October 13, 2025 • 37 mins
Monday President Trump visited the Middle East to celebrate a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. All 20 of the remaining living Israeli hostages were released Monday and reunited with their families. Nearly 2K Palestinian prisoners were also released as part of the ceasefire agreement. At a peace summit with world leaders in Egypt, Trump signed the Gaza peace deal and is pushing to advance continued peace in the Middle East, saying, “We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put the old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us, and to declare that our future will not be ruled by the fights of generations past." We discussed all that unfolded Monday during what has become a momentous day in the Middle East.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on DELBS, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Well, today was a huge day in the Middle East.
I think all of you know of what I speak.
The hostages, the Israeli hostages, twenty of them have come home.
Not all of them were as lucky as these twenty
(00:29):
two have survived. But it was emotional. I watched this today.
I don't know how many of you. Today's a holiday,
whether you celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous People's Day. Today
was a holiday and people had an opportunity to watch
coverage on both Fox and CNN. There were some cut
ins from CBS, ABC and NBC tended to ignore most
(00:52):
of the most of the day. President Trump flew and
into Tel Aviv addressed the Israeli Kanessa their parlor element
this morning. Uh, it was. It was quite a day.
And then there was a signing with the President and
leaders of dozens of countries in the Middle Eastern countries
and joining us now is a friend of this program
(01:15):
for many years, who we have talked about this day.
I don't know that either of us thought that it
would come, but Jeff Rollins, just an amazing, an amazing
day to watch your your thoughts. I'm sure you you
spend probably a lot of time Jeff Robbins, Uh, watching
(01:38):
on television as I did. Great.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Great to have you back, Thank you, Dan, thank you
for having me. And you're right, it was a hugely
emotional day as the footage emerged of hostages, starved, tortured, abused,
kept underground in tunnels for two years, as they rejoined
(02:01):
their loved ones after two long, miserable, brutal years. It
would take someone pretty remarkable not to be moved, even
moved to tears by watching these reunions. You're totally right.
It was an extraordinary day.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
The President was right in the middle of it. He
of course put it in ways that I think he
has a right to speak of them. I hope that
this peace will last. But this was the president in Egypt.
Cut number twenty three. Rob I want to get you know,
(02:39):
Jeff Robbins, just just a comment on some of what
the president had to had to say. This is cut
number twenty three. It's only nineteen seconds he signing to
piece deal in Egypt.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Just took three thousand years to get to this point.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Can you believe it?
Speaker 1 (02:57):
And it's going to hold up to it's going to.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Okay, thank you, he went on. He went on to
follow up on that in cut number twenty four. Up.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Well, the momentum now is toward a great, glorious and
lasting peace, and our commitment to fulfilling the twenty point
plan we developed together will be the crucial foundation for
achieving that right future. And it's being worked on right
now as we speak, and we're actually in stage three
and four. It's not going to be, you know, just
divided down. So simply we can be long advanced on
(03:34):
some of the things that we say we're going to do.
We can take them out of order in a positive way,
and we've shown how it can be done with responsible
nations like the people in this room. It's incredible people
in this room setting aside their differences, seeking common ground
and pursuing a better world for.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
All of us. This is not intended in any way,
shape or form to be a partisan, but it is
is the work of President Trump and his team that
seems to have somehow taken the opportunity that has presented itself.
And we can get into, Jeff, with all of the
events that led up to this, starting with tragically two
(04:14):
years ago on October seventh. But I do want to
give credit to Hillary Clinton. She's not someone who I
give a lot of credit to on this program, but
she was talking with CBS about the peace deal and
she took the opportunity to commend appropriately, but to commend
President Trump. And I'm sure it was not something that
(04:35):
she enjoyed doing. But this is cut number eight a rob.
Speaker 5 (04:42):
It's a really significant first step, and I really commend
President Trump and his administration, as well as Arab leaders
in the region for making the commitment to the twenty
point Plan and seeing a path forward for what's often
(05:05):
called the Day After.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
So this has been a situation that American presidents have
dealt with since Harry Truman, in one form or another,
through the Sixth Day War of eighty seven, the War Well,
the attacks on Israel in nineteen forty eight, the very
year that they were the nation was founded. They've been
under assault, under siege. This small geographic area about the
(05:31):
size of New Jersey. It was flattered its back two
years ago on October seventh, twenty twenty three, and it
has made a remarkable comeback, with most of its enemies
now destroyed or in retreat. Hesbollah Hamas asad out of Syria.
We've talked about this. Could have you ever imagine this
(05:54):
two years ago, Jeff, We talked about this two years
ago after the attack at the successival on that Saturday
morning that I think shocked the world.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Well, no, and you know what happened today raises so
many issues in so many different directions, and none more
pressing than this. This never had to happen. This just
never had to happen on October sixth, twenty twenty three.
Everybody now dead on either side of the border. The
Israelis who were slaughtered, the Israelis who died in captivity
(06:30):
after being kidnapped, the Gazans who were subjected consigned deliberately
to death by their Hamas masters. Every one of those
individuals would have been alive today but for the decision
made by this group Hamas jihadis genocidal group to send
three to five thousand people armed guvernment into Israel for
the purpose of slaughtering as many people as possible. At
(06:52):
any point over the last two years, Hamas could have
done what it did today. It could have said, okay,
we're giving these hostages back. They chose not to the
reason for that we can get into. But the truth
of the matter is give credit where credit is due,
and the Trump White House and President Trump, with who
(07:15):
might disagree on so very much, deserves a lot of
credit because when you have a couple of dozen Arab
leaders scan and leaders around the world scrambling to be
standing next to him, to be trying to claim some
bit of a spotlight for this peace deal, it really
showcases the role that he played and the commanding presence
(07:38):
that he had. Today. He got ovation in the Israeli Parliament.
He's the most popular person in Israel right now. He
clearly does care, has cared about the hostages and frankly,
and it's complicated, we can get into it. He did
see that at the end of the day, Hamas had
to be militarily battered before it would do what it
(08:01):
did today. And he gets a lot of credit on
a lot of different levels for this.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Well, there's so much to talk about, obviously, what what
his his decision did to uh Iran, the major financial
supporter of all of these groups, has Pala the Huti's
Hamas uh by taking out their their their nuclear structure
a few months ago in that that raid which which
(08:28):
could have gone horribly wrong, but it seemed to go
perfectly right. And and I remember he used the word obliterated,
and a lot of people jumped over that word, and
well it wasn't it wasn't obliteration. Well it looks like
it was. Uh. Actually that that the bunker busting bombs
and the pilots who flew that that mission for I
(08:49):
think it was thirty two hours back and forth. Uh,
it was were able to deliver the payloads and and
effectively take Iran off the stage, which was just so
so critical, and it kind of set in motion where
we are today. What I want to talk about when
we get back, Jeff, I want to talk about what's
(09:10):
next again. The Hamas has given up its leverage, and
I don't know. I don't trust them. I'm sure you
don't either, but I'd love to find out from you.
Are you surprised we talked about this last week? Are
you surprised that the twenty hostages that we knew of
(09:33):
are still alive? And I thought some of them looked
better than I expected, to be honest with you, and
I want to talk about that as well. My guest
is Jeff Robbins. I think many of you knew Jeff
and I chose not to reintroduce him, but former head
of the ADL here in New England, the Anti Defamation League,
(09:54):
served in the in the Clinton administration. Again, not a
fan by any stretch of the imagination of Donald Trump,
but he has I think respected what the President has
accomplished in the well the first what is it nine
months of his second administration. Uh. And when I think
(10:15):
about that horrible weekend of October sixth and seventh, and
I think that, uh, you know, the attack that occurred
on that Saturday morning of the young men and women
who were simply enjoying a music festival. Uh, and then
it being taken into the kibbutz's and killing twelve hundred
innocent Israeli's men, women, grand grandparents, and infants. And on
(10:38):
the next day, October seventh, the Sunday, realizing that Israel
was flat on its back. And now two years later,
two years later, Israel has has not only survived, but
has prevailed. I'd love to have you joined the conversation
if you'd like. Six one seven, two four ten thirty
(10:59):
six one seven, nine three one ten thirty. Israel has
been our staunchest ally in the Middle East for the
last nearly eighty years. We have stood by them in
our faith in Israel, and Israel's faith in the United
States has paid off big time today and we may
be looking at a Middle East in the in the
(11:22):
decades ahead that none of us could have imagined to
just think of. I guess one hundred abu Dhabis would
be one way to describe it. We'll talk with Jeff
Robbins more. Please feel free to join us if you'd like,
coming back on the Nightside right after.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
This, It's Night Side with Ray Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Jeff. One question that I have quickly here, and that
is we've seen the celebrations in Israel and we haven't
seen and we had peace that now seems to be
breaking out, which will hopefully benefit Israel, will benefit the
people in God With the hostilities having stopped, and yet
(12:04):
all of the demonstrators here in Massachusetts that we've come
to know over the last few months, those who were
protesting in favor of Palestinians and in favor of the Gozens,
they don't seem to be back in the streets celebrating
what has come to the Middle East, which is maybe
peace in our time.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
No, it's pretty revealing. There is silence from a lot
of the most vitriolic critics of Israel, those who were
accusing it of genocide within minutes of the massacre, while
while Israeli personnel were still collecting body fragments, they were
blaming Israel for it or celebrating what had happened. Whether
(12:49):
it's Harvard student organizations or professors or Democratic Socialists of America,
you name it, all over America, those who are launching
these bitter criticisms of Israel for having had the temerity
to defend itself and calling in a genocide have been silent.
And more than that, you know, over the last thirty
(13:11):
six hours or so, Hamas has been it's been widely reported,
seems clear executing so called collaborators, those who have dared
to oppose it in Gaza, and these executions are all
over the Arab media, but they're not getting any coverage
or much coverage in America. And of course the purported
(13:32):
progressives who have been so concerned about what has gone
on in Gaza had been silent about it. So you're right,
it's very very disturbing, but not entirely shocking.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
There was at least an illusion to that. On ABC
News World News Tonight with David Muir, who is reporting
from Tel Aviv that the hostilities within Gaza have not
ended and that the Hamas is killing apparently some tribal
(14:03):
leaders who are Palestinian because they are suspected of having
cooperated with Israel.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Yeah, exactly right.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
I didn't even realize they were tribal leaders within Palestine,
but I've seen that reported in the European press consistently,
and I believe that that blood letting is so unnecessary.
No one's protesting that blood letting.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
Well, that's what we're dealing with. Unfortunately, we're dealing with,
let us face it, a death cult. And so those
who are being executed in Gaza, they include people who
have had the nerve the guts, frankly, to oppose Hamas,
whether by speaking out or by urging others to speak out,
or there are some clans within Gaza who have been
(14:54):
opposed to Amas. They are being massacred, and of course
nobody who supposedly was concerned about some other things has
has said a word about it.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Last quick question before we go to the news of
the bottom of the arm. We're going to go to
phone calls right after that at on the other side
of the news, I think that Donald Trump sold this
plan to the Arab leaders more on the prospects of
the economic prospects and the economic revitalization not only of guys,
(15:29):
but of other areas of the Middle East, even above
and beyond them doing the right thing and leaving Israel
to its own devices. I think that Trump the businessman,
much more than Trump the president, was what came up
with a proposal that a lot of the Arab leaders
now seem to a buying into. How far off am
(15:51):
I in that? How far off of a base am I?
Speaker 6 (15:53):
On that?
Speaker 3 (15:53):
I agree with you one hundred percent. I think that
his own business dealings and those of his family, including
jar Kushner, played a very big role in jaw boning
Arab countries that, by the way, could have stepped up
over the last two years but have not. I think
that a big part of the reason that they now
(16:15):
have backed it, and good for Donald Trump and his
administration for lining up the Arab world to support this
deal with part of the reason they're doing it as
exactly as you say, because they see the promise, the
economic promise that comes from a being on the good
side of Donald Trump, frankly, and be the economic opportunity
that they have from a Middle East in which they
(16:38):
can do business with Israel and get the benefit of
all that Israel has to give them. So I think
you're one hundred percent right.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
It will be interesting to see what the what the
skyline and some of these countries looks like twenty thirty
years from now. It is going to be a massive
infusion of money. I think it's going to revitalize the
entire Middle East. I mean it may become you know,
(17:06):
I mean, Gaza might become another monocle on the Mediterranean.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
It always could have been. Indeed, over the last twenty years,
there was always that opportunity and part of the reason,
a big part of the reason why it didn't happen,
is because the Gulf States wanted to have nothing to
do with Gasa. No one ever wanted to have anything
to do with Gaza. And truthfully, we'll see whether or
not as long as Hamas is there, the circumstances are
(17:33):
present within Gaza for that kind of investment to take place.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Yeah, when we get back with you, size taking Voe calls.
I want to know, as I mentioned earlier, I'd love
to know what your thoughts are as to where we
go from here. Does Hamas disarmed? Does Hamas stay underground
there or do they move to a friendlier I mean,
I'd like to see Jumas moved to Yemen. That would
be I think, let them go fight the hoodies in Yemen.
(17:59):
Those guys, I'm sure over time would eventually turn on
one another, something come up and get him out of there.
But I don't know if that's conceivable either. My guest,
Jeff Robbinson, attorney and also a very keen observer of
the Middle East, and as they say, worked in the
Clinton administration, as in delegate to the United Nations Conference.
(18:22):
You were you were actually located in Geneva, if I
recall correctly.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Is that right, Jeff, that's exactly right. In nineteen ninety nine,
In two thousand and I was a public delegate to
the Human Rights Commission, now renamed in a triumph of
you and reform, the Human Rights Council. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Right, that there's some work left undone there despite the
fact that you gave it. You're all there for a
couple of years the human rights in the United Nations.
It doesn't seem to to work well. In my mind.
I think the United Nations needs to reconstitute itself. But
that's a story for another day. We'll take a break,
we'll go to phone calls. I got one line at
(19:01):
six one seven, two, five four ten thirty and one
line at six one seven nine three one ten thirty.
Coming back on night side.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
It's Nice Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
My guest is Jeff Robbins. Jeff, we have talked about this,
even as recently as last week, and I do want
to get to phone calls. But there's a couple of
other aspects of this. I do want to talk to
you about it, and I want you to be thinking for
me what should be looked, what should we be looking
for next as a potential problem or as another step
(19:38):
in the right direction. Today I thought went remarkably well,
uh and I hope every day going forward comes close
to what happened today. Everything went according to plan. It
actually seemed to run a little bit ahead of schedule.
But I've got got callers, so let's let's start it
off with jeffs and Waltham Jeff, you were next on
Nightside with Jeff Robbins.
Speaker 7 (20:01):
Okay, well that's.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
A strong start, Jeff, welcome. How are you so? Go ahead, Jeff,
Jeff Robins.
Speaker 8 (20:07):
I don't know that's the strength going problems here anyway.
I wanted to ask mister Robins this, especially after Crump's
visit with the Arab leaders, has the world, particularly the
Muslim world, finally learned that Hamad and the likes of
it would rather kill Jews than say, most anyone, including Muslims.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
I don't think that anyone in the Middle East is
surprised was surprised by October seventh. I think that Hamas
has been what Hamas has shown itself to be over
the last two years, since taking over Gaza by force
not quite twenty years ago, and over the last twenty years,
(20:54):
you know, the Arab world, which has bored some money
into into Gaza, has really not taken any steps to
prevent Hamas from doing what it has done, either to
Gozins or to Israel. So I'm sorry, Yeah, I'm sorry, Jeff.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Let let let let them go. Yeah, Jeff, Jeff Robbins
the ability to finish his answer, that's going to really
be good for my audience and for you. Go ahead,
Jeff Robbins.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
But I do think that something has happened over the
last two years because the you know, a couple of
dozen countries that that that that scrambled to share the
spotlight with Donald Trump today were there, and it probably
is a testament to some measure of new understanding that uh,
(21:46):
that that Hamas can't run Gaza. Indeed, the Arab League
a few weeks ago, a couple of months ago issued
a statement saying that Hamas had to be gone. That's remarkable.
It got under reported here, but it was a significant thing.
So to your question, yes, you may be right. There
may be a new level of understanding that Hamas is
God awful for the Middle East, God awful for the Palestinians,
(22:06):
and that nothing good can happen as long as they
are in control of Gaza. Now, to go to Dan's question,
what will the what? What will tell us whether there's progress?
Some of it I think will lie in whether or
not this is just regarded as a photo op and
the Gulf Nations walk away, or whether or not they
do the hard work of extra leveraging Hamas out of there,
(22:28):
so that at long last, Gaza can can live in
a decent way.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Go ahead, Jeff, we'll follow up.
Speaker 7 (22:37):
Very good reply, I can say.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Okay, thank you, Jeff, appreciate, appreciate your call. There were
thirty countries today, Jeff Robins, who were in attendant sitting
behind U President Trump. That that was an amazing turnout.
As you mentioned some of those countries. They they hustled
to get there. I mean I saw the English minister
(23:01):
was there. I think that they were. Was McCrone there, Yeah,
McCrone was there. I believe it was. Yeah. I actually
heard there was a representative of Iran that somehow was
in that in that panel in the back. Had you
heard that that that.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Story of No, I did hear the same thing. I'm
not sure about it, but I did hear that story.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Yeah, I mean that would be that would be absolutely amazing.
Let's keep rolling here, gonna go. This is Joe in Weston,
Joe in Western You're next to night Side.
Speaker 7 (23:35):
Hi, damn Hi, Jeff?
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Yeah? Was this was this? Was this a fellow who
I called Phil in Weston? Oh?
Speaker 7 (23:41):
No, I think you. I think I was sitting there
going is that me? But I've never been called Phil before.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Well, that was what was on my screen. So I'll
talk I'll talk with h with Rob about that during
the break. Go right ahead, Joe, Sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 7 (24:00):
Hey. I think that Trump's speech in Jerusalem today and
the events in Egypt today mark a historic separation of
time periods of what the Middle East is about, what
peace in the Middle East is about. And I just
like to highlight it. I'd like to start with the
(24:21):
Obama Clinton, Harris Biden methodology of peace, and I'll highlight
it by the words or the thoughts of John Curry
to make it a local story. John Curry stated that
his final swipe against Israel in twenty sixteen that settlements
(24:42):
are the obstacle to peace. One. Two Peace starts with
two states. There must be two states. Two Three. Essentially
Israel is the obstacle to peace because Natan Yahu doesn't
want peace, and of course the administration's highlight of their line,
they're essentially aligning with Iran on their Iran Deal. And
(25:05):
all these four things have been proved entirely wrong today. One,
settlements are irrelevant to peace. Settlements have not come up
word one in any of the Trump's speech or anything,
because they're irrelevant for peace to peace in the Middle East.
Two two states would be at the end of a
(25:25):
very long road of proven behavior by the Palestinians that
they can be trusted with the state, they could be
trusted with weapons. It's a long way off. Three, Israel
is the force for peace in the Middle East. Israel
is the force for stability, and and and and Fourth,
(25:49):
Iran is the problem. The problem isn't around I Ran.
And most assuredly, the the the Obama Clinton Harris Curry
methodology was weakening is real and we will get peace.
And the Trump methodology is strengthen Israel, strength in the alliance,
and we have a chance for peace. Your thoughts, well.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
My thoughts are I mean, I think fundamentally you're right.
I think that the kind of the line, the standard
line that you would just reflexively get from my party
when it came to this conflict, have been debunked. I mean,
Joe is right. First of all, it never was the settlements.
There were no settlements there between forty eight and in
(26:34):
forty eight or between forty eight and sixty seven. And
there's a peace deal offer which would have eliminated any settlements.
The problem was that the condition was peace, and that
was rejected. The notion over the last two years, the
line that, oh, you know, bb net Yahoo was the
reason for this conflict. Well, one can have one's opinion
about bb Netniaho, but bb Net Nyaho didn't invade Israel
(26:57):
on October seventh, twenty twenty three. So whatever you say
about Netiano, you can't intellectually honestly say that he was
the cause of this conflict. He was not the cause
of this conflict. The cause of this conflict was Amas, which,
to get to one of Joe's points, rejects any kind
of state of Israel within any borders, under any circumstances.
(27:19):
To the notion that it was a matter of settlements,
there was a matter of two state solutions, was just
intellectually silly. So I do think that fundamentally that Joe
the caller is right that so much of what we
have heard, we continue to hear, has been to use
Joe Biden's expression proven to be so much malarchy.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
Well said, hey, Joe, thank you very much. I promise
I will never call you Phil again.
Speaker 7 (27:44):
Okay, that's okay, Dan, Thank you again, Dan for supporting
your support for Israel and for this program todight. It's
very special. You must. I don't know how much you
understand what an important day today is for the relief
of the Jews and the hearts of Jewish people all
over the world. And your support is always respected. Dan.
(28:04):
I'm leaving for Israel Wednesday. I'm less to be there
at this critical time, and I hope to speak to
you about on a future program. Tell you what that well.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
You know what, Joe, if you want some night, if
you can figure out the time difference, they're about seven
hours ahead of us, and if you happen to be
up late, give us a call from Israel and we'll
put you right in the air. Tell us what the
atmosphere is going to be like over there. I suspect
you're going to go to a country that's feeling very
good about itself and about its leadership at this point.
Speaker 7 (28:34):
I'll do it.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Dan, Thanks, Joe, thanks very much, appreciate it. That's a
great call. He was right in the money. I'm looking
here at some of the leaders and again McCrone was there,
the Prime Minister of England, was their leaders from places
like Indonesia, obviously, the head of Turkey at a grand
(28:59):
was there. The head of the Palestinian Authority, a boss
was there. He apparently was invited at the last moment.
So it was quite an assembly and a lot of
people I'm sure would have liked to have been there,
but the invite they didn't get the invite. It's a
(29:20):
day that you cannot underestimate the importance of Jeff Robbins.
This is a day that I thought I would never
see in my lifetime.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
No, you're totally right. I mean to see all of
these leaders, some of them who have been relentlessly critical
of Israel over the course of these last two years,
as though they had some kind of solution for what
it was that Israel was supposed to have done on
October eighth, other than to do what it did, scramble,
(29:49):
as I say, to come to the Middle East. And
you know, it is a personal triumph of Donald Trump.
So a lot of those people wanted to be there
because they wanted to be around Donald Trump and reflect
and basking is reflected glory and have the chance to
talk to him. That's really what it was. So it
is I have to say something that showcases American power
(30:12):
and good for us. And it's also of course, a
tremendous relief to a country that has been brutalized and traumatized,
not quote unquote only by the blood of October seventh,
but to the defamation of the vilification, by the defamation
and the vilification that they have been subjected to over
the last two years for simply trying to stop an
(30:37):
entity that has pledged to destroy it from destroying it.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
You know, I felt the same way today as an
American watching that unfold as I did when President Omama
announced that indeed the US military had taken out Osama
bin Laden. I was disappointed in President Obama's statement over
the weekend in which he could not bring himself to
(31:01):
acknowledging President Trump, which was very disappointing to me. As
a matter of fact. Abby Phillips, who is a commentator
on CNN and is a fan very much so a
President Obama, she offered this criticism of former President Obama
for not mentioning President Trump. This is cut number eight. Please, Rob,
(31:24):
I want you.
Speaker 9 (31:24):
President Obama put out this post talking about the peace
deal and the prospects of it, and Don Junior responded
to it, I'll finish it for you. Thank you. Donald
Trump Honestly, it's not unfair to say, if President Obama's
going to write a whole post about a peace deal,
maybe he should acknowledge the president that broke her in.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Again. Just curious your thought, your thought on that President
Obama's again either oversight her unwillingness to acknowledge President Trump.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Yeah, I think you're right. I think that it undermines
the credibility of Democrats, whose credibility on this subject is
already in tatters, to simply pretend that this happened without
the decisions that made that Donald Trump made. And you know, frankly,
one of the decisions that Donald Trump made was to
(32:21):
let Yahoo givet Yahoo cover to militarily hammer Hamas. It's
horrible what happened in Casa. It's brutal. What happened in Casa,
It's god awful. But Trump understood that Hamas understood only
one message. I don't think that Yahoo was wrong about that.
(32:41):
And I think one of the numerous respects in which
Donald Trump deserves credit for today is that he let
that occur. Hamas, I think was what was banking on
the pressure on Netniao in Israel being so withering that
they would have to fold, and Trump, to his credit,
didn't permit that to happen. And I think that's one
(33:03):
of the relatively underreported respects in which Trump gets credit for.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Today, my guest is Jeff Robbins. We will wrap the hour.
We're going to continue to talk about this for much
much more into the next hour. It'll be just you
and me. But right now we still have Jeff Robbins,
and I'll get to more phone calls for Jeff Robbins
right after this break. Here on Nightside six one seven, two, five,
four ten thirty six one seven, nine three, one, ten thirty.
(33:29):
This is Nightside. It's a Monday night again, a day
of joy in Israel, joy in the Middle East, and
I think joy in the world. This is the world
is a piece of place. And whoever's running that nuclear clock,
the countdown clock, you hear you hear stories about that
(33:49):
all the time. I think we have moved in a
very strong direction away from some sort of a nuclear
confrontation as a consequence of what has transpired in the
last few days. I mean, it's gone with lightning speed.
Back on Nightside right after.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
This, You're on night Side with Dan Ray on w
b Z Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
My guest is Jeff Robbins. We're talking about the amazing
events that transpired today in Israel. Most of us were home,
well even those of us who work, because it's a
holiday in America, either Columns Day or Indigenous People's Day.
In New Hampshire was Thanksgiving. Darryl, Happy Thanksgiving. But I
want to get right to it because we only got
about a minute left with Jeff Robins. Your reaction to
(34:33):
what transpired in Israel today.
Speaker 6 (34:37):
Hi, Dan, Hi, Jeff. I am so happy to see
that at least the people living were released. And the
question to Jeff, maybe is in the past I've come
across younger people from Palestine that have actually asked what
a terrorist was, and they asked it if that was
(34:58):
anur Israeli and I told them, no, a terrorist is
somebody that does a bad thing. How do we change
that education?
Speaker 2 (35:08):
That's a great question, That's a great question, dale, Jeff.
In Palestine, for many years, as I'm sure you know
better than me, children were taught in schools that Israel
were bad people.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
But yeah, you're exactly right, both of you are exactly right.
It's worse than that, and it's one of the enduring
problems that now has to be tackled if there's going
to ever be a chance for real, lasting peace, and
that is the hatred, the viciousness, the vileness that is
taught in the Palestinian territories, in particular in Gaza, but
(35:45):
also in the West Bank. And of course it's been
a terrible problem for Israel. They've been talking about it
for a long time. Little kids are taught to want
to grow up to murder Jews just like that. And
what are we spect is going to happen if that's
what little kids are taught well us, it's a challenge.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Yeah, let us hope that a lot will change going forward.
I think the potential exists. Darryl, thanks so much again.
I hope you enjoyed your thanksgiving up there today. It
was a memorable day, that's for sure. Thanks John, Thank
you much. Jeff Robbins, as always, thank you so much
for being, you know, such a a supporter of Israel
(36:27):
forever and also a Democrat who is more than happy
to call on the carpet democrats who have been uh
less than than than supportive of Israel over John.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Thanks to you for as always creating such a wonderful,
unusual civil civic space that you have on this show.
It's just a wonderful thing. We're all grateful to you.
Speaker 2 (36:50):
Thanks Jeff, and we will continue on the other side
of the tenet long News again. Congratulations Jeff. It's amazing
to me that we're where we are tonight after where
we were years and a few days ago. Jeff Robbins,
thank you so much. When we get back, I'm going
to open up phone lines. It's as simple as that.
If you are a living human being, what happened in
(37:12):
Israel today will affect you and your family for decades
to come. This is a historic day. Don't underestimate it.
Let's talk about it right after the ten
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on DELBS, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Well, today was a huge day in the Middle East.
I think all of you know of what I speak.
The hostages, the Israeli hostages, twenty of them have come home.
Not all of them were as lucky as these twenty
(00:29):
two have survived. But it was emotional. I watched this today.
I don't know how many of you. Today's a holiday,
whether you celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous People's Day. Today
was a holiday and people had an opportunity to watch
coverage on both Fox and CNN. There were some cut
ins from CBS, ABC and NBC tended to ignore most
(00:52):
of the most of the day. President Trump flew and
into Tel Aviv addressed the Israeli Kanessa their parlor element
this morning. Uh, it was. It was quite a day.
And then there was a signing with the President and
leaders of dozens of countries in the Middle Eastern countries
and joining us now is a friend of this program
(01:15):
for many years, who we have talked about this day.
I don't know that either of us thought that it
would come, but Jeff Rollins, just an amazing, an amazing
day to watch your your thoughts. I'm sure you you
spend probably a lot of time Jeff Robbins, Uh, watching
(01:38):
on television as I did. Great.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Great to have you back, Thank you, Dan, thank you
for having me. And you're right, it was a hugely
emotional day as the footage emerged of hostages, starved, tortured, abused,
kept underground in tunnels for two years, as they rejoined
(02:01):
their loved ones after two long, miserable, brutal years. It
would take someone pretty remarkable not to be moved, even
moved to tears by watching these reunions. You're totally right.
It was an extraordinary day.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
The President was right in the middle of it. He
of course put it in ways that I think he
has a right to speak of them. I hope that
this peace will last. But this was the president in Egypt.
Cut number twenty three. Rob I want to get you know,
(02:39):
Jeff Robbins, just just a comment on some of what
the president had to had to say. This is cut
number twenty three. It's only nineteen seconds he signing to
piece deal in Egypt.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Just took three thousand years to get to this point.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Can you believe it?
Speaker 1 (02:57):
And it's going to hold up to it's going to.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Okay, thank you, he went on. He went on to
follow up on that in cut number twenty four. Up.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Well, the momentum now is toward a great, glorious and
lasting peace, and our commitment to fulfilling the twenty point
plan we developed together will be the crucial foundation for
achieving that right future. And it's being worked on right
now as we speak, and we're actually in stage three
and four. It's not going to be, you know, just
divided down. So simply we can be long advanced on
(03:34):
some of the things that we say we're going to do.
We can take them out of order in a positive way,
and we've shown how it can be done with responsible
nations like the people in this room. It's incredible people
in this room setting aside their differences, seeking common ground
and pursuing a better world for.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
All of us. This is not intended in any way,
shape or form to be a partisan, but it is
is the work of President Trump and his team that
seems to have somehow taken the opportunity that has presented itself.
And we can get into, Jeff, with all of the
events that led up to this, starting with tragically two
(04:14):
years ago on October seventh. But I do want to
give credit to Hillary Clinton. She's not someone who I
give a lot of credit to on this program, but
she was talking with CBS about the peace deal and
she took the opportunity to commend appropriately, but to commend
President Trump. And I'm sure it was not something that
(04:35):
she enjoyed doing. But this is cut number eight a rob.
Speaker 5 (04:42):
It's a really significant first step, and I really commend
President Trump and his administration, as well as Arab leaders
in the region for making the commitment to the twenty
point Plan and seeing a path forward for what's often
(05:05):
called the Day After.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
So this has been a situation that American presidents have
dealt with since Harry Truman, in one form or another,
through the Sixth Day War of eighty seven, the War Well,
the attacks on Israel in nineteen forty eight, the very
year that they were the nation was founded. They've been
under assault, under siege. This small geographic area about the
(05:31):
size of New Jersey. It was flattered its back two
years ago on October seventh, twenty twenty three, and it
has made a remarkable comeback, with most of its enemies
now destroyed or in retreat. Hesbollah Hamas asad out of Syria.
We've talked about this. Could have you ever imagine this
(05:54):
two years ago, Jeff, We talked about this two years
ago after the attack at the successival on that Saturday
morning that I think shocked the world.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Well, no, and you know what happened today raises so
many issues in so many different directions, and none more
pressing than this. This never had to happen. This just
never had to happen on October sixth, twenty twenty three.
Everybody now dead on either side of the border. The
Israelis who were slaughtered, the Israelis who died in captivity
(06:30):
after being kidnapped, the Gazans who were subjected consigned deliberately
to death by their Hamas masters. Every one of those
individuals would have been alive today but for the decision
made by this group Hamas jihadis genocidal group to send
three to five thousand people armed guvernment into Israel for
the purpose of slaughtering as many people as possible. At
(06:52):
any point over the last two years, Hamas could have
done what it did today. It could have said, okay,
we're giving these hostages back. They chose not to the
reason for that we can get into. But the truth
of the matter is give credit where credit is due,
and the Trump White House and President Trump, with who
(07:15):
might disagree on so very much, deserves a lot of
credit because when you have a couple of dozen Arab
leaders scan and leaders around the world scrambling to be
standing next to him, to be trying to claim some
bit of a spotlight for this peace deal, it really
showcases the role that he played and the commanding presence
(07:38):
that he had. Today. He got ovation in the Israeli Parliament.
He's the most popular person in Israel right now. He
clearly does care, has cared about the hostages and frankly,
and it's complicated, we can get into it. He did
see that at the end of the day, Hamas had
to be militarily battered before it would do what it
(08:01):
did today. And he gets a lot of credit on
a lot of different levels for this.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Well, there's so much to talk about, obviously, what what
his his decision did to uh Iran, the major financial
supporter of all of these groups, has Pala the Huti's
Hamas uh by taking out their their their nuclear structure
a few months ago in that that raid which which
(08:28):
could have gone horribly wrong, but it seemed to go
perfectly right. And and I remember he used the word obliterated,
and a lot of people jumped over that word, and
well it wasn't it wasn't obliteration. Well it looks like
it was. Uh. Actually that that the bunker busting bombs
and the pilots who flew that that mission for I
(08:49):
think it was thirty two hours back and forth. Uh,
it was were able to deliver the payloads and and
effectively take Iran off the stage, which was just so
so critical, and it kind of set in motion where
we are today. What I want to talk about when
we get back, Jeff, I want to talk about what's
(09:10):
next again. The Hamas has given up its leverage, and
I don't know. I don't trust them. I'm sure you
don't either, but I'd love to find out from you.
Are you surprised we talked about this last week? Are
you surprised that the twenty hostages that we knew of
(09:33):
are still alive? And I thought some of them looked
better than I expected, to be honest with you, and
I want to talk about that as well. My guest
is Jeff Robbins. I think many of you knew Jeff
and I chose not to reintroduce him, but former head
of the ADL here in New England, the Anti Defamation League,
(09:54):
served in the in the Clinton administration. Again, not a
fan by any stretch of the imagination of Donald Trump,
but he has I think respected what the President has
accomplished in the well the first what is it nine
months of his second administration. Uh. And when I think
(10:15):
about that horrible weekend of October sixth and seventh, and
I think that, uh, you know, the attack that occurred
on that Saturday morning of the young men and women
who were simply enjoying a music festival. Uh, and then
it being taken into the kibbutz's and killing twelve hundred
innocent Israeli's men, women, grand grandparents, and infants. And on
(10:38):
the next day, October seventh, the Sunday, realizing that Israel
was flat on its back. And now two years later,
two years later, Israel has has not only survived, but
has prevailed. I'd love to have you joined the conversation
if you'd like. Six one seven, two four ten thirty
(10:59):
six one seven, nine three one ten thirty. Israel has
been our staunchest ally in the Middle East for the
last nearly eighty years. We have stood by them in
our faith in Israel, and Israel's faith in the United
States has paid off big time today and we may
be looking at a Middle East in the in the
(11:22):
decades ahead that none of us could have imagined to
just think of. I guess one hundred abu Dhabis would
be one way to describe it. We'll talk with Jeff
Robbins more. Please feel free to join us if you'd like,
coming back on the Nightside right after.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
This, It's Night Side with Ray Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Jeff. One question that I have quickly here, and that
is we've seen the celebrations in Israel and we haven't
seen and we had peace that now seems to be
breaking out, which will hopefully benefit Israel, will benefit the
people in God With the hostilities having stopped, and yet
(12:04):
all of the demonstrators here in Massachusetts that we've come
to know over the last few months, those who were
protesting in favor of Palestinians and in favor of the Gozens,
they don't seem to be back in the streets celebrating
what has come to the Middle East, which is maybe
peace in our time.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
No, it's pretty revealing. There is silence from a lot
of the most vitriolic critics of Israel, those who were
accusing it of genocide within minutes of the massacre, while
while Israeli personnel were still collecting body fragments, they were
blaming Israel for it or celebrating what had happened. Whether
(12:49):
it's Harvard student organizations or professors or Democratic Socialists of America,
you name it, all over America, those who are launching
these bitter criticisms of Israel for having had the temerity
to defend itself and calling in a genocide have been silent.
And more than that, you know, over the last thirty
(13:11):
six hours or so, Hamas has been it's been widely reported,
seems clear executing so called collaborators, those who have dared
to oppose it in Gaza, and these executions are all
over the Arab media, but they're not getting any coverage
or much coverage in America. And of course the purported
(13:32):
progressives who have been so concerned about what has gone
on in Gaza had been silent about it. So you're right,
it's very very disturbing, but not entirely shocking.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
There was at least an illusion to that. On ABC
News World News Tonight with David Muir, who is reporting
from Tel Aviv that the hostilities within Gaza have not
ended and that the Hamas is killing apparently some tribal
(14:03):
leaders who are Palestinian because they are suspected of having
cooperated with Israel.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Yeah, exactly right.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
I didn't even realize they were tribal leaders within Palestine,
but I've seen that reported in the European press consistently,
and I believe that that blood letting is so unnecessary.
No one's protesting that blood letting.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
Well, that's what we're dealing with. Unfortunately, we're dealing with,
let us face it, a death cult. And so those
who are being executed in Gaza, they include people who
have had the nerve the guts, frankly, to oppose Hamas,
whether by speaking out or by urging others to speak out,
or there are some clans within Gaza who have been
(14:54):
opposed to Amas. They are being massacred, and of course
nobody who supposedly was concerned about some other things has
has said a word about it.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Last quick question before we go to the news of
the bottom of the arm. We're going to go to
phone calls right after that at on the other side
of the news, I think that Donald Trump sold this
plan to the Arab leaders more on the prospects of
the economic prospects and the economic revitalization not only of guys,
(15:29):
but of other areas of the Middle East, even above
and beyond them doing the right thing and leaving Israel
to its own devices. I think that Trump the businessman,
much more than Trump the president, was what came up
with a proposal that a lot of the Arab leaders
now seem to a buying into. How far off am
(15:51):
I in that? How far off of a base am I?
Speaker 6 (15:53):
On that?
Speaker 3 (15:53):
I agree with you one hundred percent. I think that
his own business dealings and those of his family, including
jar Kushner, played a very big role in jaw boning
Arab countries that, by the way, could have stepped up
over the last two years but have not. I think
that a big part of the reason that they now
(16:15):
have backed it, and good for Donald Trump and his
administration for lining up the Arab world to support this
deal with part of the reason they're doing it as
exactly as you say, because they see the promise, the
economic promise that comes from a being on the good
side of Donald Trump, frankly, and be the economic opportunity
that they have from a Middle East in which they
(16:38):
can do business with Israel and get the benefit of
all that Israel has to give them. So I think
you're one hundred percent right.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
It will be interesting to see what the what the
skyline and some of these countries looks like twenty thirty
years from now. It is going to be a massive
infusion of money. I think it's going to revitalize the
entire Middle East. I mean it may become you know,
(17:06):
I mean, Gaza might become another monocle on the Mediterranean.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
It always could have been. Indeed, over the last twenty years,
there was always that opportunity and part of the reason,
a big part of the reason why it didn't happen,
is because the Gulf States wanted to have nothing to
do with Gasa. No one ever wanted to have anything
to do with Gaza. And truthfully, we'll see whether or
not as long as Hamas is there, the circumstances are
(17:33):
present within Gaza for that kind of investment to take place.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Yeah, when we get back with you, size taking Voe calls.
I want to know, as I mentioned earlier, I'd love
to know what your thoughts are as to where we
go from here. Does Hamas disarmed? Does Hamas stay underground
there or do they move to a friendlier I mean,
I'd like to see Jumas moved to Yemen. That would
be I think, let them go fight the hoodies in Yemen.
(17:59):
Those guys, I'm sure over time would eventually turn on
one another, something come up and get him out of there.
But I don't know if that's conceivable either. My guest,
Jeff Robbinson, attorney and also a very keen observer of
the Middle East, and as they say, worked in the
Clinton administration, as in delegate to the United Nations Conference.
(18:22):
You were you were actually located in Geneva, if I
recall correctly.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Is that right, Jeff, that's exactly right. In nineteen ninety nine,
In two thousand and I was a public delegate to
the Human Rights Commission, now renamed in a triumph of
you and reform, the Human Rights Council. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Right, that there's some work left undone there despite the
fact that you gave it. You're all there for a
couple of years the human rights in the United Nations.
It doesn't seem to to work well. In my mind.
I think the United Nations needs to reconstitute itself. But
that's a story for another day. We'll take a break,
we'll go to phone calls. I got one line at
(19:01):
six one seven, two, five four ten thirty and one
line at six one seven nine three one ten thirty.
Coming back on night side.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
It's Nice Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
My guest is Jeff Robbins. Jeff, we have talked about this,
even as recently as last week, and I do want
to get to phone calls. But there's a couple of
other aspects of this. I do want to talk to
you about it, and I want you to be thinking for
me what should be looked, what should we be looking
for next as a potential problem or as another step
(19:38):
in the right direction. Today I thought went remarkably well,
uh and I hope every day going forward comes close
to what happened today. Everything went according to plan. It
actually seemed to run a little bit ahead of schedule.
But I've got got callers, so let's let's start it
off with jeffs and Waltham Jeff, you were next on
Nightside with Jeff Robbins.
Speaker 7 (20:01):
Okay, well that's.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
A strong start, Jeff, welcome. How are you so? Go ahead, Jeff,
Jeff Robins.
Speaker 8 (20:07):
I don't know that's the strength going problems here anyway.
I wanted to ask mister Robins this, especially after Crump's
visit with the Arab leaders, has the world, particularly the
Muslim world, finally learned that Hamad and the likes of
it would rather kill Jews than say, most anyone, including Muslims.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
I don't think that anyone in the Middle East is
surprised was surprised by October seventh. I think that Hamas
has been what Hamas has shown itself to be over
the last two years, since taking over Gaza by force
not quite twenty years ago, and over the last twenty years,
(20:54):
you know, the Arab world, which has bored some money
into into Gaza, has really not taken any steps to
prevent Hamas from doing what it has done, either to
Gozins or to Israel. So I'm sorry, Yeah, I'm sorry, Jeff.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Let let let let them go. Yeah, Jeff, Jeff Robbins
the ability to finish his answer, that's going to really
be good for my audience and for you. Go ahead,
Jeff Robbins.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
But I do think that something has happened over the
last two years because the you know, a couple of
dozen countries that that that that scrambled to share the
spotlight with Donald Trump today were there, and it probably
is a testament to some measure of new understanding that uh,
(21:46):
that that Hamas can't run Gaza. Indeed, the Arab League
a few weeks ago, a couple of months ago issued
a statement saying that Hamas had to be gone. That's remarkable.
It got under reported here, but it was a significant thing.
So to your question, yes, you may be right. There
may be a new level of understanding that Hamas is
God awful for the Middle East, God awful for the Palestinians,
(22:06):
and that nothing good can happen as long as they
are in control of Gaza. Now, to go to Dan's question,
what will the what? What will tell us whether there's progress?
Some of it I think will lie in whether or
not this is just regarded as a photo op and
the Gulf Nations walk away, or whether or not they
do the hard work of extra leveraging Hamas out of there,
(22:28):
so that at long last, Gaza can can live in
a decent way.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Go ahead, Jeff, we'll follow up.
Speaker 7 (22:37):
Very good reply, I can say.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Okay, thank you, Jeff, appreciate, appreciate your call. There were
thirty countries today, Jeff Robins, who were in attendant sitting
behind U President Trump. That that was an amazing turnout.
As you mentioned some of those countries. They they hustled
to get there. I mean I saw the English minister
(23:01):
was there. I think that they were. Was McCrone there, Yeah,
McCrone was there. I believe it was. Yeah. I actually
heard there was a representative of Iran that somehow was
in that in that panel in the back. Had you
heard that that that.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Story of No, I did hear the same thing. I'm
not sure about it, but I did hear that story.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Yeah, I mean that would be that would be absolutely amazing.
Let's keep rolling here, gonna go. This is Joe in Weston,
Joe in Western You're next to night Side.
Speaker 7 (23:35):
Hi, damn Hi, Jeff?
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Yeah? Was this was this? Was this a fellow who
I called Phil in Weston? Oh?
Speaker 7 (23:41):
No, I think you. I think I was sitting there
going is that me? But I've never been called Phil before.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Well, that was what was on my screen. So I'll
talk I'll talk with h with Rob about that during
the break. Go right ahead, Joe, Sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 7 (24:00):
Hey. I think that Trump's speech in Jerusalem today and
the events in Egypt today mark a historic separation of
time periods of what the Middle East is about, what
peace in the Middle East is about. And I just
like to highlight it. I'd like to start with the
(24:21):
Obama Clinton, Harris Biden methodology of peace, and I'll highlight
it by the words or the thoughts of John Curry
to make it a local story. John Curry stated that
his final swipe against Israel in twenty sixteen that settlements
(24:42):
are the obstacle to peace. One. Two Peace starts with
two states. There must be two states. Two Three. Essentially
Israel is the obstacle to peace because Natan Yahu doesn't
want peace, and of course the administration's highlight of their line,
they're essentially aligning with Iran on their Iran Deal. And
(25:05):
all these four things have been proved entirely wrong today. One,
settlements are irrelevant to peace. Settlements have not come up
word one in any of the Trump's speech or anything,
because they're irrelevant for peace to peace in the Middle East.
Two two states would be at the end of a
(25:25):
very long road of proven behavior by the Palestinians that
they can be trusted with the state, they could be
trusted with weapons. It's a long way off. Three, Israel
is the force for peace in the Middle East. Israel
is the force for stability, and and and and Fourth,
(25:49):
Iran is the problem. The problem isn't around I Ran.
And most assuredly, the the the Obama Clinton Harris Curry
methodology was weakening is real and we will get peace.
And the Trump methodology is strengthen Israel, strength in the alliance,
and we have a chance for peace. Your thoughts, well.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
My thoughts are I mean, I think fundamentally you're right.
I think that the kind of the line, the standard
line that you would just reflexively get from my party
when it came to this conflict, have been debunked. I mean,
Joe is right. First of all, it never was the settlements.
There were no settlements there between forty eight and in
(26:34):
forty eight or between forty eight and sixty seven. And
there's a peace deal offer which would have eliminated any settlements.
The problem was that the condition was peace, and that
was rejected. The notion over the last two years, the
line that, oh, you know, bb net Yahoo was the
reason for this conflict. Well, one can have one's opinion
about bb Netniaho, but bb Net Nyaho didn't invade Israel
(26:57):
on October seventh, twenty twenty three. So whatever you say
about Netiano, you can't intellectually honestly say that he was
the cause of this conflict. He was not the cause
of this conflict. The cause of this conflict was Amas, which,
to get to one of Joe's points, rejects any kind
of state of Israel within any borders, under any circumstances.
(27:19):
To the notion that it was a matter of settlements,
there was a matter of two state solutions, was just
intellectually silly. So I do think that fundamentally that Joe
the caller is right that so much of what we
have heard, we continue to hear, has been to use
Joe Biden's expression proven to be so much malarchy.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
Well said, hey, Joe, thank you very much. I promise
I will never call you Phil again.
Speaker 7 (27:44):
Okay, that's okay, Dan, Thank you again, Dan for supporting
your support for Israel and for this program todight. It's
very special. You must. I don't know how much you
understand what an important day today is for the relief
of the Jews and the hearts of Jewish people all
over the world. And your support is always respected. Dan.
(28:04):
I'm leaving for Israel Wednesday. I'm less to be there
at this critical time, and I hope to speak to
you about on a future program. Tell you what that well.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
You know what, Joe, if you want some night, if
you can figure out the time difference, they're about seven
hours ahead of us, and if you happen to be
up late, give us a call from Israel and we'll
put you right in the air. Tell us what the
atmosphere is going to be like over there. I suspect
you're going to go to a country that's feeling very
good about itself and about its leadership at this point.
Speaker 7 (28:34):
I'll do it.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Dan, Thanks, Joe, thanks very much, appreciate it. That's a
great call. He was right in the money. I'm looking
here at some of the leaders and again McCrone was there,
the Prime Minister of England, was their leaders from places
like Indonesia, obviously, the head of Turkey at a grand
(28:59):
was there. The head of the Palestinian Authority, a boss
was there. He apparently was invited at the last moment.
So it was quite an assembly and a lot of
people I'm sure would have liked to have been there,
but the invite they didn't get the invite. It's a
(29:20):
day that you cannot underestimate the importance of Jeff Robbins.
This is a day that I thought I would never
see in my lifetime.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
No, you're totally right. I mean to see all of
these leaders, some of them who have been relentlessly critical
of Israel over the course of these last two years,
as though they had some kind of solution for what
it was that Israel was supposed to have done on
October eighth, other than to do what it did, scramble,
(29:49):
as I say, to come to the Middle East. And
you know, it is a personal triumph of Donald Trump.
So a lot of those people wanted to be there
because they wanted to be around Donald Trump and reflect
and basking is reflected glory and have the chance to
talk to him. That's really what it was. So it
is I have to say something that showcases American power
(30:12):
and good for us. And it's also of course, a
tremendous relief to a country that has been brutalized and traumatized,
not quote unquote only by the blood of October seventh,
but to the defamation of the vilification, by the defamation
and the vilification that they have been subjected to over
the last two years for simply trying to stop an
(30:37):
entity that has pledged to destroy it from destroying it.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
You know, I felt the same way today as an
American watching that unfold as I did when President Omama
announced that indeed the US military had taken out Osama
bin Laden. I was disappointed in President Obama's statement over
the weekend in which he could not bring himself to
(31:01):
acknowledging President Trump, which was very disappointing to me. As
a matter of fact. Abby Phillips, who is a commentator
on CNN and is a fan very much so a
President Obama, she offered this criticism of former President Obama
for not mentioning President Trump. This is cut number eight. Please, Rob,
(31:24):
I want you.
Speaker 9 (31:24):
President Obama put out this post talking about the peace
deal and the prospects of it, and Don Junior responded
to it, I'll finish it for you. Thank you. Donald
Trump Honestly, it's not unfair to say, if President Obama's
going to write a whole post about a peace deal,
maybe he should acknowledge the president that broke her in.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Again. Just curious your thought, your thought on that President
Obama's again either oversight her unwillingness to acknowledge President Trump.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Yeah, I think you're right. I think that it undermines
the credibility of Democrats, whose credibility on this subject is
already in tatters, to simply pretend that this happened without
the decisions that made that Donald Trump made. And you know, frankly,
one of the decisions that Donald Trump made was to
(32:21):
let Yahoo givet Yahoo cover to militarily hammer Hamas. It's
horrible what happened in Casa. It's brutal. What happened in Casa,
It's god awful. But Trump understood that Hamas understood only
one message. I don't think that Yahoo was wrong about that.
(32:41):
And I think one of the numerous respects in which
Donald Trump deserves credit for today is that he let
that occur. Hamas, I think was what was banking on
the pressure on Netniao in Israel being so withering that
they would have to fold, and Trump, to his credit,
didn't permit that to happen. And I think that's one
(33:03):
of the relatively underreported respects in which Trump gets credit for.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Today, my guest is Jeff Robbins. We will wrap the hour.
We're going to continue to talk about this for much
much more into the next hour. It'll be just you
and me. But right now we still have Jeff Robbins,
and I'll get to more phone calls for Jeff Robbins
right after this break. Here on Nightside six one seven, two, five,
four ten thirty six one seven, nine three, one, ten thirty.
(33:29):
This is Nightside. It's a Monday night again, a day
of joy in Israel, joy in the Middle East, and
I think joy in the world. This is the world
is a piece of place. And whoever's running that nuclear clock,
the countdown clock, you hear you hear stories about that
(33:49):
all the time. I think we have moved in a
very strong direction away from some sort of a nuclear
confrontation as a consequence of what has transpired in the
last few days. I mean, it's gone with lightning speed.
Back on Nightside right after.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
This, You're on night Side with Dan Ray on w
b Z Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
My guest is Jeff Robbins. We're talking about the amazing
events that transpired today in Israel. Most of us were home,
well even those of us who work, because it's a
holiday in America, either Columns Day or Indigenous People's Day.
In New Hampshire was Thanksgiving. Darryl, Happy Thanksgiving. But I
want to get right to it because we only got
about a minute left with Jeff Robins. Your reaction to
(34:33):
what transpired in Israel today.
Speaker 6 (34:37):
Hi, Dan, Hi, Jeff. I am so happy to see
that at least the people living were released. And the
question to Jeff, maybe is in the past I've come
across younger people from Palestine that have actually asked what
a terrorist was, and they asked it if that was
(34:58):
anur Israeli and I told them, no, a terrorist is
somebody that does a bad thing. How do we change
that education?
Speaker 2 (35:08):
That's a great question, That's a great question, dale, Jeff.
In Palestine, for many years, as I'm sure you know
better than me, children were taught in schools that Israel
were bad people.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
But yeah, you're exactly right, both of you are exactly right.
It's worse than that, and it's one of the enduring
problems that now has to be tackled if there's going
to ever be a chance for real, lasting peace, and
that is the hatred, the viciousness, the vileness that is
taught in the Palestinian territories, in particular in Gaza, but
(35:45):
also in the West Bank. And of course it's been
a terrible problem for Israel. They've been talking about it
for a long time. Little kids are taught to want
to grow up to murder Jews just like that. And
what are we spect is going to happen if that's
what little kids are taught well us, it's a challenge.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Yeah, let us hope that a lot will change going forward.
I think the potential exists. Darryl, thanks so much again.
I hope you enjoyed your thanksgiving up there today. It
was a memorable day, that's for sure. Thanks John, Thank
you much. Jeff Robbins, as always, thank you so much
for being, you know, such a a supporter of Israel
(36:27):
forever and also a Democrat who is more than happy
to call on the carpet democrats who have been uh
less than than than supportive of Israel over John.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Thanks to you for as always creating such a wonderful,
unusual civil civic space that you have on this show.
It's just a wonderful thing. We're all grateful to you.
Speaker 2 (36:50):
Thanks Jeff, and we will continue on the other side
of the tenet long News again. Congratulations Jeff. It's amazing
to me that we're where we are tonight after where
we were years and a few days ago. Jeff Robbins,
thank you so much. When we get back, I'm going
to open up phone lines. It's as simple as that.
If you are a living human being, what happened in
(37:12):
Israel today will affect you and your family for decades
to come. This is a historic day. Don't underestimate it.
Let's talk about it right after the ten
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