enemies of Allah and the muslim Ummah and must wipe them out of the ‘cradle of islam’ (ie. The Middle East) or allow them (barely) to live there as second class citizens.

This is a religious creed, no amount of ‘deals’ will ever sway them any other way. Would a Christian be ready to give up that for him, Jesus is the son of God for any deal, as good as it may be?

Hamas, let’s not forget, is the Gaza branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. They claim to only fight for land (they do, in part, fight for land, but not in the way the west thinks), but between them they speak very clearly. Jews must be exterminated, Palestine is a muslim land and the islamic Ummah will rule over the whole world as promised.

Trump, who I like very much, may have had getting a bit blinded by his resounding success with the Avraham Accords thinking that even in the Middle East, deals are not as impossible as previously thought.

The Avraham Accords were a success because the countries who signed them WANTED them. The reasons are multiple but can boil down to a desire of a greater geo-strategic alliance with the US and a fear of Iran.

Also notice (and that is not a coincidence) that all the Gulf countries who signed (and let’s include also Saudi Arabia) have designated The Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

The Muslim Brotherhood, for the uninitiated, is the radical muslim group created in Egypt about a century ago and whose ideology is behind the birth of groups like Hamas, Al-Qaida and ISIS.

When a few weeks ago, Trump gave an ultimatum to Hamas saying: “Release all the hostages until Saturday or there will be hell to pay.” A lot of Israelis cheered, we thought: “FINALLY, after decades an American president who finally talks Middle Eastern.” Sadly, it seems he got a bit a case of cold feet after that and regrettable quotes by people in the hostages negotiation team like Adam Boehler and now Steve Witkoff, have given us a bit of a cold shower. Maybe Trump’s Middle Eastern isn’t that good after all.

Now it seems we are back to square one and that’s regrettable because Trump’s instincts were spot on the first time. That’s how you talk to Hamas. THAT is the only language they understand.

Hamas, and anyone who wants to make a deal with them must never lose sight of this, is a radical Islamic group and they will never make any deal that will go against their faith. Just like a religious Jew would never make a deal to stop respecting Shabbat or a Christian to stop believing in the divinity of Jesus. The question therefore is: What is it they want, according to their faith?

The answer is simple but a lot of people in the West, even well intentioned ones just point blank refuse to believe it. They want the extermination of Jews from muslim lands, unless they are dhimmi (second class citizens living under the rule of Islam).

Not leaving much place for any kind of meeting midway I’m afraid.

This is why when Hamas claim they are ready to lay down their weapon and accept to be a political group only, rest assured they are lying. Jihad is the very basis of the faith in Islam. For a religious muslim part of an islamic group, jihad is a moral obligation and to die a martyr the whole reason to live. So when a Jihadi group says they’re ready to lay down their arms, the exact translation is: “We’re getting our asses kicked, we’ll bid our time for better days and at the first occasion we’ll kill the opposition and come back to power to continue the holy war until the whole world is muslim.”

Steve Witkoff just made an unforgivable mistake by hinting that Hamas may have a place in the future landscape of Gaza if they agree to be a political group only. He now says he was ‘fooled’ by Hamas. NO SHIT Sherlock. A group whose core philosophy, its DNA, its raison d’être is Jihad will never, ever, ever, accept anything else other than armed struggle, unless they are forced to and even then, it’s only a ploy until they are strong enough to continue the fight.

For a Jihadi muslim, if you have the chance to fight the Jihad and decide not to for any other reason than an explainable and strategic one, you commit a grave sin and forfeit your place in paradise. In Islam, Jihad isn’t a choice, it’s an obligation.

Again, in the beginning, Trump’s instincts were right. A future where Jihadi groups like Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have any power, be it military or political is one where peace, or even a prospect of it, is simply impossible. They must be removed out of the equation permanently.

If that means turning the whole Gaza Strip into a parking lot, so be it. They will never stop trying to replicate October 7. Several of their members, like Osama Hamdan, made that point crystal clear. They could not stop trying even if they wanted because Jihad is their faith.

Which brings us to the next point. Peace treaty in the Jihadi language does not exist. You either win or die trying and notice that they never use this terms in their dealings with Israel. The term they use is Hudna.

A Hudna is a temporary ceasefire. It is based on the treaty that Muhammad made with the tribe he was born into, the Quraysh who had chased Muhammad and his muslim followers from Mecca in 622. The now Medina entrenched muslims did regular attacks on caravans going to Mecca until in 628, Muhammad and the Quraysh tribe made the famous Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which promised an end to the attacks for a period of 10 years if the muslims were permitted to visit the Kaba’a in Mecca. Citing breaches of the ceasefire by the polytheists (and largely ignoring his own), Muhammad broke the treaty 2 years later when the muslims had become military stronger and took over Mecca.

In any dealings with a Jihadi group like Hamas, the historical significance of the hudna cannot be ignored because it has shaped Islamic jurisprudence to this day.

For muslims, it is ok to deceive the enemy since the victory of Islam must be the ultimate goal.

In all the various ceasefires signed with Hamas over the years, the same constant pattern has reoccured. They make multiple breaches which they flat out deny. We bomb them because those breaches endanger our residents. Hamas whines to whoever’s listening the Israel is breaking the ceasefire. When their rockets stock is replenished, another war starts.

One who understands the concept of hudna is hardly surprised by this scenario and like I said, they will never stop because in Jihad there are literally only 2 options: win, or die trying.

This brings us to the last point, the whole reason for trying to achieve a deal: the hostages.

In the beginning, the goal of the hostages was as it is always for Hamas, to have their staunchest and most ideologically driven members back, like Hamas bomb maker, Abdallah Barghouti.

Hamas did not expect such a devastating response from Israel obviously. Our enemies always underestimate how deep they cut when they take hostages (see the second Lebanon war) and here, the sheer number and age range.

So Hamas had to change its goals and while prisoners release remains central to their demands, the hostages have now mainly become a bargaining chip to ensure its own survival.

Hamas knows that Israel is just waiting to completely clean Gaza from Hamas presence after the last of the hostages is freed which is why they have no intention to release all the hostages unless the IDF is already outside Gaza.

Hamas wants insurance from the US that it will remain in power in Gaza. Without this, they will NEVER release all the hostages but will drag this for months, if not years, by releasing small amounts of hostages for an absurdly long time of ceasefire.

Israel and the Trump administration must not fall into the trap but to the opposite, force the hand of Hamas by taking away the two things they really care about: land and their control of Gaza because for the civilians, they couldn’t care less as they glorify martyrdom, therefore, the more die, the more they are happy, and it also adds International pressure on Israel.

What would work, and get back the hostages in a matter of days, would be to present Hamas with an ultimatum: Each day passes without hostage release, 1km square of land is taken to never be given back. The inhabitants of this region can go south, jump into the sea or jump the Egyptian fence. Any more debasing spectacle when they are released, 5km and if an hostage we know alive turns out dead, 10km.

For general knowledge, the whole Gaza Strip is 41 km long.

I know this sounds harsh, I can already hear those claiming that most of Gaza are uninvolved civilians. Those claiming that, take a good look at the October 7 recordings.

You know, and I’ll say this in conclusion. I used to think about the story of Sodom and think, man, are you telling me that in a whole city apart from Loth there is not even one person halfway decent? What about the children? and the babies?

But then I saw Gaza on October 7. Yes, Gaza is the modern Sodom. Completely irredeemable. The Gaza Strip is a human experiment gone wrong at its most basic level. A society rotten to the core. A place where kids are taught, literally from birth, at home, kindergarten, school, at the mosq, on television, on the internet, that Jews must be exterminated and islam will take over the world. Go to the middle of Gaza and say you are a Jew and watch the bestiality, the bloodthirsty desire for murder.
Saying you are a Jew in Gaza is to commit suicide. Plain and simple.

We must get all the hostages back, not by talking westerner but by talking Middle Eastern. Give them back or we exterminate you all.

And then kick them all out, without exception because no peace will ever come out of this forsaken place.

By David Meir

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