This week's focus is a little blurry because the impact of what we believe to be the most significant event is completely different for Americans and Israelis. From an American perspective, Friday's New York Times headline article "How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power" offers a window into the question that has haunted Israelis for weeks and even months. The issue in Israel is not HOW, but rather "IF Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power". Regardless of the answer, the very question is the proverbial Elephant in the Room. If you haven't read New York Times article, we strongly recommend that you read it at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/magazine/benjamin-netanyahu-gaza-war.html.

From an Israeli perspective, the content isn't news at all. Bibi's response is the real story here - and the one that our readers can't see. Netanyahu's quick categorical denial only served to spotlight just how isolated he has become. Here in Israel, you can almost smell that elections are in the air even if we don't know when, who the main candidates and parties will be or even which issue will dominate the campaign. Will it be the hostages? Continued exemption of the Haredi community from military conscription? A backlash against corruption and mismanagement? Or will most Israelis continue to vote for the same parties led by people they don't trust (true across the entire electoral spectrum)?

In this issue we also discuss:

* The Dinah Project Report on Hamas’ Sexual Assaults

* The Rising Toll of Soldiers Killed in Gaza

* The plight of the Hostages and Hostage Negotiations

* Ask "Will 'Free Palestine' Antisemitism Succeed Where Joseph Goebbels Failed?" Spoiler alert - we don't have an answer.

This is the question to ask while following news reports this week about Israel, Gaza, Syria and the rest of the Middle East. It is clear to us (the editors of this newsletter) that Israel’s national interest demands bringing ALL of the hostages home in a deal that ends the war in Gaza. The price will be high and Hamas will continue to be a threat - but it is almost a certainty that Hamas will quickly give Israel a reason to respond and finish the job.

A partial deal like the one being discussed is NOT in Israel’s interest, even if it is better than no deal. It appears that Prime Minister Netanyahu is the one who has been insisting on partial deals in order to continue the war indefinitely, or at least until he thinks he can be reelected. President Trump on the other hand, appears to want to bring the Gaza war to an end. Like Biden, he cares more about the hostages than Netanyahu does. In other words, Trump’s is more in tune with Israel’s national interest than Netanyahu is.

Furthermore, unlike former President Biden, Trump has a short fuse (or works on a very short timeline) and Netanyahu’s political base does not want to anger Trump. This all means that it is possible that Trump can pressure Netanyahu into accepting a deal that is in Israel’s national interest, but not in Netanyahu’s political interest.

The articles in this issue all deal with different aspects of the hostage deal being discussed, especially regarding the hostages and the framework for delivery of humanitarian aid that will enter Gaza. The What Else Happened This Week section contains a few interesting events worth reading about.

After successfully assisting Israel destroy or at least seriously damage Iran’s nuclear facilities without getting bogged down in a foreign war, President Trump turned his fire on the State of Israel. His recent tweet (that he later repeated) calls for the State of Israel to end its corruption charges against the Prime Minister that led Israel to its greatest defeat against its weakest enemy ever!

Even though Prime Minister Netanyahu deserves credit for many of his decisions in the wars against Hezbollah and Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, his dismantling of Israel’s judiciary and other national institutions has left Israel divided and weak.

• The October 7 massacre could not have happened if our Prime Ministered hadn’t systematically appointed military leaders unable or unwilling to respond to warning signs that were uncomfortable for their boss.

• The internal strife and chaos caused by the current coalition’s attempts to dismantle Israel’s judicial system under the guise of “Judicial Reform” opened the door for Hamas to attack.

• By systematically replacing the heads of all of Israel’s civil service and other national institutions with unqualified patronage appointments - Netanyahu condemned us to the total chaos and failure that occurred for months on end in the wake of the attack.

• Empowering putting messianic and racist extremists like Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir in charge of the Treasury and the Police simply to hold onto power threaten to return Israel from a successful state with thriving democracy with a strong and stable OECD economy to a failed or struggling Third World government (where corruption is rampant or led by an all powerful despot) with a weak economy.

Saving Bibi from criminal prosecution does not help Israel - it helps destroy it! Rather than serving as an example of a vibrant democracy for neighboring countries (and the Palestinian Authority) to copy, Netanyahu has been trying to import the political culture of Abu Mazen where elections are delayed indefinitely.