IDF Lt. Colonel (reserve) Jonathan Conricus has not posted a briefing in the past few days. He nevertheless continues to post his media appearances on X/Twitter. If you have missed his updates, you may want to take in the interview with Vivian Bercovici that he posted last night (recorded at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday). Bercovici is herself the former Canadian ambassador to Israel and a dual citizen of Canada and Israel. She is the founder of State of Tel Aviv on Substack.
Early in the interview Conricus explains to Bercovici: “I am doing the night shifts of this battle of the narrative information[ war] that we find ourself in.” They discuss Hamas’s release of the two elderly female Israeli hostages: “Everything is staged….The overall strategic aim is of course to delay maneuver….They’re stalling for time.” If so, they have a friend in Joe Biden. They also discuss the hostages who remain behind.
We've just gotten a first dose of Hamas hostage vitriol and cheap manipulations. They abducted our children, elders, women, babies and men specifically for this purpose. Listen to an interesting conversation with @VivianBercovici
for context. https://t.co/k0p92fmmKk— Jonathan Conricus (@jconricus) October 24, 2023
This intensely interesting interview provides context for our understanding (precisely as he observes above). Here is the State of Tel Aviv podcast of the interview.
I’m sorry to have to add this for additional “context.” It belies the tenor of the resolve expressed by Conricus.
Massive reversal in Jerusalem from the foreign minister’s comments at the UN yesterday suggesting major pressure from Washington in the last few hours to fall in line and embrace Hamas sponsorship by Qatar.
Netanyahu now undercutting his own stated objective to destroy Hamas. https://t.co/WTWvqKJs02
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) October 25, 2023
Goldberg followed up with this.
And there it is. Netanyahu has fully embraced the US-Qatar enablement of Hamas. Major development.
Hamas and Qatar have successfully leveraged the hostages to leverage Washington to leverage Israel.
Qatar statement follows Hanegbi embracing Doha, reversing Cohen’s UN comments. https://t.co/NPKtnmdvfR
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) October 25, 2023
Goldberg subsequently highlighted this comment by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Bennett excoriates Netanyahu national security advisor’s statement on Qatar. Wow. https://t.co/jW23TEPlpZ
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) October 25, 2023
Bennett’s comment in English:
The Israeli government is making a serious moral and practical error.
Qatar is not “an essential partner for humanitarian operations and diplomatic operations.”
Qatar is the enemy itself.
Qatar finances, assists and strengthens the terrorist organization Hamas-Daesh.Israel’s stated goal is the destruction of Hamas.
Qatar’s goal is exactly the opposite: saving Hamas.How can we destroy the enemy if we give compliments to its chief sponsor, for God’s sake?
What do we have to complain about Erdogan if we compliment a country that sponsors and supports Hamas?
Qatar operates as if humanitarian manipulations (“Qatar pressures Hamas to release hostages”) and will wave in front of us limited deals of prisoners every few days in order to confuse Israel and stop its action to destroy Hamas.
The Prime Minister of Israel stated that our goal is to destroy Hamas completely.
He who does not distinguish between an enemy and a lover will not be able to destroy the enemy.
Confusion does not lead to victory.
Translated from Hebrew by Google.
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