Holocaust Remembrance Day

On a day where Israel commemorates the deaths of six million Jews at the hands of Nazi Germany, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compares Hamas to the Nazis as we see in an article from The Times Of Israel:

Speaking at the official state Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Yad Vashem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likens the Hamas terror group to the Nazis.

“Indeed, they are exactly like the Nazis, just like Hitler,” Netanyahu says. “They wish to kill and destroy all of the Jews, and they openly declare their intention to destroy the state of the Jews. They say so out loud, but it’s not going to happen. We are determined to annihilate the monsters of Hamas, these monsters who committed the worst massacre that we’ve experienced since the Holocaust.”

The PM made the connection to the current war against Hamas:

Netanyahu stresses the importance of fighting evil, citing the operation in Gaza’s Rafah last spring as an example.

Speaking at the official state Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Yad Vashem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likens the Hamas terror group to the Nazis.

He made it very clear that Hamas, like Hitler wanted all Jews to be killed:

“Indeed, they are exactly like the Nazis, just like Hitler,” Netanyahu says. “They wish to kill and destroy all of the Jews, and they openly declare their intention to destroy the state of the Jews. They say so out loud, but it’s not going to happen. We are determined to annihilate the monsters of Hamas, these monsters who committed the worst massacre that we’ve experienced since the Holocaust.”

Netanyahu then recalled the climate of last year’s commemoration:

“Exactly a year ago, I stood in this very same place, and I spoke adamantly against those elements in the international community who sought to tie our hands. They warned us that if we enter Rafah, they will impose an arms embargo on Israel,” he says. “I said that, as the prime minister of the State of Israel, no one will prevent us from defending ourselves. No one will tie our hands. If we need to stand alone, we shall stand alone.”

Changing More Than Israel

He stated that their fight against Hamas and Iran is more than a local one:

In fighting back since Hamas’s invasion and mass-murder, says Netanyahu, “We have changed the face of the Middle East. Anyone who feared that, after the slaughter of October 7, we would face another Holocaust, saw how we turned the tables. On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, I promise: The military pressure on Hamas will continue. We will destroy all of its capabilities. We will return all our hostages. We will defeat Hamas. And we will prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons.”

He describes the regime in Iran as “an existential threat — not only to our future, but to the destiny of all humanity,” and vows that Israel will ensure Iran does not attain nuclear weapons. If Israel, heaven forbid, were to fail in this campaign, the Western states would be next in line…. But Israel will not lose,” he says. “Israel will not capitulate.”

He said that the Jews are stronger now:

Netanyahu contrasts the vulnerable state of Jews during the Holocaust with Israel’s current military strength. “During the Holocaust, we were like dust carried away by the wind,” he says. “Today, we have a powerful force that protects us, respected by the whole world. We have a country, we have an army, we have security forces.”

He then rallied those in attendance and those listening in from around the world:

“We will never surrender,” Netanyahu says. “Victory demands resilience. Thanks to the resilience and unity of all of the citizens of Israel, we have already achieved great achievements, and we will achieve further achievements until victory comes.”

He’s right about that and it’s a good thing.

Well, That’s Different

In an unexpected power move the leader of the Palestinian Authority is telling Hamas to turn over all the hostages among other things as we read in a report from The Jerusalem Post:

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on "sons of dogs" Hamas to "hand over the hostages" in a televised speech at the PA's Central Council on Wednesday.

Of course he wants the PA to control Gaza which they did before Hamas kicked them out:

Abbas added that the "war must end," citing that hundreds are dying every day because "[Hamas] doesn't want to hand over the American hostages. Sons of dogs - hand over the hostages and end the matter."

He listed the four ambitions for suggesting this rather braze move:

Abbas said the goals are "Returning the hostages; lifting the Israeli blockade of Gaza; stopping the displacement of our people in coordination with Arab countries; defending the 'Palestinian cause.'"

One condition that Abbas left out is getting their hands on any weapons left in Gaza:

He also stressed that "Hamas must end its control of the Gaza Strip and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority."

And he graciously wants Hamas to then become just another political player in Gaza:

Abbas also called on Hamas to turn itself into a political party, saying "talk to us instead of the Americans."

Abbas is taking advantage of the vastly weakened Hamas and actually confirming that the terrorist organization is on fumes. He then had to take a swipe at Israel for causing all the destruction in Gaza because well, it’s what they do:

He also condemned Israel's actions during the war, saying, "The coup carried out by Hamas in 2007 gave Israel a pretext to destroy the Gaza Strip. 2,165 families were completely wiped out, and 6,664 were partially wiped out. More than two-thirds of the homes were destroyed in the war."

Abbas warned of another Nakba happening in Gaza and probably the West Bank, too:

"We are facing serious dangers that could lead to a 'new Nakba,'" he added.

As an aside, he’s referring to what the Arabs consider an ethnic cleansing by Israel back in 1948. Of course Israel sees it differently because the land was divided by the United Nations when Israel was declared a nation again. Abbas concluded by basically wanting a Palestinian state created.

"Our vision for achieving peace in the Middle East is based on ending the Israeli occupation and establishing a state."

Where do I see this all going? Absolutely nowhere. Israel has stated unequivocally that the two state experiment is done. And they are also not going to let Hamas survive in any form or fashion in Gaza or anywhere close to them. As I said before, Abbas sees that Hamas is desperate for help and recognizes that the Gaza Strip is up for grabs, at least in his mind. Nice try, though. In the end Israel, not the PA will decide the fate of Gaza and Hamas.