With Secretary of State Rubio and some very big bombs arriving in Israel at the same time, something might be brewing

PHOTO: ALLISRAELNEWS/GPO

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any media outlets noted the significance of Secretary of State Marco Rubio arriving in Israel the same day a shipment of MK-84 “one-ton bombs” was unloaded at the Port of Ashdod, after President Trump released a hold placed on them by former president Biden.

Reporters speculated about which “arrival” was more crucial for Israel.

The truth is, both are important. Israel welcomed Rubio warmly to coordinate its political and diplomatic positions with the Trump administration. But Israel also requires the bunker-busting explosives. Those could enable Israel to destroy what remains of Hamas’s “deep state” — its tunnel network — and perhaps to put Iranian nuclear facilities out of commission.

Three additional newsworthy events competed for headlines on Sunday and offer further insight into what’s next for Israel in its multifront war against Iran and its proxies.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi traveled in the opposite direction of Rubio — from Israel to the US — for three days of consultations with top American military officials. Halevi’s term ends on March 5, when Eyal Zamir will succeed him. His high-profile visit just two weeks before his retirement is somewhat unusual.

We should also consider the announcement by Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who informed participants at last week’s Munich Security Conference, with Rubio present, that time is running out as Iran verges on  the capability to produce the materials necessary for nuclear bombs.

Additionally, an Israeli submarine surfaced and docked at the Port of Eilat, reportedly for the first time since the war began. Even during the months the Houthis were firing missiles at Eilat from their bases in Yemen, Israel never sent a submarine there. But now Israel has seemingly acknowledged the need for more firepower in its southernmost city closest to Iran.

Other diplomatic developments portend that Israel is paving the ground for something urgent.

Over the past two weeks, Yehiel Leiter, Israel’s new ambassador to the US, has been making the rounds, using forceful language in his fluent, unaccented English to augment Israel’s hasbarah.

He explained to Fox News why Israel must eliminate any potential Iranian nuclear threat.

“They’re crazy,” he said. “They’re going to use them.”

Leiter also told a Zoom conference call organized by the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations that once Iran is “removed from the equation,” the military, financial, and ideological backing for reinstating a terror state in Gaza will cease to exist.

Rubio expressed the same sentiments following his meeting with Prime Minister Netanayhu on Sunday. He warned that if Iran is allowed to join the nuclear club of nations, it will be immune from military action and political pressure.

He also doubled-down on President Trump’s plan to evacuate Gaza. For decades, the international community’s mantra, parroted by the Israeli left, is that there is no alternative to the two-state solution.

Rubio did not mention the two-state solution. He clarified that Trump’s plan took “courage and vision to outline” and called for the elimination and eradication of Hamas rule.

“He is being very bold about his future for Gaza,” Rubio said about Trump’s plan. “It is not the same tired ideas from the past. What cannot continue is the same cycle that we repeat over and over again and wind up in the same place.”

The Truth Is an Option

Despite all these positive developments, the plight of Israel’s hostages still held by Hamas remains the central story. Israel finds itself in an increasingly complicated situation, even with support from a friendly Trump administration.

The Netanyahu cabinet, under relentless domestic pressure to “bring them home now,” chose not to embrace Trump’s ultimatum that Hamas must release all the hostages this past Shabbos, “or else.”

Trump stated he would support whatever position Israel took, and the cabinet opted for the path of least resistance, yielding to Hamas’s strict adherence to the existing terms, under which the terror group released only three hostages on Shabbos. At press time, Israel was working to expedite the process, urging Hamas to release six additional hostages this coming weekend, rather than splitting them up over two weeks.

However, even after these six hostages are freed, 64 will remain in captivity, and reports indicate more than half of them may no longer be alive. Israel wants this tragedy to end once and for all and bring everyone home.

Nevertheless, in exchange for releasing everyone, Hamas continues to demand a permanent ceasefire, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the right to maintain power. Agreeing to any of these conditions would signify defeat for Israel, following nearly 500 days of conflict, and would contradict the policy Rubio has advocated for eradicating Hamas. Some security experts contend that Hamas will never release everyone, as they will then lose their last bargaining chips.

To get closure, Israel will need Qatar’s continued services as a mediator with Hamas. This has become more problematic after the weekend revelations that the Israel Security Agency, commonly known as the Shabak, initiated a preliminary review into the widely reported allegations that Qatar has paid members of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) members to sanitize its image. Just before the onset of Shabbos, the PMO labeled these reports a “contemptible lie,” asserting that “the entire campaign regarding Qatar is absolute fake news.”

The investigation is bound to be time-consuming and challenging, but if it persists, it will embarrass and distract the Netanyahu government.

The US and Israel share this same weak spot. Qatar’s deep pockets, with a sovereign wealth fund estimated between $500 billion and $1 trillion, have garnered many friends and supporters in the US, giving new meaning to the term “influencer.”

Qatar is ruled by a royal family with close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Taliban. It has provided haven for Hamas’s top leadership. Qatar invests judiciously to gain influence in diversified US industries, including hotels and real estate, energy, food and beverage, and media. The Qataris established a foundation in 2006 that has funneled nearly $3 billion to more than 40 elite universities, including Ivy League schools.

Qatar is also home to an important US Air Force base. The Biden administration quietly extended Qatar’s lease on that base until 2034, and Trump is unlikely to reverse that. Qatar has invested approximately $8 billion in the facility since 2003, highlighting the type of deal that Trump endorses: one in which nations that the US assists in defending bear the costs.

That doesn’t mean that Israel and the US must play by Qatar’s rules.

Ambassador Leiter also told the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations that the truth is sometimes an option.

“We have to start talking about Qatar,” Leiter said. “The game that they’re playing — buying everybody out and then buying quiet and buying toleration for their support of terror — is just not tenable. We have to call their bluff and say this is unacceptable in this day and age.”

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1050)