On October 6, 1939, Adolf Hitler returned from inspecting the destroyed city of Warsaw to address his rubber-stamp Reichstag. The speech, he declared, would be about “peace.”

The speech contained no less than three bare-faced lies.

• Lie number one: “A state of no less than 36,000,000 inhabitants took up arms against us. Their arms were far-reaching, and their confidence in their ability to crush Germany knew no bounds.”
• Lie number two: In spite of the “violations and insults with which Germany and her armed forces had to put up, Germany had tried to ‘restrict aerial warfare to objectives of military importance.’” Right, they shot everything that moved, especially civilians.
• And – lie number three – even though Germany had refused to allow Warsaw to evacuate women and children, Hitler told his audience: “Sheer sympathy for women and children caused me to make an offer to those in command of Warsaw at least to let civilian inhabitants leave the city.”

Why do I bring this to your attention? Simply because the enemies of mankind are, and have always been, first and foremost, liars.

If you are paying attention, this week the world is literally awash in a tsunami of lies. Some of them, we have come to expect. The hare-brained, drugged-out Houthis actually published an AI photo of a destroyed Ben Gurion Airport, declaring victory. But then there are the other, more insidious lies. The rumor started by someone, somewhere in a “Gulf State” that President Trump has agreed to a Palestinian State.

Never mind that it makes no sense whatsoever, Bibi haters (top among them Yediot Acharonot, which is the head of the snake in my opinion, leading the country to destroy itself in their feud with our Prime Minister) was quick to declare that Bibi had ruined Israel’s relationship with the pro-Israel president. And thus Trump was going to now agree to let Iran enrich uranium and find a way to give the Palestinians their state. Their headline: “Trump increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu.”

Don’t his enemies at that self-serving rag just wish!

Never mind that American Ambassodor to Israel Mike Huckabee declared that claims Trump has abandoned Israel and will support the establishment of a Palestinian State without Hamas is “nonsense” and that the “Gulf State official” knows less than his 4 year-old grandson! Never mind that White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said firmly and publicly: “Contrary to the lies being published, President Trump’s relationship with Netanyahu remains strong and there will be no US recognition of a Palestinian State.” Furthermore, special envoy Witkoff said that there will be no deal in which Iran continues to enrich uranium.

That is not to say that there are no concerns and unanswered questions about the latest moves from the Trump administration. Why did Trump declare a separate peace with the Houthis, who continue to send Israelis to bomb shelters? Why has he decided to abandon the long-held US demand that nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia include normalization of that country’s relationship to Israel? And why does his Middle East junket pointedly leave out Israel?

And is the Trump administration really preparing to accept a super-luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar to serve as the new Air Force One ? What about security, for one thing? And propriety, for another? Qatar is the number one terror supporter rivaled only by Iran. Why the sudden hugs? As they used to say, inquiring minds want to know. And why did Trump thwart Israel’s planned attack on Iranian nuclear facilities at the last minute, in favor of these pie-in-the-sky “negotiations?”

I am concerned. But I’m not yet ready to cry perfidy. When Witkoff says that uraniam enrichment is a deal-breaker in the US-Iran negotiations, I believe him. But it simply muddies the waters. Iran is never giving up its dream of a nuclear bomb and the annihilation of the people of Israel. Never. Trump may be the master of the art of the deal, but he isn’t dealing with rational people.

Until proven otherwise, I believe he will figure this out, because his heart is in the right place, even if he is inexperienced and confused. That’s the difference between him and Biden, and why I am prepared to cut him some slack.

It has been a difficult week. A funeral in my little seaside town of Zichron Yaakov to honor fallen IDF soldier Elyakim Urbach, 20. Another in Sla’it for Yam Frid. Other fallen soldiers who are family members of friends. I cannot begin to express how this affects all of us. Every photo of these young, handsome, wonderful soldiers to whom we all owe our lives and our country is like a little bomb in the center of our bodies, exploding. With each one, we cannot help but think of our own families, our own children and grandchildren who are serving, and the war that is nowhere near finished.

Eight hundred Israeli soldiers have given their lives to protect their country since October 7. Out of that number, 300 were killed on October 7. The defeat of Gaza and its tens of thousands of terrorists, multibillion dollar tunnels, endless armaments… cost us five hundred IDF soldiers. But it’s no comfort, especially since the most dangerous days are perhaps still ahead of us. We bear it because we must. Because there is no alternative.

Recent polls show that if elections were held today, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennet and his new party would be able to form a 63- seat government that excluded the Arab and ultra Orthodox parties (who represent 30% of the population). It wouldn’t be a right, left, or center government, but a mix held together by a common disdain for Netanyahu. The biggest change that has happened to Israelis since October 7 is the narrowing gap between right and left. Israelis agree there is no way there will be a Palestinian State, and that the settlements in Judea and Samaria are a bulwark against further jihadi murder and mayhem, and not “an obstacle to peace.” Israelis have been forged together by fire.

Eygpt’s ambassador to Israel finished his term a year ago, and yet no new ambassodor has arrived to take his place. Also worrisome is the military buildup on the border with Gaza that is in direct violation of the Sinai Peace Accords, which call for the area to be a demilitarized zone. Israel should be complaining.

Defense Minister Katz delivered a very determined speech this week: “The Houthis will suffer heavy blows from Israel if they contiue to fire at us. The IDF is prepared for any mission. I also warn the Iranian leadership that finances, arms, and operates the Houthi terrorist organization: the proxy system is over and the axis of evil has collapsed. You bear direct responsbility. What we did to Hezbollah in Beirut, Hamas in Gaza, Assad in Damascus, and the Houthis in Yemen, we will also do to you in Teheran.”

Not one to mince words!

In the meantime, Israel’s representative to the cheesy but popular European Song Festival, Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Nova massacre, arrived to take her place on the turquoise carpet. This in itself is a triumph, considering that 70 past participants (believe me, you never heard of any of them, and won’t) signed an open letter to the organizers and European Broadcasting Union accusing Israeli broadcaster Kan of being “complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza” and that ”by continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes.”

Such liars. Hitler is their mentor.

Cheers Yuval! We are all rooting for you.

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