ToI’s weekly deep dive: Our writers share their important 2023 stories * Does PA = Hamas add up? * Israelis who rushed to buy guns * Podcast: Jewish leader William Daroff

[Times of Israel]( [Weekly Deep Dive]( Sunday, December 31, 2023 2023 in review [Before and after Oct. 7: ToI writers share their stories that mattered most in 2023]( By ToI Staff With the war against Hamas looming large, we are also reminded of a prescient January interview and how the judicial overhaul crisis continues to reverberate Op-ed: Day 82 of the war David Horovitz [The war against Hamas may be almost half-done. The second half will be harder]( There are ‘no magic solutions and no shortcuts’ to dismantling Hamas, the IDF chief of staff stressed. And as the army shifts focus to southern Gaza, the challenges are mounting [Op-ed: Day 80 of the war / Gradually dismantling Hamas, the IDF is also battling its own government’s impatience]( By David Horovitz Analysis Gianluca Pacchiani [As postwar formula for Gaza sought, does Netanyahu’s Hamas = PA equation add up?]( The premier insists that the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority cannot rule the Strip; Mideast experts note the movements have distinct differences – but others see similar goals ToI podcast [Daily Briefing Dec. 31: Day 86 – A ‘guided tour’ of the 7 fronts Israel is facing]( By ToI Staff On the heels of remarks made by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last week, military reporter Emanuel Fabian takes us through each of Israel’s current regional threats [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Dec. 30: Day 85 – Is a new hostage release deal ready to be thawed out?]( By ToI Staff [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Dec. 29: Day 84 – Reservists demand aid as gov’t delays their retirement]( By ToI Staff [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Dec 28: Day 83 – As Hamas war rages, a judicial overhaul bombshell drops]( By ToI Staff Inside story [Shocked by Oct. 7 failures, Israelis rush to buy guns, with government encouragement]( By Mati Wagner In the months since the Hamas massacre, there were 6 times as many license requests for handguns as in all of 2022, causing some to worry that untrained people will soon wield them Analysis Jeremy Sharon [High Court ‘reasonableness’ ruling may presage return to tribalism and overhaul fight]( If accurate, a leaked draft indicating justices will strike down government’s controversial legislation will have a deep constitutional impact. It may also strengthen Netanyahu [High Court rules same-sex adoption must be allowed, in landmark decision]( By Jeremy Sharon [‘No stone unturned’: Comptroller vows wide probe into government’s October 7 failures]( By Jeremy Sharon [Those We Are Missing]( [The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown]( [Read Here]( Inside Story [US students touring Israel: Campus antisemitism is palpable, violent — and inescapable]( By Canaan Lidor Jews from top-tier American universities describe their experiences with hatred unleashed by the war with Hamas and its galvanizing effect on their communities Top Ops Rebecca Bardach [It’s day 83 and Hersh has missed his flight to India]( The decision-makers will not keep the hostages front and center without constant reminders of how much it matters David Gil Bloom [Stay angry, my friends]( How do we get past the horror of the Oct. 7 atrocities documented by a traumatized pathologist? Maybe we shouldn’t try Shlomo Levin [The world has the means to curb Hamas. Why hasn’t it?]( By pursuing only Israel’s alleged crimes, the International Criminal Court gives free rein to terrorists Shayna Goldberg [It is my privilege to be raising Israeli children]( The so-called ’Tik-Tok generation’ kids have interests and ideals, and, when called, put down their screens and rush out to do their duty ToI podcast [What Matters Now to US Jewish leader William Daroff: Where are our allies?]( By Amanda Borschel-Dan CEO of Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations describes a ‘second punch in the gut’ by those who misjudge the Oct. 7 tragedy and ‘continue to not get it’ [Those We Have Lost]( [Those We Have Lost]( [Stories of civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel]( [Read Here]( ToI Original Video [Kibbutz Be’eri: Through the ruins]( Experience the haunting aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Kibbutz Be’eri through a tour that unveils the devastation from a unique vantage point Interview [Amid Gaza war, a US-born Jewish woman mans a Christian Arab town’s bike shop]( By Diana Bletter Reporter's notebook [Volunteers’ efforts bear fruit, but war-hit farmers would prefer professionals]( By Jessica Steinberg With thousands of foreign field hands having fled, it’s taking too long to pick the season’s lemons, oranges, persimmons, avocados and strawberries, and some owners are despairing [Kicks for charity / Ravens exec raises money for MDA with branded sneakers]( By Renee Ghert-Zand [Poll finds high support among Arab Israelis for volunteering during war]( By Gianluca Pacchiani Inside Story [Amid worker shortage due to war, Israeli constructors struggle to build]( By Shoshanna Solomon With most Palestinian workers banned from Israel in wake of Oct. 7 onslaught, and thousands of foreign workers gone, the building sector says it’s at a ‘complete standstill’ Exhibition [Resurrected exhibit provides insight into Jewish artists during, after the Holocaust]( By Bernard Dichek ‘Munich Displaced,’ at the Munich Jewish Museum through March 17, portrays the city when it was a hub for 200,000 displaced Jews who survived the war Arts [2 evocative exhibits go up in Tel Aviv museum, as battle for hostages is waged outside]( By Jessica Steinberg Since October 7, the plaza in front of Tel Aviv Museum of Art has been known as ‘Hostages Square,’ serving as a ‘spontaneous art space’; now, 2 new exhibits open inside [Homeland Concert / 1,000 musicians in Caesarea call to bring hostages home]( By Jessica Steinberg [Battle lines / Artists illustrate reactions to Oct. 7 at Jerusalem’s Outline Festival]( By Jessica Steinberg [The things they found / Troops mustering near Gaza border turn up tiny Byzantine-era lamp]( By Gavriel Fiske From the blogs [Watching Christmas movies in Jerusalem]( By Anne Gordon The feel-good predictability on screen provides an interlude of comfort that soothes the searing reality of current events [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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