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John Law
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Isaac Saul
From executive producer Isaac Saul, this is Tangle. Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening and welcome to the Tangle Podcast, a place we get views from across the political spectrum, some independent thinking, and a little bit of my take. I'm your host Isaac Saul, and on today's episode we're going to be talking about the collapse, I guess you could call it, of the ceasefire in Gaza that is mostly focused on Israel's series of massive strikes in Gaza on Monday. Not an uplifting day for the podcast, I have to admit that. But tomorrow I'm going to do something a little bit more fun and different. I'll be defending that's right, California Governor Gavin Newsom. Not something I ever thought I'd really do, but I feel compelled given some of the commentary about his latest project. So I'm going to be doing that tomorrow and with that out of the way, I'm going to hand it over to John for today's main story and I'll be back with my take.
John Law
Thanks, Isaac and welcome everybody. Here are your quick hits for today. First up, the Federal Reserve said it would leave interest rates unchanged at around 4.3%, but suggested two rate cuts are still possible this year. The Fed also lowered its projected growth rate for US gross domestic product in 2025 from 2.1% to 1.7% and increased its inflation projections from 2.5% to 2.7%, citing uncertainty over the Trump administration's economic policies. Number two, President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had an hour long call in which Zelenskyy agreed to pause attacks on Russian energy infrastructure for 30 days, mirroring a commitment made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz also said that Zelenskyy was considering a proposal to have the United States acquire Ukrainian power plants and as a form of security after the war. Number three, On Thursday, President Trump reportedly plans to sign an executive order directing education secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps to close the Department of Education. Separately, the Trump administration said it is pausing $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania over its policies on transgender students competing in athletics. Number four, the United States conducted additional strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, and President Trump said the group would be completely annihilated if it did not stop its attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea. And number five, the Taliban released American hostage George Gliesman after more than two years in captivity in Afghanistan following negotiations involving the Trump administration and Qatari officials.
Colin Seberger
Foreign we have breaking news at this hour. The Israeli military says they are currently conducting extensive strikes in Gaza. The Israeli Defense Forces and Israeli Securities Agency say they are targeting terror targets belonging to Hamas. The strikes throw into doubt the fragile ceasefire that is held for nearly two months. The attacks come after President Trump issued what he called a last warning to Hamas last week to release all the remaining hostages being held in Gaza.
John Law
On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency announced that they had carried out a series of airstrikes against what they said were Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. The strikes targeted mid level Hamas commanders, senior political officials and Hamas's military infrastructure. According to an Israeli official. The IDF claimed to have killed Issam Al Dalis, the head of the Hamas government, in the strikes. Then on Wednesday, the IDF said forces resumed ground operations in central and southern Gaza. Tuesday's airstrikes killed over 400 Palestinians, including women and children, according to the Hamas controlled Gaza Ministry of Health. Israel's strikes ended a tenuous two month ceasefire with Hamas for context, the ceasefire deal was structured in three phases, the first of which included the return of living and dead hostages, hostages held by Hamas, and the release of thousands of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Stage one lasted 42 days, but negotiations for the second phase, led by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, had stalled prior to Tuesday's strikes. On March 2, Israel announced it was halting the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza to increase pressure on Hamas to accept new terms for an extended ceasefire agreement. You can find more of our coverage on the Israel Hamas war with a link in today's episode. Description On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address that he authorized the strikes after weeks of failed negotiations, claiming that Hamas had rejected proposals to return the remaining hostages held in Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive. Netanyahu added that Israel would continue military operations in Gaza and would conduct any future hostage negotiations with Hamas under fire. In a statement, Hamas said that Netanyahu's government was fully responsible for violating and overturning the ceasefire, and their decision left the remaining hostages in Gaza to an unknown fate. A Hamas spokesperson also accused the United States of partnership with Israel in its genocide perpetrated against our people. Separately, Egypt's Foreign Ministry condemned Israel's actions as a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement and a dangerous escalation that threatens to have dire consequences for the stability of the region. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt told Fox News that Israel consulted the Trump administration before carrying out the strikes. The President's Middle east envoy, Steve Witkoff was pursuing a two month truce extension to secure the release of some hostages while continuing negotiations, but Israel claimed Hamas rejected the proposal. President Trump said he was fine with Israel resuming the war if it chose to. Today we'll explore reactions to the renewed conflict with perspectives from the left, right and writers abroad and then Isaac's take.
Isaac Saul
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John Law
All right, first up, let's start with what the left is saying. The left is troubled by the resumption of the conflict, but says the ceasefire was never going to hold. Some say Netanyahu and Trump are to blame for the lack of a lasting peace. In the Atlantic, Yair Rosenberg argued the Gaza ceasefire was always going to end. Trump was less interested in ending the war than in being able to say he had gotten some hostages out by the time he was inaugurated. Hamas was willing to release those hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, but it was never going to agree to permanently lay down its arms. Israel, for its part, sought to extract as many of its own people from Gaza as possible and wanted to stay on Trump's good side so that he may grant them sweeping policy wins later on, rosenberg wrote. Two months in this confluence of interests has come apart and so has the ceasefire. The deal had been on life support for weeks, with no hostages coming out of Gaza and no humanitarian aid going in. More war is not what the people of Gaza or Israel wants. But Gazans have no ability to control or restrain Hamas, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not responsive to the preferences of the Israeli public, Rosenberg said. Setting aside the interests and intentions of Hamas, Netanyahu and Trump, the Gaza ceasefire was never going to hold. For a more fundamental reason, neither side is willing to tolerate the other's continued existence. Hamas has sworn to Israel's destruction. For Israel, the conflict cannot end until Hamas is gone. In Forward magazine, Dan Perry blamed Netanyahu's survival, politics and Trump's volatility for the ceasefire's end. Netanyahu's decision to resume hostilities appears to have been deeply political. To maintain his grip on power, he needed to ensure that his remaining right wing allies did not follow Ben Gvir's lead, an outcome that would have destroyed his governing coalition, Perry wrote after October 7. Prolonging the war gave Netanyahu a convenient excuse for avoiding efforts to hold him accountable for his role in the failures that led to October 7th. It seems likely that by disrupting the ceasefire, he hopes the same trick will work a second time. The influence of Trump's unique way of doing business cannot be overstated. Unlike previous administrations, which would insist on adherence to a signed ceasefire, Trump granted Netanyahu the flexibility to walk away from the deal. Because Trump sees international agreements as not binding commitments, but rather as tools to be reshaped as circumstances change, Perry said. As much as Trump helped bring about the ceasefire, he also laid the groundwork for its end. As the many contractors he stiffed in his career as a developer can attest, the president is fond of making deals and less concerned with keeping them. Alright, that is it for what the left is saying. Which brings us to what the right is saying. The right mostly supports Israel's renewed action, arguing it is acting in its self interest. Some say Trump bears responsibility for the ceasefire's end. In creators, Ian Haworth asked, do you want Israel to win? Predictably, Israel is being vilified for doing what any nation must do defend itself against an enemy that has no interest in peace, no interest in releasing hostages and no interest in putting an end to ongoing attacks against Israel, haworth said. The deck is stacked. Israel is always guilty, Hamas is always innocent, and the so called international order is far too happy to sit back, tweet war is bad and make excuses for those whose one goal in life is to murder every Jew on the planet. The usual chorus of online critics is far too happy to sit back and call for Israel to just wait for the next pogrom. Worse, the moral calculations of Israel's critics are fundamentally broken. If Hamas chooses to launch attacks from civilian areas, use civilians for human shields and embed military assets within hospitals and schools. The blame for any civilian casualties lies squarely at their feet, not to mention the fact that this war could end tomorrow if Hamas released the hostages, haworth wrote. If you don't have a viable alternative that ensures Israeli security, then your condemnation is nothing but the same feckless virtue signaling that put us in this situation in the first place. In reason, Matthew Petty said Trump owns the Middle east wars now Donald Trump's most impressive accomplishment was also his first one bringing calm to the Middle East. Before taking office, he pushed Israel and Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal that had been on the table since May 2024, including an Israeli Palestinian prisoner exchange, petty wrote. Now Trump is rapidly undoing those accomplishments. Turning a ceasefire into permanent peace was always going to be difficult, and both Israel and Hamas played hardball, especially as Trump's plan to empty the Palestinian population loomed in the background. The ceasefire breaking down at exactly this time in exactly this way, however, was a U.S. israeli decision. Trump's America first mantra has always contained two contradictory urges. On one hand, there's a feeling that America is wasting its resources on hopeless foreign causes, which can be avoided by trying to solve problems over the telephone. On the other hand, there's an intense desire to show strength and an intense fear of looking weak, petty said. Just as things shifted rapidly over the past few weeks, they can shift again. By both brokering the ceasefire and allowing it to fall apart, Trump demonstrated that he has more control than anyone else over the pace of violence in the Middle east, and that means he owns whatever comes next. Alright, that is it for what writers from the left and the right are saying. Which brings us to what some regional writers are saying. Israeli writers have disparate responses to the war resuming, but many say Hamas bears the brunt of the blame. Palestinian writers say Netanyahu is extending the war to protect himself politically, the Jerusalem Post editorial board wrote. The world must finally recognize Hamas tactics as manipulation. For weeks, Hamas stalled negotiations in Doha, rejecting opportunities to release hostages and deescalate the conflict. It refused to release captives on March 1, March 8 and March 15 while simultaneously pretending to engage in good faith discussions. This pattern is familiar. Hamas constantly seeks international sympathy through ceasefires it never intends to honor while using the lull to strengthen its forces, the board said. Israel understands the cost of waiting. Every delay emboldens the terrorist organization and prolongs the suffering of the hostages it continues to hold. Israel's response Targeted strikes on Hamas infrastructure is a necessary step to ensure that Hamas does not use a ceasefire as a smokescreen for its next attack, Hamas has no legitimacy to cry foul. It was Hamas that provoked this latest round of violence, just as it did on October 7 when it launched its brutal attack on Israeli civilians. Since then, the terror group has sought to dictate the terms of engagement, weaponizing human shields and international media narratives while keeping the people of Gaza under its oppressive rule, the board wrote. Israel has no obligation to allow Hamas to dictate the battlefield. The era in which Hamas could launch attacks, retreat under the COVID of ceasefire, and then re emerge stronger must come to an end. With the backing of its allies, Israel must continue to pressure Hamas until it is no longer capable of threatening its citizens in the Middle East. Eye Ahmad Tibi said Netanyahu is bombing Gaza again to save his political life. Israel unilaterally violated the Gaza ceasefire after refusing to proceed to the second phase, which would have secured the release of all remaining hostages. Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected offers from Hamas for their release, TB wrote. If his government had genuinely prioritized bringing the hostages home, a deal could have been reached long ago. But that would mean ending the war, without which Netanyahu's coalition would collapse. The fighting has thus become a political tool carried out under the pretext of security. Netanyahu operates like Procrustus, the cruel figure from Greek mythology who forced his guests to fit into a bed that was never the right size. If they were too tall, he chopped off their legs. If they were too short, he stretched them until they broke. Anyone who came to him was forcibly adjusted to the predetermined measurements, TB wrote. Instead of ending the war with a negotiated deal, he is keeping Israel and the hostages trapped in an artificial framework of brutality and destruction. To cling to power, Netanyahu is willing to fire the Shin Bet chief for investigating the prime minister's office, to dismantle the judicial system in an attempt to evade a criminal trial that could send him to prison and to abandon the hostages despite their family's desperate pleas. All right, let's head over to Isaac for his take.
Isaac Saul
All right, that is it for what the left and the right and some writers from abroad are saying. Which brings us to my take. So, first of all, it is not hard to be despondent. Today is the 531st day of the war, and the ceasefire that wasn't has now completely collapsed. I tried quite desperately to find some optimism when this ceasefire was first announced. In my take, I spared a few sentences for joy and relief, but emphasized that this war was not over, that the hard part wouldn't start until after phase one. I shared that this agreement was only a baby step toward the end of the fighting. And to be honest, the last two months went worse than I expected they would. Let's start with Israel. Since January, Israel has repeatedly violated the terms of the ceasefire. It refused to withdraw its soldiers. It continued military operations. 150 Palestinians were reportedly killed in Gaza during the quote, unquote ceasefire. And it blocked electricity and humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, a violation of humanitarian law. In January, I criticized Netanyahu for accepting a deal that had long been on the table. It should be one of the great political scandals of our time that he essentially refused a deal like this until he solidified his governing coalition. Then this week, he became the first Israeli leader to ever fire the head of Shin Bet, an intelligence agency in Israel that recently put blame on the Israeli government and Netanyahu for failing to act on warnings about October 7. With Netanyahu's governing position secured and critical voices banished, the bombing started again in earnest. All of this is to say nothing of what happened after the ceasefire deal was announced. First, President Donald Trump announced his big plan for Gaza, which amounted to an ethnic cleansing of the entire strip, effectively signaling to Gazans that the US had long term plans to force them out. Next, Trump sold billions of dollars of weapons to Israel, bypassing congressional review, said he was fine with Israel resuming the war, and then stood back as Israel conducted one of the largest strikes of the war so far, reportedly killing some 400 people, civilians and combatants in a single day, including babies and pregnant mothers sheltering in humanitarian zones. As for Hamas, the group's conduct during the hostage release was simply abhorrent. It paraded Israelis, including dead hostages, through the streets of Gaza to what sure looked like adoring fans. Four of the bodies the group returned included those of Sheree Bebas and her two young children, including a nine month old who Hamas claim were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Four days later, Israel made a harrowing announcement. The adult body returned was not Shiri Beavis. The forensics could not match the body returned to any known hostage. It turned out to be the body of a Palestinian woman. Netanyahu called the handover of the wrong remains cruel and malicious. And the entire ordeal became a renewed symbol of hamas's brutality on October 7 and and cause for the war in the first place. Meanwhile, Hamas spent the two and a half weeks leading up to Monday's strike refusing to turn over any of the remaining 24 living hostages, despite clear and direct threats about what Israel would do. If it continued to stall, Trump promised all hell would break loose if they didn't turn the hostages over a red line he was obviously going to hold. And HAMAS still, by U.S. and Israeli accounts, held out during negotiations. Israel's strike on Monday killed several high level commanders, making it a successful operation in the eyes of many Israelis and also reinforcing the fact Hamas is still very much operational. As pundits unpack the collapse of the agreement and the renewal of the violence, the impulse to play the blame game is evident. Understandably so. There is plenty of blame to go around. But while Hamas may be responsible for the horror it unleashed on Gaza with its October 7 attacks, I find it hard to dispute that within the scope of the last two months, the primary fault for this deal collapsing lies with Israel. The talking point from Netanyahu and Trump is simple. Hamas didn't release the remaining hostages. But it's also incomplete. Hamas did the most important thing it had committed to in phase one. It released all 33 hostages as the deal called for and came to the table to negotiate Phase two. Israel violated the agreement's first term by not meeting on the ceasefire's 16th day to discuss the plans for phase two. Phase two was always going to be the sticking point because it required an actual end to the war and Israel leaving Gaza. Netanyahu's refusal to follow through on the commitment for those negotiations was the initial signal things were going south. Trump then began insisting on an extension of Phase one, which was not in the text of the agreement. Then Israel broke the commitment to withdrawal from the Philadelphia corridor. Then Israel broke its promise to continue aid while the second stage talks were ongoing. Then Israel broke the promise to actually cease firing. Israel did all of this before Hamas balked on additional hostage releases. The timeline of events here is impossible to dispute. The Haaretz editorial board laid all this out clearly. While the paper is a frequent critic of the Netanyahu government, it is jarring to see its state in such unequivocal terms that the collapse of this deal falls on Israel, not Hamas. It's not typical to see an Israeli paper, even one with lefty leanings like Haaretz, scorn its own government and defend Hamas's version of events. But in this case, as depressing as it is, they are fully justified in doing so. The ugly truth, the one so many people refuse to acknowledge, is that Benjamin Netanyahu has abandoned the hostages to extend his political life. From the early days of the war, this has been the story. It's why he refused to end the war earlier, and it's how he has survived this year and a half, despite his political obituary being written on October 8th. Once again, it is politically advantageous for him. For the war to continue, Netanyahu needs approval for a budget before March 31, which he can't get without support from the far right wing of his party, which wants him to do exactly what he's doing now. If Netanyahu were genuinely thinking about the hostages, including the ones recently released, he'd hear their and their families clear demands that the war stop, as every bomb endangers the remaining hostages in Gaza. But he has no interest in that argument again. It's all worse and darker than I even imagined. It's all been worse and darker than I thought it would be since the day I wrote my first piece on the war. And it's continued on that track for nearly two years. All my worst fears are coming to fruition, and then some. Today, Gazans have no ability to restrain or resist Hamas, a group that cares more about killing Israelis or pretending it may have a way to win this war than it does about protecting its own people. Israelis are at the whims of a leader who consistently ignores their pleas for a ceasefire, caring only about his own political survival. Yet somehow he survives, despite overseeing the worst security failure in modern Israeli history, despite tearing the nation apart with attempted judicial reform, despite the corruption charges, despite the embrace of the far right, despite it all. How does it end? I wish I knew. Honestly, a resolution seems impossible, a real plan totally absent. Instead, we have the leaders of Hamas holding on to all they have, which are literal human bargaining chips. And the Israeli Prime Minister openly defying the desires of the hostages families. Meanwhile, the US President openly muses about permanently vacating Palestinians from Gaza, and the Arab world looks on without so much as lifting a finger. I wish I had an answer or some positive news, but I don't. We'll be right back after this quick break.
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Isaac Saul
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Eugenio Derbez
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Isaac Saul
All right, that is it for my very depressing take today. So with that, we're going to move to a question from Abby S. In Lansing, Michigan. Abby said, has anyone done an analysis of the potential effects on our economy of massive government layoffs and firings? So people are trying, I would say, to start, but this is a fundamentally difficult question to answer right now as we simply don't know how how many federal workers will actually be fired when the dust settles. Just this week, the Trump administration moved to reinstate roughly 24,000 probationary federal workers who had been fired after a judge ordered them to be reinstated. If other challenges to the layoffs are successful, it's possible that the overall cuts will be much smaller than Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency are envisioning. With that said, some economists have projected the potential economic impact of the planned cuts. An analysis by Oxford Economics suggests that the consumer facing sectors like retail and hospitality in metro areas could be the most impacted by the cuts, as federal worker spending typically comprises a significant portion of their revenues. However, the study also estimated that the effect of potential cuts would be blunted by federal workers finding other employment in the private sector or joining state or local governments. Other economists say the downstream effects of the cuts could increase the risk of a recession. Laid off workers could pull back on their spending, leading to slower job growth in other industries. PNC Bank's chief economist Gus Fauci recently said. In effect, this view holds that a sudden uptick in unemployment combined with scaled back hiring will create a ripple effect that drags down the entire economy. Still, we should keep in mind that federal government employment accounts for roughly 2% of the overall labor force. So it's unlikely that these cuts would instantly destabilize the economy, even if all of Doge's proposed layoffs hold up. All right, that is it for your questions answered. I'm going to send it back to John for the rest of the pod and I'll see you guys tomorrow. Have a good one. Peace.
John Law
Thanks, Isaac. Here's your under the radar story for today, folks. On Wednesday, authorities in Turkey detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamolu, who is widely viewed as the top political rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on charges of terrorism, money laundering and other financial crimes. Imamolu won control of Istanbul's city government in a 2019 election and was set to be chosen as his party's 2028 presidential candidate in the coming days. Additionally, Istanbul University revoked his diploma, depriving him of a requirement to run for president under Turkish law. The arrest comes amid a broader crackdown on political opposition by Erdogan, who is technically term limited in 2028 but could run again if parliament calls an early election or through constitutional amendment. Imamolu's arrest is a turning point for Turkish politics, the Washington Institute for Near East Policies Sonar Kagapte said. It looks much more like Russia than it ever did. The Wall Street Journal has this story and there's a link in today's episode. Description alright, next up is our numbers section. The number of living Israeli hostages released by hamas during phase one of the ceasefire is 25. The number of hostages bodies released by hamas during phase one of the ceasefire is eight. The estimated number of hostages remaining in Gaza is 59. The approximate number of imprisoned Palestinians released by Israel during phase one of the ceasefire was 1,900. The approximate number of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel who have either been convicted or are suspected of security offenses is 10,000. The percentage of Americans who said their sympathies were more with the Israelis and the Palestinians respectively in 2023 was 54% and 31%, according to Gallup. The percentage of Americans who said their sympathies were more with the Israelis and the Palestinians, respectively, in February 2025 is 46% and 33%. The percentage of Israelis who said they were in favor of continuing to the second phase of the hostage release and ceasefire deal with Hamas in February 2025 is 70%, according to a Channel 12 poll. And the percentage of Israelis who said they supported a resumption of hostilities with Hamas in March 2025 is 59%, according to polling by the Direct Polls Institute. And last but not least, our have a nice day story. The global nonprofit Little Free Library unveiled its 200,000th mailbox last week. In celebration, they granted 200 mailbox libraries to Title 1 elementary schools, each filled with 200 children's books donated by Penguin Random House. The organization, which operates in 128 countries on all seven continents, attributes its success to voluntary stewards who have made the vast expansion possible. We are humbled by the number of individuals and organizations who chose to build community, share their love of reading, and expand access to books by starting one or more little free libraries. The Nonprofits Director of Communications, Margaret Aldrich writes, Nice News has this story and there's a link in today's episode Description all right everybody, that is it for today's episode. As always, if you'd like to support our work, Please go to readtangle.com where you can sign up for a newsletter membership, podcast membership, or a bundled membership that gets you a discount on both. As Isaac mentioned at the top, tomorrow's Friday edition is going to be a piece he's writing on defending California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. If any of you have been watching or listening to Newsom's podcast, this should be a very interesting piece. Isaac and Will will be here for the Sunday edition and we are off for spring break this week, but we do have a lineup of podcast interviews for you and those will be released in full for both free listeners and podcast subscribers. If you would like to listen to these podcasts ad free, it's a great time to sign up for a premium podcast membership or a bundled membership. I'll be using this week to spend time with my family and celebrate my birthday. And I gotta tell you, my three year old daughter could not be more happy at another opportunity for cake. So I hope you all get to enjoy our podcast offerings. And in the meantime, for Isaac and the rest of the crew, this is John Law signing off. Have an absolutely wonderful week, y'all. Peace.
Isaac Saul
Our podcast is written by me, Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Duke Thomas. Our script is edited by Ari Weitzman, Will K Back daily Saul and Sean Brady the logo for our podcast was made by Magdalena Bokova, who is also our Social Media manager. The music for the podcast was produced by Diet75. And if you're looking for more from Tangle, please go check out our website@readtangle.com that's readtangle.com.
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Podcast Summary: Tangle – Episode “The War in Gaza Resumes”
Release Date: March 20, 2025
Host: Isaac Saul
Duration: 36:30
In this episode of Tangle, host Isaac Saul delves into the grim resurgence of conflict in Gaza, marking the end of a fragile ceasefire. The episode provides a comprehensive analysis of the events leading to the collapse, explores diverse perspectives from across the political spectrum, and features insightful commentary on the broader implications of renewed hostilities.
The episode opens with an update from John Law at [04:56], detailing the Israeli Defense Forces' (IDF) extensive airstrikes in Gaza. These strikes targeted Hamas infrastructure, including mid-level commanders and senior officials, resulting in significant casualties. The IDF claimed to have eliminated Issam Al Dalis, the head of the Hamas government, during these operations. Following the airstrikes, ground operations resumed in central and southern Gaza, effectively dismantling the two-month ceasefire.
Key Points:
The left perspective expresses profound concern over the resurgence of violence, attributing responsibility to both Israeli and American leadership.
Yair Rosenberg from The Atlantic ([10:25]): Argues that the ceasefire was inherently unstable due to conflicting interests. Rosenberg asserts, “For a more fundamental reason, neither side is willing to tolerate the other's continued existence.” He criticizes both Netanyahu and President Trump for actions that undermined lasting peace, highlighting Netanyahu's disregard for public preferences and Hamas's unyielding stance.
Dan Perry in Forward Magazine ([10:25]): Blames Netanyahu's political maneuvering and Trump's volatile diplomacy for the ceasefire's failure. Perry notes, “Trump granted Netanyahu the flexibility to walk away from the deal... As much as Trump helped bring about the ceasefire, he also laid the groundwork for its end.” He emphasizes that Netanyahu's need to maintain support from the far-right was a driving force behind the renewed hostilities.
Conversely, the right largely supports Israel's decision to resume military operations, viewing it as a necessary act of self-defense.
Ian Haworth in Creators ([10:25]): Defends Israel by stating, “Hamas is always innocent... Israel is being vilified for doing what any nation must do to defend itself against an enemy that has no interest in peace.” Haworth criticizes international critics for their perceived bias and argues that Israel's actions are justified in response to Hamas's tactics, such as using civilians as human shields.
Matthew Petty in Reason ([10:25]): Attributes the ceasefire's collapse to Trump's inconsistent foreign policy. Petty observes, “Trump demonstrated that he has more control than anyone else over the pace of violence in the Middle East, and that means he owns whatever comes next.” He highlights Trump's dual approach of showing strength while attempting to withdraw from prolonged foreign engagements.
The episode also features insights from regional writers, offering a nuanced view of the conflict's impact within the Middle East.
Jerusalem Post Editorial Board ([10:25]): Criticizes both Netanyahu and Hamas, asserting that “Hamas bears the brunt of the blame” for the conflict's resurgence. They accuse Hamas of stalling negotiations and manipulating international sympathy, stating, “Hamas constantly seeks international sympathy through ceasefires it never intends to honor while using the lull to strengthen its forces.”
Ahmad Tibi ([10:25]): Analyzes Netanyahu's motivations, arguing that the Israeli Prime Minister is prolonging the war to sustain his political survival. Tibi states, “Netanyahu is willing to fire the Shin Bet chief... to dismantle the judicial system... and to abandon the hostages despite their family's desperate pleas.” This portrayal underscores Netanyahu's prioritization of political power over peace efforts.
Isaac Saul offers a sobering personal take on the situation, integrating facts and his interpretations to underscore the complexities of the conflict.
Ceasefire Violations: Saul points out that Israel violated several terms of the ceasefire, including continued military operations and blocking humanitarian aid. “[Isaac Saul at 19:47]” he explains, “Since January, Israel has repeatedly violated the terms of the ceasefire. It refused to withdraw its soldiers... 150 Palestinians were reportedly killed in Gaza during the 'ceasefire.'”
Political Motivations: Saul criticizes Netanyahu's political maneuvers, suggesting that the Israeli leader prioritized maintaining his coalition over securing lasting peace. He remarks, “Netanyahu has abandoned the hostages to extend his political life.”
Trump's Role: Highlighting President Trump's involvement, Saul states, “Trump sold billions of dollars of weapons to Israel, bypassing congressional review, said he was fine with Israel resuming the war...” He underscores that Trump's policies have significantly influenced the conflict's trajectory.
Hamas's Conduct: Saul condemns Hamas for its handling of hostages, describing their actions as manipulative and brutal. “[Isaac Saul at 19:47]” he remarks, “Hamas didn't release the remaining hostages as it should have according to the agreement...”
Future Prospects: Concluding his analysis, Saul expresses a bleak outlook for the conflict's resolution, noting the entrenched positions of both Hamas and Netanyahu. He states, “How does it end? I wish I knew. Honestly, a resolution seems impossible, a real plan totally absent.”
The episode briefly addresses a listener question regarding the economic impact of potential government layoffs, referencing economists' varied projections on the subject. Additionally, John Law highlights an under-the-radar story about the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamolu, signaling political turmoil in Turkey akin to Russian political dynamics.
This episode of Tangle provides a thorough examination of the deteriorating situation in Gaza, presenting multiple perspectives that illuminate the intricate interplay of political motivations, strategic decisions, and humanitarian concerns. Isaac Saul's analysis ties together these viewpoints, offering listeners a nuanced understanding of why the ceasefire failed and what it means for the future of the region.
Notable Quotes:
For more detailed coverage and updates on the Israel-Hamas conflict, visit readtangle.com.