Author: Amos Harel
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Trump remains ultimate decider of hostages’ fate as Netanyahu once again rocked by scandal
Haaretz | Israel News Analysis | As the Shin Bet investigates potential conflicts of interest among Netanyahu’s advisers – who are suspected of leveraging their roles for private business interests with Qatar – Israel grapples with the aftermath of the Gaza war Amos Harel Feb 17, 2025 5:59 am ISTUpdated: Feb 17, 2025 3:01 am…
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Trump’s Ultimatum Fizzled Out, but Netanyahu Could Still Block Gaza Deal’s Second Stage
Haaretz | Israel News Analysis | Besides facing an imminent decision regarding Gaza – continuing with the deal, resuming the war or extending the first stage of the present deal – Israel is also arriving at a critical turning point in Lebanon, with the temporary cease-fire set to end on Tuesday Feb 16, 2025 6:00…
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As Netanyahu Maneuvers, Hostages Are Left Out and War Is on the Mind
Haaretz | Israel News Analysis | As the hostage deal narrowly clings to life, its completion remains uncertain. Netanyahu continues to maneuver against it, placing legacy and grand strategy top of his priorities. However, unlikely heroes of the hostage return movement have emerged and are the only things standing in the way of Israel’s right…
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Israel, Trump, and the Gaza Deal
In the days since the January 19 cease-fire in Gaza, many Israelis have found themselves in an emotional storm almost as powerful as the shock of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre. The difference, of course, is that this time the storm is driven not by sorrow and unspeakable horror but by joy and—for the first…
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Amid reports of hostage talks progress, Netanyahu’s interests again coincide with Hamas’
Haaretz | Israel News Analysis | The government’s actions pose a direct threat to Israeli democracy within the Green Line, and it’s likely that hostages are being killed as a result of IDF activity. While ‘the Trump effect’ could bring good news about a deal, there’s no point counting on American intervention in democracy’s defense…
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Netanyahu wants the army chief’s head, so his henchman escalated the war against the IDF
Haaretz | Israel News Analysis | Clashes between Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior officials from the defense establishment are merely part of a plan, the ultimate goal of which is the dismissal the chief of staff and Shin Bet director – allowing the prime minister to place full responsibility for the October 7 massacre…
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‘Apocalypse Now’ in Gaza: Israel Seems to Have Its Own Unhinged Officers
Haaretz | Israel News Analysis | In a new book, a lieutenant colonel in the reserves tells about crazed soldiers and wayward officers who espoused the credo that ‘revenge is legitimate in this war’ Jan 3, 2025 10:37 pm IST Jan 3, 2025 10:37 pm IST This week I met with a friend whose son…
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What’s Happening in Gaza Proves That Israel’s Radical Right Has Secured a Total Victory
Haaretz | Israel News Analysis | Much of what the IDF is doing in the northern part of the Strip is connected to ultra-Orthodox ideology. The goal: Resettlement and preventing the return of the Palestinians Jan 3, 2025 6:05 am IST Jan 3, 2025 6:05 am IST The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday revealed extensive…
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With No Hostage Deal in Sight, the IDF Is Depopulating Northern Gaza Out of Sheer Inertia
Haaretz | Israel News Analysis | Despite reports of progress in talks for the release of hostages, it seems that Israel and Hamas remain at odds. It is likely that the IDF will continue to expand its attacks in north Gaza, while systematically removing the Palestinian population – but it is highly doubtful that this…
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As Some Israeli Officers Seem to Push Systematic Destruction in Gaza, Hamas Regroups
Haaretz | Israel News Analysis | In tent camps, Palestinian teenagers are undergoing training in firearms, rocket-propelled grenades and explosives ■ Defense Minister Katz is good at undercutting the IDF chief of staff, whose personnel crisis is deepening Dec 27, 2024 2:12 pm IST Dec 27, 2024 2:12 pm IST The heavy focus on the…