Tactical Tango
Spies, Appointments, and Global Cooperation: The Weekly Conquest Week of 8.11.24 – 8.17.24
Welcome to the ZioKnight
Week of August 11th, 2024
This past Tuesday was the Fast of Tisha B’av, which primarily serves to mourn the Jewish People’s loss of the Temple in 586 BCE and 70 CE. As a guy who definitely lives to eat, not eats to live, fasting isn’t my forte. However, this year was very different.
Never in my own lifetime has Israel been at risk of being wiped off the map until 10/7. My grandparents recount the existential wars of ‘67 and ‘73, and my great-grandmother was even around for ‘48, but with Israel’s modern military, I couldn’t imagine she’d be in a similar circumstance again. If Iran and its proxies had worked together in October, there may have been little to write about in this newsletter afterward.
So, keeping off caffeine and nutrients for the day allowed me to reflect deeply on the unchanging nature of the land of Israel and my nation’s stewardship over it. This Tisha B’av was a stark reminder of the past destruction of Jerusalem and a reminder of the devotion, love, and grit necessary to maintain it under the Jewish State today.
Sunday 8.11
Iran was caught soliciting Israelis to serve as their spies. Just two weeks earlier, it was revealed that the Mossad successfully hired Iranian National Guard Corps agents to plant a bomb that led to the successful assassination of Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh. Israel: 1 Iran: 0. [1][2]
Monday 8.12
Brian Nelson (left) and Ilan Goldberg (right)
President Reagan once said that “personnel is policy.” As Vice President Harris continues to build her staff, we can learn much about the stances she may take on Israel.
Brian Nelson was chosen to be a senior advisor to the Harris Campaign. He has a long relationship with Harris, serving as her general counsel in the California Department of Justice and Biden’s Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Nelson has fought fiercely to impose debilitating sanctions on Hamas and Israel’s other adversaries.
Harris also appointed Ilan Goldberg as her Jewish Community Liaison. He was an unabashed supporter of the Iran Nuclear Deal, funneling billions of dollars to the regime. While attending a J Street event, he called Biden’s support of Israel “old school,” supporting stronger US pressure on Israel. He opposed US recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and moving the embassy to Jerusalem. Goldberg also advocated for resuming funding to UNRWA, which has been found to employ perpetrators of the 10/7 massacre. He envisions decreased US presence in the Middle East and less military funding to Israel.
Kamala’s team is a mixed bag right now. Stay tuned to learn more as we hear of new appointments. [3][4][5][6][7][8]
Tuesday 8.13
Mahmoud Abbas, Putin, and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi
China reaffirmed its support of Iran, Russia met with Palestinian Authority Leader Mahmoud Abbas, and Iran delivered hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia. These are the latest updates coming out of the Iranian, Russian, Chinese, and North Korean pact to subvert the US-led global order.
Israel’s enemies are the enemies of America, Europe, the West, and the world. [9][10][11]
Wednesday 8.14
President Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Key to US-Israeli military doctrine is Israel possessing a qualitative military edge against its adversaries. The US upheld this tradition by approving a $20 billion arms sale to Israel.
The US also lifted restrictions to allow the sale of arms worth $750 million to Saudi Arabia. This allowance serves as a “thank you” for countering Iran and expressing support for a prospective normalization deal with Israel. Since the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, and Bahrain’s incentives are all aligned to counter Iran’s axis of Hezbollah, Syria, the Houthis, and Hamas, we should expect to continue seeing such cooperation. [12][13]
Thursday 8.15
Ceasefire talks resumed in Doha with American, Qatari, and Egyptian officials. Notice anything bizarre about this list? I’ll give you a hint, the Hamas delegation is missing. [14]
Friday 8.16
Israeli and worldwide leaders condemned an Israeli attack on a Palestinian village in Judea and Samaria. One arrest has been made so far, and Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that all people involved will be brought to justice. [15][16]
Saturday 8.17
Ethiopian Israeli Avera Mengistu and Bedouin Israeli Hisham al-Sayed
The ceasefire and hostage release deal being negotiated by Israeli, US, Egyptian, and Qatari officials bridges all but two major gaps. Israel still demands a presence on Gaza’s southern border and a mechanism to prevent Hamas’ rearmament of the North.
The prospective deal would free Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who have been in Hamas captivity for a decade. The US wishes to have the arrangement completed by the end of the week. If the negotiations are successful between these parties, Hamas would still need to accept it afterward. [17][18]
Question: Why wasn’t there a peace treaty following Israel’s massive victory in the 1967 Six-Day War?
Answer: Israel had tripled the area it controlled and was in a good position to negotiate for peace. The Jewish State signaled its willingness to trade its new land for a treaty, however, its hopes were dashed when Arab leaders created the following doctrine: "no peace with Israel, no negotiations with Israel, no recognition of Israel.” [19]
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