ToI’s weekly deep dive: Four years to the Abraham Accords * The Hamas leader driving suicide attacks * Jewish students on edge at Columbia U * Podcast: Haviv Rettig Gur

[Times of Israel]( [Weekly Deep Dive]( Sunday, September 22, 2024 Reporter's notebook [They settled the northern border. Now these elderly Israelis worry they won’t return]( By Charlotte Lawson For many seniors who have spent the past year displaced in a Haifa hotel, the ‘abandonment’ of the North is profoundly unsettling their core beliefs about the Israeli state Op-ed David Horovitz [Will the pager operation deter Hezbollah and Iran, and is Israel prepared for war if not?]( The spectacular gambit had apparently been intended to serve as the opening salvo of a major ground offensive. All sides are now weighing their options, including full-scale conflict [Op-ed / Netanyahu, don’t fire Gallant again: The first was a tragedy, the second could be worse]( By David Horovitz Op-ed [String of IDF successes might cause Nasrallah to back down, but won’t lead to victory]( By Lazar Berman Israel is hoping stunning tactical achievements will head off war against Hezbollah, but defeating the organization requires a different approach [Analysis / While still in Gaza, Israel has no good options in Lebanon. But it may invade anyway]( By Lazar Berman [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Sept. 22: Day 352 – Is the IDF prepping the ground for a northern incursion?]( By ToI Staff Analysis [Four years on, Abraham Accords are strained by Gaza war — but prove resilient]( By Lazar Berman Terror [Little-known Hamas leader seen behind resurgence of West Bank suicide bombings]( By Gianluca Pacchiani Analysts say Istanbul-based Zaher Jabarin, now in charge of West Bank terror activity, seeking to prove mettle with return to high-profile attacks [Interview / Ex-top cyber official: It won’t be easy for Hezbollah to get new comms system in place]( By Lazar Berman [Those We Are Missing]( [The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown]( [Read Here]( Settlers [Smoke point: A Palestinian olive farmer despairs after hundreds of trees set ablaze]( By Jeremy Sharon After over a year of access to his lands blocked, this year’s coming harvest offered hope, now shattered; though video of apparent arsonists exists, authorities not investigating [Settlers assault Palestinian villagers and Israeli activists in Jordan Valley]( By Jeremy Sharon [Poll shows mirror images of fear and distrust between Israelis and Palestinians]( By Gianluca Pacchiani [Israelis feel fractured school system cannot promote a shared identity – poll]( By Gavriel Fiske Top Ops Amos Yadlin [If Israel did explode Hezbollah’s devices… what’s next?]( The answer depends on whether the terror group in Lebanon is still willing to pay the price of attacking the Jewish state to support Hamas Scott Kahn [The most moral attack: Taking out terrorists and almost no one else]( After 11 months of Hezbollah’s 8,000+ missiles, Israel (reportedly) figured out how to target the enemy precisely. The UN has nothing to criticize Bepi Pezzulli [Ban Rome’s October pro-Palestinian march! It glorifies the massacre of Israelis]( Using democracy’s hallowed ’freedom of assembly’ to honor heinous acts of terror is simply unacceptable Yakov Nagen [‘Us against the world’ isn’t true and it’s not a winning strategy]( Despite Hamas’s false claims, Jews have allies in this global religious conflict and the path to victory is through unity and alliance Campus [As Columbia reopens, fresh protests put Jewish students on edge from Day 1]( By Cathryn J. Prince Anti-Israel activity is alive and well in Morningside Heights, where some already report feeling uncomfortable as last year’s turmoil shows signs of rearing its head again [4 years after complaint, Illinois university bans harassment of students for Zionist views]( By Cathryn J. Prince [As US unions take on Israel, some Jewish members can feel attacked instead of protected]( By Cathryn J. Prince [Pro-Palestinian legal groups sue U of Maryland over blanket ban on October 7 events]( By Charlie Summers ToI podcast [What Matters Now to Haviv Rettig Gur: The regional war has already begun]( By ToI Staff ToI’s senior analyst weighs in on the deep-rooted meaning of hostages in Jewish psyches and weighs in on what to look out for as Jewish students return to campuses across the US [Those We Have Lost]( [Those We Have Lost]( [Stories of civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel]( [Read Here]( [Struggling with a new reality, the war’s 260 new widows find support in a new sisterhood]( By Diana Bletter The IDF Widows and Orphans Organization’s ‘Stronger than the Wind’ event offers ways for widows to heal their hearts and find joy even though they’re ‘devastated’ Tech Israel [Kibbutz ravaged on Oct. 7 looks to renewal through gene-edited potatoes and tomatoes]( By Sue Surkes As the southern community mourns its losses, Holit is set to trial a potato whose natural toxins have been gene-edited out and a tomato that grows semi-dried on the bush [Technion startup aims to keep coastal industry systems clean while capturing CO₂]( By Sue Surkes [Study shows magnesium deficiency in desalinated water could lead to diseases]( By Diana Bletter Reporter's notebook [Women travel to Majdal Shams to help mothers of children killed in Hezbollah attack]( By Diana Bletter Archaeology [Tree grown from ancient mystery seed found in cave could be source of biblical balm]( By Sue Surkes Identified as species of Commiphora, part of the frankincense and myrrh family, plant lacks fragrance but medical compound suggests possible link with Bible’s ‘tsori’ Interview [What happens when a seemingly odd couple becomes friends and Torah study buddies?]( By Renee Ghert-Zand From the blogs [When a song is an anchor and a source of hope]( By Batya Hefter I offer ’The Lord is my light’ as a balm for our Elul reflections on an impossible year – the tune is mine, the music recorded with my family and friends [Weekly Deep Dive]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? 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