I’m sure that there is much discussion about the terms of the hostage deal. I just want to focus on one area: the prisoner exchange. Phase one is Hamas releasing 33 hostages. Israel is set to release up to 1,904 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including several serving multiple life sentences for deadly terror attacks and murder.
The worst examples include Mahmud Abu Varda, who is serving 48 life sentences for masterminding multiple terror attacks, including a 1996 bombing on a bus in Jerusalem that killed 45 people; Ahmed Barghouti, sentenced to 13 life sentences for involvement in terror attacks in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem that killed 6 people, including a police officer; and Zakaria Zubeidi, the former Jenin commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades.
The Gilad Shalit deal showed Hamas that taking hostages is a smart strategy. Many of those released as a result of that deal had senior positions in Hamas. Now Hamas sees a second time that taking hostages worked. Those being released will be the backbone of the new Hamas. For those who think that Trump will let Israel resume the war, I have a bridge to sell you.
There has been a dispute between Biden and Trump as to who should get the credit for the Hamas-Israel deal. Both Biden and Trump had members of the American negotiating team.
Biden points to the fact the agreement is similar to the May 31 agreement Israel agreed to, but Hamas refused to sign. The difference now is that because of American support, Hezbollah suffered a crushing defeat in Lebanon and Iran’s attempts to attack Israel failed. In other words, Hamas was now on its own and had no choice but to make this deal. Biden took credit for standing by Israel in opposition to some in his party.
Trump argues it was because he is now going to become President that a deal was reached. In particular, his threat to Hamas that “all hell will break out” brought them to agree to the deal.
I agree with Trump that it was his becoming President which caused a deal to occur. If it were the changes on the ground, as Biden claims, the deal could have occurred a while ago.
I disagree with both Biden and Trump that it was Hamas who caved in. It was the Israeli government which understood the risk of having Trump blame them for not getting a deal done.
Assuming Biden is correct and the deal accepted was the agreement Israel accepted on May 31, it does not establish that Israel was not pressured to accept this new deal. As noted, the situation had changed since May 31. The events mentioned earlier that put Hamas today in a weaker position than they were in on May 31, also put Israel in a stronger position. Thus, any deal that was on the table today should have been more favorable to Israel than the one offered on May 31.
Secondly, the fact that Trump publicly singled out Hamas meant nothing to Hamas. What more could the United States do to Hamas that Israel could not do? This was just a cover for a subtle pressure campaign on Israel to placate Trump.
Trump’s mantra is that he wanted the Israel and Ukraine wars to be done ASAP. When it came to Israel, he wanted it done before he became President. What the wars involving Israel and Ukraine have in common is that it is costing America a significant amount in money and arms to support Israel and Ukraine. If the wars stop, there is no need to continue with such a high level of support. He has the backing of the isolationist MAGA crowd as well as left-wing Democrats, both of whom want to stop or severely limit American weapons being sent to Israel.
The Trumpians I have spoken with all have panned the deal. They first try to blame the deal on Biden but then admit that the deal happened because of Trump. Then they try to claim that there is no way Trump would do this to Israel. There must be some secret deal. Of course, they would not say the same thing if it had been done before the election.
There’s no indication there’s any truth to this claim. The fact that Ben Gvir left the Israeli government over the deal put the side deal argument to rest.
This is just the first salvo of what I have warned the Trumpians: Trump 2025 is not Trump 2017. Trumpians can put their heads in the sand and keep silent when he sticks it to Israel, but it will not change the facts on the ground. All it will show is that they are bunch of hypocrites and are being intellectually dishonest, and their support for Trump is more important than their support of Israel.
The ball is in your court. Here is your first chance to stand up to Trump and criticize him. If the past is any indication, I will be waiting a long time.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
