In this episode of The Ben Shapiro Show, Shapiro examines Israel's recent hostage rescue operation in Gaza. He highlights the mission's skilled execution and alleges double standards in reactions to it, arguing that public narratives misrepresent aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Shapiro posits that the successful hostage rescue challenges myths about Israel's military capabilities, Hamas' willingness for prisoner releases, and the separation between Palestinian civilians and terrorists. He criticizes the administration and media for allegedly dishonest portrayals of Israel's actions and implicit justification of Hamas.
Sign up for Shortform to access the whole episode summary along with additional materials like counterarguments and context.
In the view of Ben Shapiro and others, the Israeli military's recent hostage rescue operation in Gaza demonstrated impressive capabilities and exposed flawed narratives about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israeli soldiers located 4 hostages held by Hamas in 2 nearby buildings in Gaza and conducted a complex, precise raid to free them. Peter Lerner highlights this mission's "ingenious" intelligence and planning.
Despite the successful rescue, Shapiro alleges hypocritical condemnation from activists and media outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post, which suggested Israel used excessive force. Shapiro argues violence from Hamas faces apologetics while Israel's actions draw intense criticism.
The hostage rescue operation undercut these 3 myths, according to Shapiro and Lerner:
The operation disproved the premise that Israel's military cannot effectively recover hostages.
As keeping hostages benefits Hamas' leverage over Israel, Shapiro argues Hamas has little motivation to release them through deals.
Shapiro claims there is no clear separation: Polling shows public support for Hamas, and locals likely knew about the hostage situation.
Shapiro accuses the Biden administration of dishonestly pushing for ceasefires despite Israel's operation's success and Hamas' unwillingness to negotiate. He also alleges the mainstream media misleadingly frames Israel's actions as excessive amid concerns over internal divisions.
1-Page Summary
The Israeli military demonstrated a high level of intelligence and planning in a hostage rescue operation that has garnered both attention and acclaim for its precision and success.
On a Saturday morning, Israeli Defense Forces conducted a complex and daring operation in the Gaza Strip's center, Nusayrat, to rescue four hostages who had been held by Hamas for over 240 days. Israeli teams managed to successfully overwhelm the captors, who were positioned in apartment blocks set about 200 meters apart.
In May, Israel discovered the location of the female hostage, Noa Arghamani, inside a low-rise apartment block in Nusayrat, and then located three male hostages in another nearby building. Shapiro highlighted the effectiveness of the operation by referencing dramatic footage showing soldiers rushing one of the hostages to a helicopter. This footage proved the Israeli forces' success in locating and extracting the hostages.
Peter Lerner points out that the Israeli military emphasizes returning hostages home, which underscores the importance of intelligence and intricate planning. The operation, overseen directly by the Israeli military's chief of staff, Hersey Halevi, from a command center, proceeded with his go-ahead. Shapiro described the operation as "ingenious, daring, and heroic," demonstrating a sophisticated execution of military strategy.
The operation not only resulted in the safe return of hostages but also had a significant impact on the perception of Israel's military capabilities and the narrative around the conflict with Hamas.
The details and significance of the Israeli hostage rescue operation
The international community and media response to Israel's recent hostage rescue operation has drawn criticism and accusations of hypocrisy from commentators such as Shapiro.
Shapiro acknowledges that the media and international community have reacted negatively to the hostage rescue operation conducted by Israel.
The portrayal of the hostage rescue in the media was markedly critical, with Shapiro suggesting that media outlets framed the event in a negative light. The New York Times emphasized the intensity of the Israeli raid and its effects on Gazans, referring to the bombings as "unimaginably intense." Similarly, The Washington Post characterized the Israeli effort using the phrase "secret plans and a deadly wall of fire." Crystal Ball added to the criticism, commenting that U.S. officials appeared to celebrate a bloodbath that would have otherwise been condemned had Hamas been the one rescuing Palestinians.
Shapiro also noted that the international reaction included protests, with activists signaling that Israel had crossed a red line with the rescue operation, due to their method of trying to free their citizens and kill terrorists, not because of Hamas’ actions. The protests outside the White House illustrated the criticisms levied against Israel, rather than a condemnation of Hamas’s activities.
Some commentators have pointed out what they perceive to be a double standard in the international response to ...
The international and media reaction to the operation
Shapiro and Lerner discuss the misconceptions surrounding Israel's approaches and the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that were brought to light by a recent operation.
Shapiro refutes the premise that Israeli military action cannot free hostages, arguing that the successful hostage rescue operation conducted by Israel's military disproved this myth. Lerner also comments on the operation's success, which counters the narrative that Israel's military is incapable of effectively conducting hostage rescues.
Shapiro criticizes the view that Hamas is close to making a deal to release hostages. He argues that as long as keeping hostages benefits Hamas by giving them leverage, they have no incentive to release them. This is indicative of a strategy to maintain leverage over Israel by using hostages.
Shapiro challenges the notion that there is a clear distinction between Palestinian civilians and terrorists, stating that it is a false separation. He contends that much of the Palestinian population in Gaza supports and even collaborates with Hamas—this is supported by polling data, and is further demonstrated by the fact that many in the area likely knew hostag ...
The false narratives about Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that the operation exposed
Ben Shapiro discusses perceptions of dishonesty within the Biden administration regarding conflicts abroad and the president's own family business involvement, as well as the mainstream media's coverage of these issues.
Shapiro asserts that the Biden administration is being dishonest about Hamas' willingness to negotiate and Israeli military actions. He suggests that the administration is pushing for a ceasefire despite Israel's success in hostage rescue operations and Hamas's track record, indicating a lack of support or understanding of the situation.
Shapiro highlights how The New York Times and The Washington Post frame Israel’s actions negatively. He cites headlines which suggest that Israel's concerns about internal divisions are portrayed unfairly against the backdrop of the country's successful hostage rescue, painting the military actions as excessive. Crystal Ball adds that if the roles were reversed, the actions of Israel would likely be universally condemned, reinforcing the view that media and officials frame Israel’s actions as morally questionable.
Shapiro touches on Biden's personal connections to potentially questionable business dealings. He mentions that Joe Biden’s personal bookkeeper during his term as vice president was also Hunter Biden's business partner and bookkeeper, signaling potential conflicts of interest that Shapiro believes are not being fully ...
The corruption and dishonesty of the Biden administration and the mainstream media
Download the Shortform Chrome extension for your browser