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Order Michael Finch’s new book, A Time to Stand: HERE. Prof. Jason Hill calls it “an aesthetic and political tour de force.”
Sign up to attend Michael’s talk in Los Angeles on Thursday, November 20: HERE.
Steve Witkoff, our chief Middle East negotiator, has now said, with surprise and disappointment, that “Hamas promised me it would disarm.” But now the terror group says it won’t disarm. My goodness, Hamas wouldn’t have been fooling you, would it, Mr. Witkoff? Steve Witkoff may be a whiz at making real estate deals in New York City, but in the Middle East, he’s a babe in the woods. He apparently doesn’t know about Muhammad’s famous hadith, claiming that “war is deception.” More on the gullible Witkoff, and the state of play in Gaza between the IDF, Hamas, and the Americans, can be found here: “Witkoff says Hamas officials told him and Kushner that terror group would disarm,” by Jacob Magid, Times of Israel, November 7, 2025:
White House Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff claimed Thursday that Hamas officials told him and fellow Trump aide Jared Kushner that the terror group wanted to disarm during their “famous meeting” hours before the ceasefire was inked on October 9.
“Hamas has always indicated that they would disarm. They’ve said so — they said it to us directly during that famous meeting that Jared had with them,” Witkoff recalled, speaking to the America Business Forum conference in Miami.
Of course Hamas will keep its word, Mr. Witkoff. When has Hamas ever told a lie, or misled anyone? See, there’s nothing to worry about.
“I hope that they keep their word because if they do, they’ll understand that the development plan that we have for Gaza is really terrific — a lot better than anyone has ever discussed before,” he continued, adding that it will include a “tremendous jobs program.”
Of course Hamas will gladly give up its arms, as you and Jared were promised. After all, the terror group wants to see Gazans thrive, with good jobs at good wages, as they both clear away the rubble and proceed to rebuild. When has Hamas ever shown indifference to the wellbeing of Gazans?
Hamas officials have publicly taken a different stance, insisting either that the group will not disarm or have dodged the question entirely when pressed….
Oops. It sounds as if Hamas is not going to disarm after all, despite the promise it made to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Could they have been fooling the Americans all along?
Hamas is obligated under the Trump plan to completely disarm. There is no exception made for light arms. Rifles and guns in the hands of Hamas have killed hundreds of Israelis, including those murdered on October 7, 2023.
Hamas is stalling for time. How long will it be — weeks, or more likely months — before an international security force is formed, enters Gaza, and takes delivery of all those weapons Hamas will supposedly turn over them? Meanwhile, Hamas will have been able to hide in its network of tunnels, a great many of its weapons, which it has no intention of turning over.
Witkoff remains so hopeful, so trusting that Hamas will demilitarize. What will it take for him to realize he is being played?
In his remarks, the US envoy also confirmed The Times of Israel’s reporting that Washington is leaning on Israel to grant safe passage to 100 to 200 Hamas operatives who are currently holed up in tunnels beneath the city of Rafah, in exchange for them giving up their weapons….
This pressure from Washington on Israel to let 200 Hamas fighters go free to the part of Gaza still under Hamas’ control is madness. Any fighters who stayed behind the Yellow Line were certainly intent on continuing to fight the IDF, and they should not be allowed to escape.
Furthermore, Hamas was already obligated to turn over all of its weapons. That was part of the deal that led the IDF both to stop fighting, and to withdraw behind the Yellow Line. Hamas should not now receive another concession in order to do what it was already obligated to do: disarm. But the Americans, instead of pointing this out, are putting pressure — outrageous pressure — on Israel to let the almost 200 Hamas combatants leave the area under IDF control as long as they surrender their weapons. Of course, once they reach the Hamas-controlled area, they will simply be given weapons to replace those they had just given up.
Some of those 200 Hamas combatants have attacked, and killed, Israelis, and Israel does not intend to let them go free.
For its part, the US fears that allowing Israel to kill all of those Hamas fighters would risk collapsing the fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
But hasn’t the ceasefire already collapsed, with Hamas’ insistence that it will never disarm?
Witkoff said that if the US manages to “hold it together, then we’ll have even more credibility around the world. I’m very confident we will hold it together and we will complete the mission.”
Does Witkoff really think that Hamas will voluntarily disarm? How exactly will the U.S.”hold it [the Trump plan] all together”? Even the first phase of the plan did not exactly go as planned. Hamas was supposed to turn over all the dead Israelis within 72 hours; instead, it has been delivering them In batches of one or two, and so far, more than a month has gone by. Five bodies have still not been turned over. And even several of the bodies Hamas turned over were not Israelis at all. And Hamas has repeatedly insisted that it has no intention of disarming, as called for in the next phase of the plan.
Now the Americans are talking about a rebuilding program, with a model residential community to be built to the east of the Yellow Line, that will be seen by the Palestinians as an example of what they can all have in their future if they turn away from Hamas and help to peacefully rebuild the Strip. It just might work, if Hamas is completely disarmed and its leaders sent into exile. Only then can peaceful reconstruction begin. That is a big If.
Asking Ham-A** to disarm is like asking Lion to not Eat You
Looks like Trump is going the way of his first term. Relying on people who don’t know their ass from
a hole in the ground. Witkoff may know the business world but, he’s proving himself as over his head in
this situation!!!
Witcoff is only part of the problem, one evident to some of us even before Trump retook office, as Witcoff worked with the Biden team to get agreement on the earlier Biden/Blinken plan. Witcoff appears to be compromised by his economic ties to Qatar, and clearly seems obtuse to the ways of war in the region. (Kushner should know better, but he too may be financially compromised.) And Qatar itself has way more influence on Trump these days than they had in his first term. Turkey too remains a malign influence, and Trump sucks up to them all, while also welcoming Syria in from the cold.
Excellent article.
The best that can be done in Gaza is what exists at this moment. No rebuilding, no knetic war to speak of, improving confiscation of weapons, reduced income for Hamas. If this situation can be maintained for two or three years, immigration of the Gazan population may become more realistic. The “right of resistance” will have to be weighed against the quality of daily life. Meanwhile, Israel will increase its knowledge of the tactical situation on the ground in order to prepare for any return to battle.
What, you mean you can’t trust Hamas (or most of the Arab world, for that matter) to keep its word? Call “60 Minutes!” Is Mr. Witkoff a child?
He’s so naive that he’s incompetent for the task he was given. Didn’t anyone ask him about his knowledge of Jihadism before he was chosen?
Trump unfortunately already pressured Israel to agree to the release of the Hamas terrorists-withoit disarming them.
Witkoff and Kushner threw Bibi – and all of Israel- under the bus on their disingenuous 60 minutes ambush – totally canceling all their words of praise for Bibi 2 days prior at the Knesset. Like they were aiding an opposition coup attempt
Now Vance (Carlson’s proxy) is running the mideast affairs – and Trump has FLIPPED on all his former pro-Israel stances. Now he denigrate Israel (after screwing them with his announcement of selling the Saudis fighter jets) with disrespect and contempt: “Israel would “like you to get planes of reduced caliber,” Trump told the Saudi prince, as reporters looked on. “I don’t think that makes you too happy.”
And now he is pushing Israel to get of their security-strategic hold onto HERMON overlooking Syria – to appease the former ISIS dictator.
The problem is that we as citizens do not really care about our government. These alleged idiots in DC run our lives with little or no interest in what we say. There is a headline for a couple of days and all is then forgotten by our citizens as well as the other side.
However the pay and kickback scams continue as before. The only thing that will change our situation is quite a bit of ammunition. The nerds in DC would quiver, whine and run as they always do.
Why do muslims commit acts such as October 7th or 9/11? Because it works. If 9/11 hadn’t happened Al Julani would not be president of Syria and Mamdani would not be Mayor of New York, if 10/7 hadn’t happened Gaza and Hamas would not be showered with the riches they are about to receive.
Hamas will disarm as soon as Israel gets its balls back and sends in the IDF to kill them.
This silly Gaza cease fire is almost a replay of the Nixon Admin arguing with the V-Coms over the shape of the table at the start of the Paris peace talks. Everyone knew as soon as U.S. troops were gone the V-Coms would violate the fake cease fire.
Job one, get rid of Whitkoff. He got played. He should stick to real estate. Bring in a no eff-around guy who will help kick Hamas’ ass.
Actually I am sure that the IDF needs no advice from the Foggy Bottom sewer dwellers.
All that Witkoff and company did was to get the living hostages released.
No one believes for one minute that hamazz will live in peace and cooperation.
Getting the hostages released was a big deal. Now Israel is free to wipeout hamazz unfettered with hostage lives fears.
For Israel to regain that freedom to act in its sovereign defense, the US would have to get out of the way, which would require Trump admitting his “peace for the ages” plan was not working. I don’t think, after putting his prestige on the line, his ego will allow that. So he’ll keep the pressure on Israel for more accommodations to the reality of Hamas resistance.
I wrote months ago his plan would not succeed due to two fatal flaws: It failed to acknowledge the Gaza Arabs commitment to a “forever war” against Israel. And it was simply too complicated, making assumptions and positing goals for which there was no evidence they could be accomplished. That violates the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). Even now, Trump can’t say who will participate in the ISF, what role they will have, and how the objective of disarming Hamas and removing them from a governing role will be accomplished. That didn’t stop them from pressuring Israel to withdraw to a new Yellow Line, leaving a vacuum that Hamas quickly filled.
The *simple* solution, in contrast, is the one the world rejects outright: resettlement.
One can only hope that no one in the Administration really believes Hamas will disarm or will settle down to stop their war against Israel and the West. This deal breaker then can result in Hamas’ complete and final annihilation, which should be the only objective for any hope of “peace.”.
So the ruthless. religious fanatic killers of Hamas broke their promise
to disarm, says Witkoff. Golly gee whiz, that wasn’t very nice. Any
American adult with half a brain can see Witkoff is a jackass.
Or is he? Hamas leaders have been lodged in luxury hotels in Qatar
and it is Qatar who has given them nearly two Billion dollars over the
years to support them. And it is Qatar who two years ago in 2023
bailed Steve Witkoff out of his Park Lane hotel investment to the tune
of 623 million dollars, a project in which Witkoff was heavily indebted.
Witkoff’s seemingly well-meaning hapless act is serving the Muslim
terrorists Hamas and not Israel – and certainly not America.
Witkoff is a certified sucker. Doesn’t he know the story of the frog and the scorpion? Such a shmuck.
As the mayor said to Dirty Harry, “he gave me his word”.
Am I the the only guy who noticed Steve Whakckoff is a piece of shit? Bad job, Trumpy.
Yeah. Hamass is going to disarm. Who the fuck is stupid enough to believe that? Oh, yeah. Steve Whackoff. He pretends to, anyway.
Yeah right.
Remember Trump’s the lady and the snake poem? HAMAS is that snake. And Witkoff is the lady.
Trump needs to stay away from The ME and let Israel finish the job. I’m afraid Trump is creating a bigger mess than both Bush Sr. and jr.
Obviously he did not take the time to learn about the enemy, and their beliefs, and practices.
It is not good when there are naive people in leadership positions.
The rabid dogs are taught to lie from birth, to achieve their evil agenda.
The real proof of “Hamas is going to give up it’s weapons” will be when Witkoff goes to the ME without armed protaction
Sancta simplicitas
Palestinians:
“Hey, if we give up our weapons, how are we supposed to keep killing Jews?”
Witless Witkoff has no idea what he’s talking about. What a dupe. He’s so easily manipulated.