Democracy is supposed to ensure a bond between elected leaders and the electorate that don’t necessarily exist in a monarchy or dictatorship. Democratically elected leaders are expected to understand their citizens and their needs; but here in Israel the coalition that was duly elected lives in its own “Versailles,” where it not only neglects the hostages that it abandoned 696 days ago, but is cut off from the reality and values of its citizens.

Bodies of Two Hostages Recovered

Hostage Families Continue Efforts, Pressure to Release the Remaining Hostages

Last week, the IDF recovered the bodies of two of the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza: 56-year-old Ilan Weiss, a Kibbutz Be’eri security squad volunteer, and 28-year-old Nova festival photographer, Idan Shtivi. Idan was killed on October 7, 2023, and his body taken captive by Hamas terrorists from the Nova desert rave. Prime Minister Netanyahu hailed Idan as a hero, “On October 7, 2023, he took part in the Nova music festival, and when the terrorist attack began, he acted to rescue and save many participants at the party,” said Netanyahu.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has practically decided that he wants the IDF to conquer all of Gaza City, much of which has escaped much of the house to house street fighting in this war. Among Netanyahu’s other concerns, such as his corruption trials, his attempts to fire Israel’s Attorney General, and Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation from other liberal democracies in the world, the Israeli Prime Minister is busy preparing for a long, and possibly drought and disastrous military campaign into the heart of the enemy’s stronghold.

Senior analysts within the IDF are convinced that Netanyahu’s primary goal is to keep his right-wing coalition intact for a few more months. The Israeli Prime Minister is under pressure from an emboldened right flank both within his own Likud party, and from the even more extreme right Religious Zionist party, lead Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. Since the beginning of this war, the more extreme right-wing factions in Israel have struggled to push a narrative that they can guarantee the safety of Israeli civilians.

This week's issue covers a lot of ground. In addition to our main focus, we cover the shock of the hostage families when they heard U.S. President Trump say that fewer than 20 hostages are still alive despite not getting any updates on this from the Israeli government.

There are also plenty of other issues covered that occurred this week like the E1 Controversy, Life in Israel's Parallel Universe and Antisemitism in Europe.

Strikes and Demonstrations Across the Country

Sunday saw the largest day of protests in Israel since the murder of six hostages by Hamas last August in Gaza. Organizers say 500,000 attended the rally in Hostages Square that culminated the day-long strike, where over 1 million people from all political backgrounds protested across the country with one unified message: release the hostages and save our soldiers by ending the war.

Other topics include:

• Israel’s Fragile Government Faces New Challenges

• Israel’s Channel 14

• Bringing Home the Hostages: 50 Hostages / 20 Presumed Alive

• What Else Happened This Week