Free Republic

The overwhelming likelihood is still that Iran and Hezbollah will attack Israel, maybe even as these words go to print. But if they do not, and even if they do, and a hostage deal eventually comes about, they will now be able to take credit instead of the Saudis for ending the regional hostilities. For several months, the Biden administration had been offering a grand bargain: Israel pauses its war with Hamas for an indefinite period in exchange for a return of the hostages and, eventually also, normalization with the Saudis. This grand bargain might have seen Israel another half...

After months of attacking each other and not speaking, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nemesis, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, will meet on Thursday morning at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Netanyahu repeatedly told Likud leaders that there is no point in speaking to Liberman, because the Yisrael Beytenu leader is determined to end the prime minister's political career. But after Blue and White leader Benny Gantz canceled a meeting with Netanyahu, he called Liberman on Wednesday evening. "There is no point in wasting the country's time," Netanyahu told Liberman. "We will meet and see if it is...