Discussion On Trump's Gaza Peace Plan: Path to Peace Or New Disaster ?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                   

      Mark Regev with Ruthie Blum

Mark Regev (Hebrew: מארק רגב; born 1960) is an Australian-Israeli diplomat, government advisor and civil servant. Between June 2020 and April 2021, he served as the Prime Minister's Senior Advisor for Foreign Affairs and International Communications. From 2016 to 2020 Regev was Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom. Previously, he was the International Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office (2007 to 2016).

Ruthie Blum is an American-Israeli journalist, columnist, former features editor of the Jerusalem Post, and web editor at The Algemeiner Journal as of 2016. Blum is the daughter of Commentary editor Norman Podhoretz and Midge Decter. Wikipedia

Books: To Hell in a Handbasket: Carter, Obama, and the Arab Spring. Ruthie Blum, a former adviser at the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is an award-winning columnist and a senior contributing editor at JNS. Co-host with Ambassador Mark Regev of the JNS-TV podcast “Israel Undiplomatic,” she writes on Israeli politics and U.S.-Israel relations. Originally from New York, she moved to Israel in 1977. She is a regular guest on national and international media outlets, including Fox, Sky News, i24News, Scripps, ILTV, WION and Newsmax.

Ruthie Blum is highly skeptical of a peace plan from former U.S. President Donald Trump, fearing it could be a "new disaster" reminiscent of the failed Oslo Accords. While she believes an end to the war on Trump's terms is possible, she is concerned that a deal involving the release of Palestinian terrorists in exchange for Israeli hostages could lead to further bloodshed. 

• Release of terrorists: She argues that freeing Palestinian prisoners responsible for violent crimes and terror could repeat the mistakes of the 2011 Gilad Shalit agreement, which preceded the October 7 massacre.
• Misunderstanding of fanaticism: Blum believes that Trump and his envoys, as businessmen, view the conflict through the lens of deals based on mutual interests. She argues they do not fully grasp the nature of Islamist fanaticism, seeing the issue as more than just a real-estate dispute.
• Ignoring Palestinian culture: She shares the view that Palestinian society is not ready to abandon its "culture of death," pointing to polling data that shows support for terrorism and rejection of Israel's legitimacy. She went into great detail how Arabs can woo anyone with their hospitality, food, and then stab you in the back.  I thought about that, in that the Arabs need the women to fix all the food and such, and they are in the palace and tents, ready to do it, whereas Israeli woman, like American women, are out working and not available to wine and dine like Abraham's Sarah must have done.  
• Qatar's role: Blum has agreed with others that the Trump administration's trust in Qatar is misplaced, noting the Gulf state's history of funding terrorism. Not just can we not trust them, but should realize that they
• were the most anti-Semitic with housing and wooing Qaradawi.  My gosh! Don't people in politics ever read about what's happening?  
• The best discussion group on today's news from Israel concerning a possible 21 point peace plan of President Trump between Hamas terrorists and the state of Israel is with JNS and the program with Ruthie Blum and Ambassador Mark Regev, former advisers at the Prime Minister's Office, as they dissect—and duke out—the issues that Israel grapples over it . It was on Jonathan Tobin's program, THINK TWICE.  https://www.jns.org/writers/ruthie-blum/

Ruthie did most of the explaining  and felt like she was in a panic.  She mentioned that this wasn't an end to war,  as it doesn't mean we'll have any peace.

She did mention that Jared Kushner, Trump's son in law, and Tony Blair are working together on this plan who seem to be the driving force of it.  They all are looking forward to actually seeing 20 live hostages with the dead hostages.  What ABC and other stations keep referring to are a 20 point peace plan, not the 21 I've heard with others including Israel.  Why?  Ruthie said in the first 48 hours Hamas has to give Israel ALL the hostages.  She doesn't think this will happen.  She thought that Jared Kushner being Jewish was unimportant;  and that's where I differ.  I don't believe Trump would have ever been turned onto Israel and do the good he did for our tiny country if it hadn't been for Jared entering his family and briefing him.  Jared probably knows more about our religion than he does of Israel's history  or Qaradawi of Qatar, but he does know a lot more than our government.  Remember, Truman had a Jewish business partner that made a positive big impression on Truman.  Truman went against all his politicians who didn't like Jews or Israel.  

The Steve Witkoff proposal envisions all hostages released in first 48 hours, grants amnesty for peace-committing Hamas members, encourages Gazans to remain, sees US establish Israeli-Palestinian dialogue.  Steven Charles Witkoff is an American lawyer and real estate investor who has served as the United States special envoy to the Middle East and special envoy for Peace Missions since 2025. He is the founder and chairman of the Witkoff Group, a real estate development firm. Wikipedia

Born: 1957 (age 68 years), The Bronx, New York, NY

                          Spouse: Lauren Rappoport (m. 1987)

Tony Blair is Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997 and held various shadow cabinet posts from 1987 to 1994. Wikipedia.  Born: May 6, 1953 (age 72 years), Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Party: Labour Party.  Ruthie thought he was a squishy person but compared to others, he is a pillar of strength.  

Jared Kushner is Jared Corey Kushner is an American real estate businessman and investor like Trump. He is a son-in-law of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, through his marriage to Ivanka Trump and served as a senior advisor in his father-in-law's first administration from 2017 to 2021. He's a modern Orthodox Jew. Wikipedia

Born: January 10, 1981 (age 44 years), Livingston, NJ

Spouse: Ivanka Trump (m. 2009)

Education: NYU School of Law (2007) 

Resource:

https://www.jns.org/writers/ruthie-blum/

Peace Plans With Terrorists

 Nadene Goldfoot                                       

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was involved in several major peace negotiations that culminated in specific peace proposals, though he was not formally presented with a single, clear number of distinct plans. The most notable negotiations included the Oslo Accords, the Camp David Summit, and the Taba Summit.   All were a bust. Although the U.S. government never designated Yasser Arafat himself as a terrorist, it did consider the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which he led, a terrorist group from 1987 until September 1993. 

Yasser Arafat's relationship with Hamas was complex and marked by both strategic antagonism and pragmatic cooperation. As the head of the secular Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Arafat primarily viewed the Islamist group Hamas as a political rival, especially after the Oslo Accords created the Palestinian Authority (PA), which the PLO led. However, their shared opposition to Israel frequently led Arafat to tolerate, and at times even secretly encourage, Hamas's violent attacks as a form of political leverage. 

Founded in 1987 was Hamas.  Hamas was established in 1987, and allegedly has its origins in Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood movement, which had been active in the Gaza Strip since the 1950s and gained influence through a network of mosques and various charitable and social organizations from the USA, which is again offering much money for buying land by the terrorists.

 When terrorists start breaking the rules, there is no one around to stop them... War prevails.   The United States hadn't officially designated Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). by the U.S. Department of State until  1997. 

Trump's peace plan:  

   This is a hazy picture as well as Trump's plan, in my judgement.  The TV program, Israel Guys, broadcast from Israel, picked the 21 points apart, one by one, discussing them and pointed out the fallacies.  Personally, the thought is that Hamas will not go for it.  

• 72-hour hostage deadline: The peace plan itself includes a 72-hour deadline for Hamas to release all remaining hostages, both living and deceased, after Israel formally accepts the deal. This hostage release timeline is a component of the deal, separate from the multi-day deadline given to Hamas for their overall response.  The plan, agreed by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, proposes 
• 1.  an immediate end to fighting, 
• 2. the release within 72 hours of 20 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas as well as 
• 3. the remains of the more than two dozen hostages who are believed to be dead -
• 4.  in exchange for hundreds of detained Gazans. On October 7, 2023, not only Hamas terrorists attacked Israel's citizens, but their own citizens followed them and also attacked the people.  

Today,  Wednesday, October 1, reports indicated that Hamas is studying the proposal but told mediators they need more time, possibly "two or three days". A senior Hamas official also expressed dissatisfaction with some terms and said the group would likely need amendments.

This means that hostages should all be returned by Saturday, October 4, 2025.  

• Israel's position: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to accept the plan alongside Trump during a press conference on September 29. He has vowed that Israel will "finish the job" if Hamas rejects the deal.
• Ceasefire details: The overall plan calls for 
• 1. an immediate ceasefire, 
• 2. a staged withdrawal of Israeli troops, 
• 3. increased humanitarian aid, and 
• 4. amnesty for Hamas members who lay down their arms and 
• 5. commit to peace. 
• However, key sticking points remain, particularly 
• 6. Hamas' disarmament and the 
• 7. potential role of an international security force. 
• Here is the Hamas response:
• October 2:
  • 1. A senior Hamas official told the Associated Press that certain points in the Trump-Netanyahu proposal are unacceptable and must be amended.
  • 2. Hamas continues to deliberate its response, while Israeli airstrikes killed at least 13 Palestinians overnight.  (This was expected if they refused to go for the 21 points.  No more fooling around and stalling.  

  • DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes overnight and into Thursday killed at least 13 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to hospitals, as Hamas was still considering its response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for ending the nearly two-year war.

    The plan requires Hamas to return all 

  • 1. 48 hostages — 20 of them thought by Israel to be alive — 

  • 2. give up power and disarm in return 

  • for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and 

  • 3. an end to fighting. However, the proposal, which has been accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sets 

  • 4.  Accept no path to Palestinian statehood. (They've burned that last bridge.)

• Resource:
• https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/hamas-still-considering-its-
• response-to-trumps-peace-proposal-as-gaza-death-toll-mounts

Updated

What Is The Holiday Of Yom Kippur ?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                       

         Yom Kippur starting tonight October 1st at sundown (Erev) Yom Kippur,

when we start a large dinner with slices of apples and honey for a sweet New Year.   

Yom Kippur is one of the two High Holy Days, or Days of Awe  alongside Rosh Hashanah (which falls nine days previously). According to Jewish tradition, on Rosh Hashanah God inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into the Book of Life, and waits until Yom Kippur to "seal" the verdict. 

A great shofar will be blown in all synagogues, and a small still voice will be heard. The angels will make haste, and be seized with fear and trembling, and will say: "Behold, the day of judgment!"... On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on the Yom Kippur fast it is sealed, how many will pass and how many will be created, who will live and who will die, who in his time and who not in his time... But repentance, prayer, and charity remove the evil of the decree... For You do not desire a person's death, but rather that he repent and live. Until the day of his death You wait for him; if he repents, You accept him immediately.

Our tradition was for the family to dress in new clothes for the new year. We don't wear leather shoes.   On Yom Kippur, you should wear non-leather shoes, such as sneakers, canvas shoes, sandals, or plastic footwear, as leather is traditionally prohibited. This is part of the day's focus on humility and self-examination, as leather shoes are seen as a symbol of luxury or comfort that is set aside for this sacred day. 

            Jews Praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur (1878) by Maurycy Gottlieb
                                                                                                         

Yom Kippur is the most important holiday in Judaism.  It is a day (25 hours) of Atonement described in the Torah under Leviticus 23:32, and a very solemn fast-day observed on the Jewish month 10.  It's a Sabbath of Sabbaths.                              

    Temple group working on details

It is different from other holidays as a man and woman must cleanse himself of all sin (Lev. 1 6:30.  According to Rabbinic tradition,; it is the day on which Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the 2nd set of tablets of the law and announced to the people the Divine pardon for the sin of the Golden Calf..  Besides cessation of all manner of work and abstention from food, drink, and sexual intercourse, the day was outstanding for the elaborate Temple ceremonial.  This included the sending of the scapegoat to the wilderness "for AZAZEL (the goat)."  Only on this the Day of Awe was the high priest allowed to enter the Holy of Holies clad not in his golden vestments but in white linen, symbolic of purity and humility.

On his appearance at the conclusion of the service, he was greeting with rejoicing by the people, confident that their sins had been forgiven.  

                    Saying the Shema

An evening service called KOL NIDRE cancels rash vows between man and G0d  and the ending service of NEILAH  ends with the invocation  of the prayer, (Shema) The first part of the Shema prayer is "Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Eḥad" in Hebrew, which means "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one" in English. The prayer continues with a silent blessing and a passage that commands the love of God with all one's heart, soul, and might, and the duty to teach these words to one's children.                                 

There is also  the declaration:  "Next year in Jerusalem." However, Reform Judaism has retained the general structure of the traditional service.  What is nice is to actually be in Jerusalem at this time.  You are there !  After 2,000 years of praying.  

The Bible Code Experts Disagreement

 Nadene Goldfoot                                        

                       Rabbi  Matityahu Glazerson" Born and educated in Israel, receiving a rigorous traditional Yeshiva education that provided profound textual skills in Hebrew and rabbinic literature.  1964: A Move to South Africa Johannesburg Relocated to Johannesburg, where he established and served as the head of the Yeshivah Torat Emet, demonstrating early leadership in Jewish education.  When I moved to Israel in 1980, this rabbi in 1980  also returned to Israel: He returned as a  Prolific Author , returning to Israel and began a prolific period of teaching and writing, authoring over 30 books and a weekly newspaper column applying his methods to current events.

Above the Zodiac: Astrology in Jewish Thought uncovers the profound connection between Jewish mysticism and classic astrology by citing the many references scattered throughout Jewish literature to the influence of the stars on human destiny. Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson gives a month-by-month rendering of Jewish astrology according to kabbalah, summarizing the complex system of elements in Jewish thought that correlates to each astrological sign. His book also explains the unique relationship the Jewish people have to astrology, and under what circumstances astrological consultations are permitted to individuals."

                        

Equidistant Letter Sequences (ELS) 

The core modern technique. The Torah text is viewed as a single, continuous string of letters. A computer searches for words by starting at a letter and skipping an equal number of letters. When related terms are found in close proximity, it is presented as a statistically unlikely, and therefore divinely intended, encoded message.

With the expectation that we are living in "the end of times"," the bible code" has again come into focus.  What does Dr. Eliyahu Rips say about Matityahu Glazerson's bible coding translating or understanding?  They each take quite a different approach from each other.  

Born in Latvia to Holocaust survivors in 1948, Rips moved to Israel in 1972; his research led to Michael Drosnin’s debunked bestseller ‘The Bible Code’

Dr. Eliyahu Rips, a mathematician known for his work on the Torah codes, distanced himself from sensational and predictive interpretations of the codes, which have been a hallmark of Matityahu Glazerson's work. Rips and his colleagues conducted statistical research on equidistant letter sequences (ELS) in the Book of Genesis, but rejected the use of these codes for specific, real-world predictions. No, Dr. Eliyahu Rips was not a Rabbi; he was a mathematician known for his research in geometric group theory and his work on the Bible code. While he was an Israeli mathematician and a professor at Hebrew University, his public recognition stemmed from his controversial claims about finding coded messages in the Torah, not from rabbinical studies or ordination.  He died at age 75.  

Rips's stance versus Glazerson's approach

Aspect	Dr. Eliyahu Rips (and colleagues)	Matityahu Glazerson
Focus of the work	Statistical research to see if meaningful ELS appeared more often than would be expected by chance. He initially focused on finding the names and dates of famous rabbis in Genesis.	Interpretation of specific tables and encoded words to offer prophecies and insights into current events.
View on predictions	Categorically stated that the codes cannot be used for predictions. In 1997, he denounced Michael Drosnin's predictive work in the book The Bible Code as being "on very shaky ground, and is of no value".	Has used the codes to interpret and predict events, such as linking codes to the events of 2012. This is a key difference in their approaches.
Scientific validity	Rips's own 1994 paper was later rebutted in the same journal, Statistical Science, by other statisticians who found his methodology fatally defective. However, Rips maintained faith in his own work while rejecting the later, more sensationalist approaches.	Glazerson is part of a wave of "Bible code-breakers" whose methods and conclusions Rips came to reject as unscientific and unreliable for predictive purposes.
Distance from interpreters	Following the publication of Drosnin's book, Rips actively distanced himself and his work from those who used the codes for predictive purposes. He even held a press conference to denounce the practice.	While Glazerson is a prominent figure in the Torah codes world, he continued with his interpretative and predictive work, putting him at odds with Rips's public stance.