Transcript [00:00] Rabbi Williggy, [00:02] you're with us this morning. Walk us [00:03] just walk us through exactly where you [00:06] think this thing stands. You're one of [00:07] the most uh reasonable guys. And [00:09] obviously you have a point of view as [00:10] all of us do, but just walk us through [00:13] in your wisdom exactly where are we on [00:15] this [00:17] interim deal to get to a broader deal, [00:19] and more importantly, where are we in [00:20] this war, sir? [00:23] >> Well, Steve, I'm you know, I remember uh [00:25] some conversations we had on War Room [00:28] around the beginning of this or in the [00:29] days leading up to it where I kept [00:32] reminding everyone, reminding us [00:35] that the US and Israel do not have the [00:38] same interests. And people who pretend [00:40] that they do, like Mark Levin, um [00:45] it's you know, and I'm talking from the [00:47] Israel side. I'm sitting in Israel. I [00:48] live in Israel. My kids fight in the [00:50] Israeli army. I served in the Israeli [00:51] army. That is where my that that is [00:53] where my concern is. I am integrated to [00:54] this country. [00:55] Uh and you know, so but but pretending [00:59] that the US and Israel have the same [01:00] interests is uh is just a recipe for [01:03] misunderstanding what we're seeing here. [01:05] I remember talking about this months ago [01:07] with you, Steve, that at some point we [01:08] would see a divergence between US and [01:10] Israeli interests cuz we don't have the [01:11] same goals for this Iran situation. [01:14] Israel's goal is to once and for all [01:17] deal with the enemies that have been [01:20] attacking us and threatening us for [01:21] decades and decades and decades. Almost [01:24] every problem that Israel deals with has [01:26] been funded by the Iranian regime, [01:28] whether it's Hamas or Hezbollah or the [01:30] Iranians themselves or the Assad regime [01:32] before they fell. That was you know, it [01:34] was what what we call the ring of fire, [01:36] the Houthis in Yemen as well. Israel [01:38] wants to defeat our enemies. The United [01:40] States wants to make sure that I mean, I [01:42] guess [01:43] what is in the best interest of the [01:44] United States is determined by the [01:45] president of the United States, by the [01:47] commander in chief. And if he determines [01:48] that the best thing for America is to [01:51] open up the Straits of Hormuz and get a [01:52] deal on the nuclear, and even if it [01:54] leaves uh you know, Hezbollah in [01:56] Lebanon, and and you know, if if that's [01:58] what the president determines is the [02:00] best interest of the United States, so [02:01] be it. But Israel's not in the deal. And [02:04] as you know, you mentioned that when [02:06] President Trump first tweeted about this [02:08] deal and it was actually uh, [02:09] two days before it was announced. It was [02:11] on the 11th, he put out a a Truth, I'm [02:13] sorry, a Truth Social post. He said that [02:15] that all the countries involved all [02:17] agreed to it and he listed the countries [02:19] and he listed the United States, Israel, [02:21] Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, [02:23] Pakistan, etc. He went on a whole list [02:25] of countries and that they're all in [02:28] alignment, it's all approved by them. [02:29] And [02:31] uh, Prime Minister Netanyahu's office [02:32] then put out a statement thanking [02:34] President Trump for all that he's done, [02:36] but the opening line of the statement [02:38] was, Israel is not a party to this deal. [02:41] Because, you know, as from the Israeli [02:44] perspective, this deal is actually [02:46] folly. Because we have an enemy in the [02:49] north, Hezbollah, which is actually not [02:51] even really correctly a proxy of Iran. [02:53] And this is something I have to correct [02:55] Eric was on before you. He was talking [02:57] about, you know, what Hezbollah will do, [02:58] what Iran will do. There's no such [03:00] thing. Hezbollah is the Iranian army. [03:02] It's not It's not like Hamas or the [03:05] Houthis who are a proxy, who are a [03:07] separate organization who get funding [03:08] and weapons from Iran. Hezbollah is [03:11] actually Iran. It's like if you have [03:12] American troops stationed in another [03:14] country, they're not a proxy of the [03:16] United States. They are the forward [03:19] troops of the United States. So when [03:20] Hezbollah starts launching drones at [03:22] Israel yesterday, provoking an Israeli [03:25] response, and then President and that [03:27] which then provokes President Trump [03:29] lashing out at Prime Minister Netanyahu, [03:30] the question we have to ask about an [03:32] incident like that is why did Iran give [03:35] orders to Hezbollah to fire yesterday [03:38] when this deal was was supposed to be [03:40] finalized? [03:41] The Iranians use Hezbollah to provoke [03:44] Israel. That's how they That's how would [03:46] this whole thing with Lebanon started. [03:48] We There was no firing between Israel [03:50] and Hezbollah before March 2nd, but on [03:52] March 2nd, because of the US Israel [03:55] joint action against Iran, Hezbollah [03:57] started firing rockets from Lebanon into [03:59] Israel. So, Israel retaliated. [04:01] Everything Israel does in Lebanon is to [04:03] retaliate and remove Hezbollah. And [04:05] what's more, by telling Israel to hold [04:07] back in Lebanon, what we're doing is [04:10] we're allowing Hezbollah to remain. [04:12] We're making it far more difficult for [04:14] the Lebanese government or the Israelis [04:17] to get rid of Hezbollah, which is one of [04:19] the stated goals of officially here, [04:20] that we're supposed to disarm Hezbollah [04:22] and get them out of there so that the [04:24] country of Lebanon could actually have [04:25] its its sovereignty back after after [04:28] decades of being of being occupied by [04:31] the Iranian regime and being used as a [04:32] basis to launch terrorism into Israel. [04:35] So, [04:36] unfortunately, by by by trying to [04:39] restrain the Israelis from attacking [04:40] Hezbollah right now, President Trump is [04:42] actually throwing a lifeline to [04:44] Hezbollah. [04:45] You know, so the Israelis want no part [04:47] of this. Now, let me talk politics here, [04:49] Steve. We have the elections coming up, [04:51] and there's a fascinating dynamic that [04:53] has developed. When we talk about the [04:55] divergence of US and Israeli interests, [04:57] let's talk about the interests of Prime [04:58] Minister Netanyahu and President Trump. [05:01] Because with the approaching midterms [05:04] and the domestic sensitivities about the [05:07] war, the the unpopularity of kinetic [05:10] action on the American side, the problem [05:12] with with the rising oil prices [05:14] domestically for President Trump, with [05:16] the midterms approaching, President [05:18] Trump's incentive is to not have kinetic [05:21] action, to keep things de-escalated as [05:24] we approach the midterms. The worst [05:25] thing for him would be a kinetic [05:27] flare-up. On the contrary in Israel, [05:29] though, Prime Minister Netanyahu's [05:31] incentives politically move in the [05:33] opposite direction. No one else is [05:35] talking about this, Steve. They move in [05:36] the opposite direction. For Prime [05:38] Minister Netanyahu, for the Israeli [05:39] people, and this is not only on the [05:41] right, [05:42] what's most interesting is that the [05:44] criticism of Prime Minister Netanyahu [05:45] from the left right now is identical as [05:48] from the right, that we are not doing [05:50] enough against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The [05:53] Israeli people feel that we were sold a [05:56] bill of goods in Gaza, where oh, you [05:59] know, we were told, "Oh, yeah, there's [06:00] going to be all these countries that are [06:01] going to come in, they're going to [06:02] disarm Hamas, and we're finally going to [06:04] move to a future where we don't have [06:05] Hamas down there. Don't worry, it's all [06:07] going to be taken care of." Nothing. We [06:09] talked about that on War Room over the [06:10] months. We don't have victory against [06:12] Hamas, they're still in Gaza. We don't [06:14] have victory over Hezbollah, they're [06:15] still in Lebanon. The Israeli people are [06:18] feeling very anxious about this, about [06:20] the possibility that with our enemies on [06:23] the ropes, and victory over them within [06:25] reach, to finally move past all these [06:28] terrorist groups in in the Middle East, [06:30] we are now being restrained, and we have [06:32] the possibility that we don't have [06:34] victory on any front. So, Prime Minister [06:36] Netanyahu's incentive structure, uh [06:38] politically, is to escalate with the [06:41] with his election coming, because if [06:43] action is not taken up there, it hurts [06:45] him politically. So, their incentives [06:47] are moving in opposite direction. We [06:48] should expect the rift between Prime [06:50] Minister Netanyahu and President Trump [06:52] to widen in the days and weeks ahead. [06:55] That's my prediction. [06:57] >> I I have said I've been the most um [07:00] uh I think vocal about this of saying [07:03] uh first off, uh UAE, Saudi, [07:07] Qatar are American protectorates, but [07:09] also Israel's American protectorate in a [07:10] vassal state. I understand [07:13] that has become a hot wire topic in [07:15] Israel in this in this in this uh [07:17] election, in this discussion. Do you [07:20] believe, as one of the observers I think [07:23] gets it right about Israel [07:26] the large majority of time, that this is [07:28] the beginning of this break that you [07:30] won't be able to have even a scintilla [07:33] of uh of evidence going forward that [07:35] that Israel's a uh protectorate of the [07:38] United States, that Israel's actually [07:39] going to have its sovereignty? If that [07:40] sovereignty means [07:42] you know, uh breaking the relationship [07:44] they have today and go to a different [07:45] relationship, but that they can fight on [07:47] and they can take on Hamas. There's no [07:48] border peace. There's no There's no [07:51] Turkey uh providing uh security in Gaza. [07:54] There's no Qatar underwriting it. Uh you [07:56] guys are full on in southern Lebanon all [07:59] the way up to Beirut taking on [08:00] Hezbollah, but you got to do what you [08:02] got to do as a sovereign nation, [08:04] sir. [08:06] >> That's where things are moving in [08:07] Israel. And that's what this, you know, [08:09] this these attacks on the Dahieh in [08:11] Beirut yesterday in response to [08:13] Hezbollah firing drones at our at our [08:15] northern border. And let me be even more [08:17] accurate. [08:18] In response to Iran firing drones at our [08:21] drones at our northern border towns. [08:22] Remember, Hezbollah is Iran. So, [08:24] yesterday we have in the midst of all [08:26] this where Iran is saying they want [08:28] de-escalation in Lebanon, they provoke [08:30] Israel when when Prime Minister [08:31] Netanyahu did not heed President Trump's [08:34] request to not respond, which I thought [08:37] was a a [08:38] an immoral request. It was a absurd. We [08:41] have drones being fired at our at [08:43] civilian towns. And because no one got [08:46] >> Hang on. Hang on. Hang on. Hang on. Hang [08:48] on. Hang on. Hang Hang on a second. [08:49] That's pretty harsh coming from you. You [08:51] believe the commander-in-chief, the [08:53] president of the United States, who's [08:54] probably done more [08:55] in relationship for Israel than any [08:57] American president, you think he gave an [08:59] immoral request? [09:01] >> Well, it was [09:05] it was unwise. I mean, think about this. [09:07] We're getting attacked by Hezbollah [09:09] drones being fired at civilian towns. [09:12] Families in in uh in in in their bomb [09:15] shelters. People have been killed by [09:16] these drones. People hear drone, they [09:18] don't understand what this is. It's [09:19] basically like a missile that you can [09:21] control. They move very fast. They have [09:22] an explosive tip on them. And they and [09:25] and they're and and they kill people. [09:27] And we've had we've had many casualties [09:29] over the last 2 months during this [09:30] supposed ceasefire from these drones [09:32] being fired into our towns. And there [09:34] were drones fired in yesterday morning [09:36] by Hezbollah. And let's remember the [09:38] chain of command of Hezbollah starts in [09:40] Tehran. So we have the Iranians firing [09:43] drones at us in the morning [09:45] and the purpose of that it's a it's it's [09:47] great game theory by the by the Iranians [09:50] because either Israel retaliates [09:54] and [09:56] and then they can blame it on on Trump [09:57] and say hey you were complicit or Trump [10:00] tells Israel not to retaliate and then [10:02] either it turns into a [10:04] a wide rift between Trump and Netanyahu [10:06] which serves the Iranian interest or [10:09] Netanyahu listens to Trump and that [10:11] shows that the the Iranians can then say [10:13] you see we were able to fire on Israel [10:16] with impunity and restrain them. This is [10:19] it was a brilliant play by the Iranians [10:21] and I think that President Trump fell [10:22] into this trap because he wants the [10:24] deal. So listen, I love President Trump. [10:26] I can't imagine the dystopian hell we'd [10:28] be living in if Kamala Harris had won. [10:30] He's done amazing things for Israel but [10:32] we have to be clear-eyed about this [10:33] current situation. His desire for a deal [10:36] has clouded his judgment about the [10:38] Middle East. You cannot allow these [10:40] people to attack us with impunity. [10:43] >> Rabbi Wolicki, uh [10:45] the um [10:47] the war room engine room [10:49] the New York division reminds me in our [10:51] discussion to say hey [10:53] but we just had this big uh fracas last [10:56] week on the NDAA where we're merging the [10:59] defense industrial bases of Israel and [11:02] there's an aspect of this deeper that [11:04] we're merging the basically backroom [11:06] operations I guess of our intelligence [11:08] operations. So institutionally [11:12] the United States and Israel are are [11:14] coming together more which I adamantly [11:16] oppose but it's happening, right? We're [11:19] trying to stop it but it's happening. So [11:21] how can you have [11:23] Israel break the vassal state [11:24] protectorate nature of this relationship [11:27] move to its own sovereignty and its own [11:29] independence and quite frankly to go [11:31] fight [11:32] a war that you're saying they have to [11:34] fight and they have to win particularly [11:36] the Iranian [11:38] army of Hezbollah [11:40] in Lebanon at the same time that we're [11:42] merging the two operations, sir. [11:46] >> Well, the merging of the operations is [11:48] is really the, you know, heading towards [11:50] the new arrangement post aid. [11:53] Uh this was all part of Ron Dermer's [11:55] plan to wean Israel off of the aid and [11:57] move more to a cooperative relationship [12:00] where we're jointly investing and [12:02] jointly doing R&D uh and uh and and [12:05] merging other types of operations. But, [12:07] you know, [12:08] Steve [12:09] uh I disagree with your framing of the [12:10] question. The [12:12] the total [12:13] the total amount of US aid to Israel [12:17] constitutes less than 10% of our defense [12:20] budget. Of our of our national budget, [12:23] it's it's it's tiny. Of our GDP, it's [12:25] it's a fraction of a percent. Israel's [12:27] not a vassal state of the United States. [12:28] We do get some aid. Far more money is [12:30] spent by the United States on, I don't [12:32] know, the airbase in Jordan uh than uh [12:35] than anything they give to Israel. So, [12:36] this is just uh you know, this is this [12:38] is just a straw man. Israel's not a [12:40] vassal state. Uh Israel has sold more [12:44] weaponry uh but [12:46] they've made three times the profit in [12:48] selling weapons to Germany and Greece [12:50] over the last 6 months than all the aid [12:52] they get from the US in a given year. [12:54] So, it's uh weaning off the aid is not [12:56] going to be a big deal. Israel is [12:58] asserting itself. It's asserting its own [13:00] independence. The strikes on the Dahiya [13:02] yesterday in response to the Hezbollah [13:04] attacks were very popular in Israel. In [13:06] fact, had Israel not struck, uh that [13:09] would have been uh you know, that would [13:11] have been a very big problem. In fact, [13:12] today the headlines in Israel and what [13:14] everyone's saying in Israel, people are [13:15] very disappointed uh in in in the fact [13:18] that we are taking our foot off the gas [13:20] pedal in Lebanon. Uh you know, let's [13:22] remember, uh there will only be peace in [13:24] Lebanon just like there will only be [13:26] peace in Gaza if we get rid of these [13:28] guys. If we get rid of Hezbollah, we get [13:29] rid of Hamas, and only Israel is willing [13:31] and able to do it. So, [13:34] um you know, [13:35] >> Let's Let's Let's go Let's go back I'm [13:37] going to get to I'm going to go to the [13:38] break. We see there we We'll go back [13:40] with the same more footage of the [13:41] president. Uh and I'd like you to hang [13:43] around if you can. Um [13:45] we're going to go to Captain Finnell [13:46] here in a moment, but I am going to go [13:48] to break. [13:49] Let's just go down while we've got it. [13:50] Uh [13:51] you believe that Iran is the major [13:54] funder of Hamas and not Qatar? And uh [13:57] and certain elements of the Gulf [13:59] Emirates, sir? [14:01] >> Hama- I don't know who's funding Hamas. [14:03] At this point, I don't know how they're [14:04] getting their funding. In fact, I would [14:05] suspect that a lot of Hamas funding is [14:07] coming through Turkey these days. Uh the [14:09] Turkey Let's remember that the Hamas [14:11] leadership relocated to Turkey. Erdogan [14:14] uh is uh you know, Hamas also started as [14:16] a branch there of the Muslim [14:18] Brotherhood. Iran really was a latecomer [14:21] to funding Hamas. That's why Hamas, as [14:23] you correctly said before, Hamas [14:24] >> isn't Turkey Isn't Doesn't Turkey have [14:26] the overall the board of peace that's [14:28] going to oversee Gaza? The Qataris are [14:30] going to be the lead financier, and [14:32] Turkey's going to be the lead in [14:34] security. Are Is that framework not [14:36] still operational? [14:38] >> No. No, Turkey is not going to play a uh [14:41] Israel is not going to allow Turkey to [14:42] play a central role in that in the [14:44] reconstruction or any of it. Now, the [14:46] IHH, which is a Turkish uh non uh [14:49] government organized NGO, a GONGO, the [14:52] IHH, which is uh um they they they're a [14:56] Turkish uh NGO, they've been operating [14:59] in Gaza already. They rebuilt a couple [15:00] mosques, and they've been involved in [15:02] some of the food food distribution down [15:03] there. But the Israelis are being very [15:05] adamant that the Turks are not going to [15:07] play a major role here. You know, [15:08] Erdogan's been calling Netanyahu a Nazi [15:11] and and and saying that he wants to [15:12] destroy Israel. So, [15:14] >> But my point is is that you couldn't you [15:15] couldn't get clear You could You [15:17] couldn't get clearer that [15:19] we've [15:20] we've We're We're to a a divergence in [15:23] the road. One way you go one way you go [15:25] the other. That Israel is now has to [15:28] assert its sovereignty because it's [15:30] clearly against the president's plan for [15:32] how he sees Gaza, right? [15:35] And I keep calling the the two-state [15:37] solution. You're saying that's not going [15:39] to happen. And [15:41] just politically it's smart for [15:42] Netanyahu, but also for the nation of [15:44] Israel to take on the Iranian proxy [15:46] slash army of Hezbollah and just fight [15:49] it out in Lebanon, correct? [15:52] >> Well, Israel's not against President [15:54] Trump's plan. They're for the [15:56] implementing of the plan as it was [15:58] written and agreed to. That's the issue [15:59] here. That 20-point plan, that Gaza [16:01] plan, at the very first stage of it [16:04] after the hostages are released and the [16:06] prisoner and the and the Palestinian [16:07] prisoners are released, Hamas is [16:09] supposed to be disarmed. And they are [16:12] not disarmed. They are still in control [16:13] there. They're still terrorizing their [16:15] people. They're still [16:17] and they're they're still there. And and [16:19] as long as they're there, nothing else [16:20] in that project, in that 20-point [16:22] project, in that whole, you know, Jared [16:24] Kushner PowerPoint, you know, making [16:26] Gaza look like Boca Raton, Florida, that [16:28] whole thing, you know, that can't go [16:30] forward as long as Hamas is there. [16:32] >> Better than better than Boca Raton. [16:35] Better than Boca Raton. [16:36] >> favor of getting rid of Hamas. That's [16:38] what we're in favor of. [16:38] >> Hang on. Rabbi Wolicki, I got about 2 [16:40] minutes. I got to go to break. Your your [16:42] observations, sir. [16:47] >> My observations about what Kurt just [16:48] said? [16:50] >> Yeah, or [16:51] Kurt in in in what reality is. [16:55] If that's not reality. [16:58] >> Look, [17:00] the [17:01] the leader of Hezbollah was appointed in [17:04] Tehran. Okay, I just want to make sure [17:06] that this point really really gets very [17:08] clear. The Hezbollah [17:11] leadership is appointed in Tehran. When [17:13] the when the pagers exploded, one of the [17:15] pagers that exploded was on the body of [17:18] the Iranian ambassador to Beirut. [17:21] Okay, that this is the Hezbollah [17:22] leadership. Hezbollah is Iran. [17:25] It is the It It It It It really has [17:28] little to do with Lebanon other than the [17:29] fact that they occupy Lebanon. They've [17:32] occupied Lebanon since the early '80s. [17:34] This isn't about a Lebanese civil war. [17:37] This is about attacks on Israel from an [17:40] Iranian from from the Iranian [17:43] Revolutionary Guard [17:45] forces in Lebanon [17:47] that have that are that are now the [17:50] Lebanese people are are screaming every [17:53] day to get rid of Hezbollah so that they [17:55] could live a normal life and have [17:56] normalized relations with their [17:58] neighbors. [17:59] And Israel is seeking the peace of its [18:02] northern communities. That's what That's [18:04] what's going on in Lebanon. And to [18:05] restrain Israel and and I think he [18:08] misunderstood the point that I made when [18:10] you when you raised the point that that [18:12] what what that what the Iranians were [18:13] doing when they were attacking Israel [18:15] was trying to drive a wedge between the [18:17] US and Israel. When he says has nothing [18:19] to do with Americans, sure in in theory, [18:22] what happens in Lebanon has nothing to [18:23] do with the Americans, but the Iranians [18:25] were trying to provoke the Israelis so [18:27] that President Trump would lash out at [18:30] Prime Minister Netanyahu when Israel [18:32] responded, which we had to do. That is [18:35] That's the point that I was making and I [18:36] think it was just a was just a little [18:38] bit misunderstood there. I just want to [18:39] make sure that your viewers fully [18:40] understand that. And and [18:43] >> Rabbi Wolpe, I think you would agree [18:44] with me that whatever JD signs or [18:47] whatever is signed and and Trita Parsi [18:49] still thinks got this right. I'm not so [18:51] sure anything's ever really going to get [18:52] signed. But what President Trump has [18:54] structured here [18:55] is not going to be a signing like on the [18:58] battleship Missouri [19:00] in Tokyo Harbor on September 5th of [19:02] 1945, correct? Why is that? And why do [19:05] why do the Why are the Persians [19:09] and we got to be blunt about this. Their [19:10] media they're mocking us right now. They [19:12] say this is a capitulation of the [19:14] Zionist American empire, sir. [19:20] >> Well, first a little bit of history, [19:22] Steve. Shiite, you know, we all know the [19:24] terms Shiite and Sunni, but most [19:25] Americans, even though they just know [19:27] there's two groups of Muslims. There's [19:28] actually more than two, but they don't [19:30] know what that really means. Shiite [19:32] Islam's origin story was after Muhammad, [19:37] uh one of there was a there was a power [19:39] struggle between a couple of his [19:40] grandsons and there was and the Shiites [19:43] basically were [19:45] were massacred. The the first Shiites, [19:48] they were founded by this Imam ibn Ali [19:50] and and there was this battle at Karbala [19:52] that they lost. They got but they [19:55] weren't totally destroyed and the whole [19:57] ethos of Shiite Islam, one of the one of [19:59] the just the key ideas is that when you [20:03] suffer and when you are up against the [20:05] man, when you're up against a more [20:06] powerful foe and you survive and you're [20:10] not destroyed and you show resilience [20:12] and you're able to to continue on, [20:14] that's a sign that that Allah loves you [20:17] and that's a sign that you will be [20:18] ultimately be victorious. They view [20:21] their very survival as victory, but more [20:23] than that, [20:25] we if you go back to February 28th when [20:27] President Trump stood before the nation, [20:29] he gave an 8-minute speech laying out [20:31] the objectives of this war. [20:34] And he laid out four objectives. He said [20:36] we're said we're going to destroy their [20:37] navy, we're going to destroy their [20:39] ballistic missile capability, we will [20:40] destroy their proxy network or their [20:42] ability to fund the proxies and we'll [20:44] make sure that they no longer have an [20:46] ability to have a nuclear weapon. And [20:48] then later in the speech, he said to the [20:50] Iran to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard [20:53] Corps, to the IRGC, I say lay down your [20:55] weapons or face certain death. And then [20:57] he turned to the Iranian people in that [20:59] speech and he ended off the speech by [21:00] saying, "The hour of your freedom is at [21:02] hand. Very soon you will be able to take [21:05] your your government back. We're going [21:06] to create those conditions for you. Now, [21:08] the Iranian regime, when they saw that [21:11] speech, get yourself into their heads. [21:13] What are they thinking? How are we going [21:15] to survive this onslaught of the [21:16] Israelis and the Americans? They know [21:18] that they're not a more powerful [21:19] military. Their whole goal is find a [21:21] piece of leverage that could make this [21:23] as painful as possible for President [21:25] Trump so that he stops short of [21:27] destroying us, so that he stops short of [21:30] bringing us down, so that he stops short [21:32] of achieving those goals. And the [21:34] leverage that they chose was the Strait [21:35] of Hormuz. And that strategy worked [21:38] perfectly. So, from their perspective, [21:40] and I read Iranian state media every [21:43] single day. I read a number of their [21:44] outlets. I read the analytical pieces. I [21:46] read the news stories. And it is very [21:48] clear exactly what you say. They are [21:50] declaring victory. They see their [21:52] resilience and their survival against a [21:54] foe who vowed to destroy them and bring [21:56] them down. And the fact that they're not [21:58] destroyed and that they're still in [21:59] power and that the American backed off. [22:03] The American Zionist alliance backed [22:05] off. That and and again, in Shiite [22:07] culture and in Persian culture, that is [22:10] the ultimate sign of victory that you [22:12] resisted a more powerful foe and you got [22:15] them to back down. That shows that you [22:18] are more powerful. That Now, Captain [22:21] Fennell could be right. Oh, just because [22:23] they frame it that way doesn't mean we [22:24] need to. Well, it doesn't exactly work [22:26] that way because if you've empowered [22:28] those people, if you've empowered that [22:29] regime, that also means that in their [22:31] own culture, in their own country, the [22:33] people of Iran also interpret it all [22:35] that way. Cuz they come from that [22:37] culture. They see America as having [22:39] backed off and they see President Trump [22:41] as having either not had the will or not [22:44] had the ability to carry out his [22:46] original stated objectives. Now, I'm not [22:48] saying that that means that President [22:49] Trump should have stated them or should [22:52] be carrying them out. The point is that [22:54] that's how they see it. Hang on. Rabbi [22:56] Willig, your your thoughts. [23:00] Israel's is seeking to expand at all. [23:02] Israel is seeking to defend [23:03] >> What is going on in Lebanon? [23:04] >> Hang on. [23:07] Rabbi Wolicki, what what is going on in [23:09] Lebanon? The Greater Israel project [23:12] Greater Israel project [23:13] >> The Greater Israel project is an open [23:15] >> is is a figment of your imagination. The [23:18] There's no such thing as the Greater [23:19] Israel project. Israel seeks to defend [23:21] its borders and every every single [23:24] citizen of Israel It's unbelievable. The [23:25] only country in the world that has ever [23:27] surrendered land for peace multiple [23:29] times is now getting uh uh accused of [23:31] wanting to expand itself. Israel wants [23:34] to secure its borders. If Hezbollah did [23:36] not set up tunnels and rocket launchers [23:39] and militias along our northern border [23:41] and started shelling our northern [23:43] communities relentlessly, Israel would [23:45] never set foot in Lebanon. And the day [23:48] that Hezbollah is removed from Lebanon, [23:50] Israel will withdraw every single boot [23:52] on the ground from Lebanon. No one in [23:54] Israel has any desire to own any piece [23:57] of Lebanon or any piece of Syria. [23:59] Frankly, we tried to give the Gaza Strip [24:02] back to Egypt when we returned the Sinai [24:04] to them. They refused to take it. [24:06] Look, Israel doesn't want to expand its [24:08] borders. Israel wants to defend its [24:10] borders. And unfortunately, when you [24:12] have these militias that set up right on [24:15] our border and start firing at our [24:16] civilians, we need to go in and do [24:18] something about it when the sovereign [24:19] nation, Lebanon in this case, does [24:22] nothing about it. There's no This is [24:24] This is just [24:25] >> We'll get into this daily. Hang on. Hang [24:28] on. Hang on. We're going to wrap up now, [24:30] but you Would you agree that [24:33] Israel to do the what you just said [24:34] about Hezbollah, Israel will end up [24:36] doing that on their own that you it's [24:38] pretty obvious the United States has no [24:41] real interest in furthering that that if [24:43] you guys want to do it, you're not a [24:44] vassal state, you're not a protectorate. [24:46] You're your own sovereign nation that if [24:48] that has to happen as you said it has to [24:50] happen, you guys will have to do that on [24:52] your own. [24:54] >> It's going going one way or another [24:56] because the the Lebanese government does [24:59] not really have the wherewithal that the [25:01] Lebanese army is not as strong as [25:03] Hezbollah and there are elements in the [25:05] Lebanese army that are actually aligned [25:06] with Hezbollah. They're never going to [25:07] disarm Hezbollah even though they said [25:09] they were going to. And the Israelis are [25:11] not going we're not going to tolerate [25:13] these these terrorists firing missiles [25:16] and rockets into our communities in the [25:18] north of Israel. So Israel, yeah, Israel [25:20] is going to go clean it out. And once [25:22] Hezbollah is actually gone, we'll be [25:24] able to normalize relations with [25:25] Lebanon. The only reason that Lebanese [25:27] politicians ever, you know, you know, [25:29] condemn Israel is because they're afraid [25:31] of Hezbollah coming after them. The [25:32] Lebanese people are increasingly in [25:34] favor of peace deals with Israel because [25:36] they want Hezbollah gone. [25:38] >> but in in your theory of the case, which [25:40] you're saying, "Hey, Bannon, you guys [25:42] are wrong. You and Bolling keep saying [25:44] Hezbollah is a proxy. It's not. It is a [25:46] hardwired part of the Iranian army." [25:49] In doing that, you guys will stay in a [25:52] direct war [25:53] with Iran in a war that if you're going [25:55] to [25:56] crush Hezbollah, will only expand. [26:00] >> Not necessarily. It depends how the [26:02] Iranians behave. You know, [26:04] for many of [26:05] over the course of the last 47 years or [26:07] really Hezbollah has been around for [26:09] about 43 years. Over the course of that [26:11] time, Iran has not joined our skirmishes [26:14] with Hezbollah most of the time. They've [26:16] only they only they did it last week and [26:18] they did it one other time over the last [26:20] couple of years. They generally don't [26:21] start firing from Iran. Um and and [26:25] they're they're getting desperate now [26:26] because they see their grip on Lebanon [26:29] slipping through their fingers with [26:30] Israel degrading Hezbollah every single [26:32] day. [26:33] The unfortunately, and this is what I at [26:35] the beginning of this conversation [26:36] today, I said this. Unfortunately, tying [26:38] Israel's hands and saying keep things [26:40] quiet in Lebanon, stop attacking [26:42] Hezbollah, it condemns the Lebanese [26:44] people to continue to live under the [26:46] thumb of Iran and it means that Israel [26:49] is being told that you cannot deal with [26:51] an enemy that's firing rockets at you. [26:52] None of those Those two things are [26:54] intolerable. We will have a much [26:57] better relationship with our Lebanese [26:58] neighbors if we can if Israel's given a [27:01] free hand to go in there and destroy [27:03] Hezbollah, which no one else is willing [27:05] to do. [27:06] >> We've got a ball. 30 seconds. Where do [27:08] people get your contact, sir? [27:11] >> You can find me on YouTube at the Israel [27:12] 365 News YouTube channel or my own [27:15] personal YouTube channel. I'm the only [27:16] person in the world named Pesach [27:17] Wolliki. Makes me easy to find. You can [27:19] also find me at Israel 365 action.com [27:23] and my X is @rabbipw and I have an [27:27] author page at the Jerusalem Post at [27:28] jpost.com.
