Duvi Honig iis Founder and CEO, Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce
On Tuesday, while the United States was pressing Israel to move forward with a 15-point Gaza plan and consider withdrawing troops even though Hamas has not disarmed, an armed Hamas sniper approached Israeli forces near the Yellow Line in northern Gaza and posed an immediate threat. The IDF opened fire and eliminated him. Yesterday, troops repulsed terrorists approachiing them at the Yellow Line.
At almost the very same moment, President Donald Trump is getting his own firsthand lesson with Iran about what happens when you negotiate with an enemy that says one thing and does another.
Maybe God is trying to show President Trump something.
Maybe his experience with Iran is meant to help him understand what Israel has been trying to explain to Washington for years: you cannot base the security of a nation on the promises of terrorists.
Trump is learning how frustrating that can be. Israel knows how deadly it can be.
The United States is currently communicating and negotiating with Iran while Trump himself has expressed frustration over Tehran's behavior and the conflicting messages surrounding those negotiations.
For Washington, that can destroy a diplomatic agreement. For Israel, the same behavior from Hamas can destroy families.
That difference needs to be understood before America pressures Israel to take another step in Gaza.
Washington is pushing a 15-point framework. Fine. But why are we discussing Point 5, Point 10 or Point 15 when Hamas cannot even demonstrate the basic behavior necessary to get through the beginning?
Today Hamas provided the answer. During a ceasefire, an armed Hamas sniper threatened Israeli soldiers.
Meanwhile, Hamas remains far from disarmed. The multinational force that is supposed to help replace Israeli troops reportedly may not even begin deploying until October, and possibly not until after Israel's elections. Yet Israel is already being pressured to withdraw.
That makes no sense.
Before asking Israel to move to the next point, enforce the first one.
Before asking Israel to withdraw, disarm Hamas.
Before asking Israel to trust an international force that is not yet there, prove that the force is capable of protecting Israeli lives.
And before asking Israel to trust Hamas, look at what happened a few days aago.
President Trump should understand this better now because Iran is giving him a firsthand education.
Negotiations with regimes and terrorist organizations are not normal business negotiations. You cannot assume that because someone agreed to something yesterday, they will honor it tomorrow.
Perhaps God is allowing President Trump to experience that reality personally so he can better understand Israel.
Because there is one enormous difference between America's Iran problem and Israel's Hamas problem: America is thousands of miles from Iran. Israel has Hamas across the border.
If Iran lies during negotiations with Washington, America has time, distance, intelligence capabilities and the world's most powerful military to respond. When Hamas lies to Israel, terrorists can be minutes away from Israeli homes.
We already know what that can look like.
October 7 was not a theoretical policy failure. Israelis were murdered, kidnapped and attacked in their homes because Hamas was across the border and Israel's security assumptions failed catastrophically.
Israel can never make that mistake again.
That is why Washington must stop treating Israeli caution as an obstacle to peace.
Israel is not asking for permission to reject peace. Israel is asking not to be forced into trusting Hamas with the lives of its citizens.
President Trump understands leverage. He built his reputation around understanding that you do not give away your strongest position before the other side delivers.
So apply that principle here.
Hamas wants Israeli troops withdrawn? Disarm first.
Hamas wants the Yellow Line moved? Prove the ceasefire first.
Hamas wants Gaza reconstructed and a new political future? Stop sending armed terrorists toward Israeli soldiers first.
Then move to the next point.
There may be 15 points in Washington's plan, but there is no reason to pressure Israel through Points 2 through 15 when Hamas cannot be trusted to honor the basic commitments necessary for Point 1. The sniper incident should make that painfully clear.
Perhaps Trump's experience with Iran is happening at exactly the right moment.
Perhaps God is showing the president firsthand what Israel has been dealing with all along: agreements are meaningless when the other side believes it can say one thing, do another and then expect the world to pressure its victim to keep making concessions.
President Trump should take what he is learning from Iran and apply it to Gaza.
Do not pressure Israel to trust Hamas. Pressure Hamas to become trustworthy.
Until Hamas disarms and demonstrates through actions, not promises, that Israelis are safe, Israel must retain the ability to protect itself.
Because Washington can survive another failed negotiation. Israel cannot afford another October 7.