A Visit to Nir Oz: Trump Threw a Lifeline - Israel Chose to Sink

Following the publication of my recent research, I visited Kibbutz Nir Oz to give a lecture. It was my first time in the Gaza envelope, a region filled with historical layers and present-day trauma. Most of the local communities were established in the 1940s and 50s as a response to Egyptian attempts at annexation and the wave of fedayeen attacks orchestrated by Cairo.

The journey itself was telling. The roads wind around the Gaza Strip in an unnatural, defensive loop. Along the way, I passed countless memorials and yellow flags, silent reminders of grief. In Nir Oz, the trauma is intimate. Only a little over half the population has returned and the communal dining hall is filled with bullet holes.

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One resident seemed to have lost his mind. Perhaps he had gone insane. He spoke about “returning to normal” as if it meant accepting a routine of rocket fire and life under constant threat, to the amazement of others around him.

The only thing he said that made any sense was his criticism of the overreliance on the IDF and its empty promises. Yet, bizarrely, he refused to challenge the government policy that turned him and his family into sitting ducks. Even more disturbing, he showed no desire to fight for the removal of those who had massacred his community. On the other hand, he understood that Israel would not achieve a decisive victory, and he had probably grown tired of waiting for a victory that would never come; regardless It was disgusting like watching a mouse caught in a trap - or a Jew in the Ghetto.

Meanwhile, reality marches on. Netanyahu continues to insist on keeping Gaza's population in the Strip, even lobbying Trump to shift his stance on the issue. Trump seems to have taken the hint. He is now bypassing Israel in his regional plans, having concluded that Netanyahu, the master of delay, has nothing to offer the United States - can't blame him.

In the meantime, residents of the Gaza envelope and Sderot are met with concrete barriers and the presence of soldiers. The situation could not be clearer. Hamas is still standing. Israel is still taking the hits, and losing. Trump gave Israel a lifeline, but instead of using it to pursue settlement, aliyah, and Zionism, Netanyahu chose paralysis, sacrifice, and the abandonment of places like Nir Oz.

One woman pleaded with the media to stop calling rocket fire mere “drizzles” or using other euphemisms that soften the truth and disconnect the public. I commented that with real national leadership, media spin would not matter so much. But in Israel, both real leadership and real journalism are scarce.

To my surprise, I found myself agreeing with ninety percent of what Amos Harel, the military analyst at Haaretz, had to say. Yes, I support deportation and he does not. But he is not the typical Haaretz voice. He is a patriot, a Zionist. In fact, far more so than Benjamin Netanyahu.