\u201cOur hands are tied when it comes to strategic thinking,\u201d he said. \u201cThe next government in Israel, whatever it is\u2026 needs to initiate. Military ability is impressive. It\u2019s not enough. You need to initiate and improve Israel\u2019s position in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shalom urged the government to pursue diplomatic initiatives that are already underway in order to resolve some of the fronts where Israel has fought since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, sparked the war in Gaza and fighting on the country\u2019s other borders.<\/p>\n
\t He said Israel must work to advance US President Donald Trump\u2019s 20-point plan for Gaza\u2019s reconstruction, which has largely stalled amid Hamas\u2019s refusal to disarm. Israel now controls most of the enclave, but Hamas retains control over areas with most of Gaza\u2019s population.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need to create an alternative to Hamas,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t create an alternative to Hamas just by using force.\u201d He added that Israel must \u201chunt down\u201d every Hamas member.<\/p>\n A \u2018historic opportunity\u2019 in the north<\/p>\n Likewise, in Israel\u2019s north, Shalom recommended reaching a deal that would cut off the flow of weapons from Syria to the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, though he acknowledged that he distrusted Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadist.<\/p>\n He also recommended signing an agreement with Lebanon that could establish relations between the countries while simultaneously continuing to work on disarming the terror group.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the northern front, Syria and Lebanon, it\u2019s a historic opportunity,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Lebanon, we could reach a peace agreement with them and at the same time disarm Hezbollah. These are complicated processes. I don\u2019t trust anyone. I think we need to create a new story.\u201d<\/p>\n \t He also suggested working harder to strengthen relations with the United States by restoring bipartisan support for Israel and improving connections with American Jews. And he argued that relations with Egypt and Jordan are being \u201cneglected.\u201d And he recommended more investment in Israel\u2019s education system.<\/p>\n Shalom said he supported launching a war against Iran in late February alongside the United States, and praised Israel for pushing back the country\u2019s weapons program and killing its nuclear scientists. But he poured cold water on the idea that it would lead to the collapse of the regime, referring to a scrapped plan for Kurdish militias to invade Iran during the US-Israeli war, which aimed to \u201ccreate the conditions\u201d for the Islamic Republic\u2019s fall.<\/p>\n \u201cWhoever thought the regime can be toppled with airstrikes and the Kurds \u2014 a delusion, simply a delusion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Says Israel could have brought the hostages back \u2018earlier and more\u2019<\/p>\n Regarding the Gaza war,\u00a0 he issued an implicit criticism of the government, saying, \u201cOne of the only achievements, in my opinion, is that we returned the hostages,\u201d but crediting Trump and anti-government protests, rather than Israel\u2019s leaders, for keeping the issue at the top of the agenda.<\/p>\n He asserted that the captives could have been returned earlier and in greater numbers.<\/p>\n \u201cReturning the hostages was a moral duty that Israel had,\u201d he said. \u201cThe protesters, who were often criticized, are the ones who, in a very significant way, pushed the American government to make a decision and to bring the hostages back home.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cWe could have brought them back earlier, and more,\u201d though he called the issue \u201cwater under the bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he was waiting for a state commission of inquiry to be formed into Hamas\u2019s October 7, 2023, onslaught, saying he would be \u201cthe first\u201d to come and testify.<\/p>\n He emphasized that diplomatic and military initiatives need to complement each other.<\/p>\n \u201cWe talk only about using force. We need to also provide hope here,\u201d he said. \u201cI know the world\u2019s players a little. They\u2019re looking for us. They want to connect to our systems, but without a diplomatic change, it won\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
\t\t\t
\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t That\u2019s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven\u2019t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.<\/p>\n For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n Thank you, \t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26022392094595-e1772777617592-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump sits between President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, right, and Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, left, during a signing ceremony on his Board of Peace initiative at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (AP Photo\/Markus Schreiber)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26177692511310-e1782518324205-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others watch, as seated from left, Israel\u2019s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, counselor Dan Holler, and Lebanon\u2019s Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh, sign a framework agreement, described as a first step toward peace following months of conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, at the State Department, June 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Kevin Wolf)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tWe can’t do this work alone.\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Untitled-design-4-200x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYou’re a dedicated reader\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/334x334-200x200.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n