Unless you spend time in Israel, you can’t really understand the intensity of the feeling around the hostages taken by Hamas.

I think that most other countries look at this sort of situation and think, “Okay, you have a terrorist group that took hostages. Are you really willing to go house to house for two years instead of just bombing the place in order to get those hostages out? Are you really willing to sacrifice hundreds of soldiers in order to protect hostages and try to save those hostages?”

The answer in Israel is yes. 

And this has been the scimitar hanging over the head of the Israelis. 

Since the very beginning of the war, Israel has had to stop and start the war half a dozen times. Israel has had to take measures that no sane country would have to take in order to try and ensure the safety of its hostages. Israel has had to move slowly and meticulously and risk the hatred of the world in order for those hostages to get out. 

Somehow, the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was able to put together a deal in which the 20 living hostages came out all at once on Monday morning.

They were able to do that without allowing Hamas to fully reconstitute, while Israel is still present in 53% of the Gaza Strip.  Right now, the situation on the ground in Gaza is that Hamas is having firefights with a bunch of local militia groups over who is going to control Gaza next.

In the end, there will have to be some sort of heavy hand put on the remnants of Hamas, whether that happens from an international group in the way President Trump has discussed, or whether it happens via the IDF. We don’t know the answer to that yet.

 But what we do know is that Israel’s long national nightmare with regard to these hostages is now effectively over, because all 20 of them came out on Monday.

That is an extraordinary credit to President Trump and his team. And it catalyzed unbridled joy felt by all Israelis and Jews and good-hearted people everywhere — including the President of the United States —  over the return of the hostages. The Israelis thanked President Trump as he deserves to be thanked, putting out a gigantic display on the beach in Tel Aviv so President Trump would see it as Air Force One was flying into Ben-Gurion Airport.

In my synagogue, we have been saying a special prayer for the hostages every single day since the beginning of the war. It’s why you see all these yellow ribbons everywhere in Israel.

 When Jared Kushner thanked President Trump in Tel Aviv, the crowd went nuts. In Israel, the Trump administration has a 97% approval rating. There is no one in Israel — with very rare exceptions, typically from the radical Arab parties — that does not love President Trump.

Israelis have an overwhelming love for Donald Trump. It’s extraordinary. There were scores of standing ovations for President Trump in the Israeli parliament today. Even the leftists in Israel who don’t like President Trump love President Trump today.

When the Israel-Hamas war began, Israel was not just threatened from the Gaza Strip, where 1,200 Jews were murdered and roughly 250 were taken hostage into the Gaza Strip; Israel was threatened on its northern border by Hezbollah in Lebanon, a massively powerful terrorist group funded by Iran, run by Hassan Nasrallah. Syria was an ally of Hezbollah. Iran was threatening nuclear development. There was terrorism brewing in Judea and Samaria, the so-called West Bank.

But by the end of this war, Israel stands in a strong military posture with regard to the Gaza Strip, having completely destroyed every member of the upper echelon of Hamas. They killed Hassan Nasrallah and destroyed Hezbollah’s rocket capacity with an extraordinarily creative military action, including that famous beeper attack. They hit so hard that the Assad regime fell, thanks to the predations of Turkey pushing into power in Syria. And then Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, which involved the attacks on the Iranian nuclear facilities, capped off by President Trump’s attacks with B-2 bombers.

It’s been an astonishing turnabout. Without that happening, the hostages don’t come out because Hamas would have had that support level. By the way, the hostages probably don’t come out unless Israel also tries to take out the Hamas leadership in Qatar, sending the signals to Qatar that either they start to play ball or things might start happening in their country as well.

Whatever the rationale, the hostages coming home is an extraordinarily historic moment, a truly historic moment.

 President Trump has now transformed the region into a place where a lasting peace could be on the way, beginning with the Abraham Accords in his first term. And now, thanks to the penetration of Hamas, the complete hammering of Hezbollah, the killing of its leadership, and the destruction or massive setbacks to the Iranian nuclear facilities. 

In a truly moving and introspective moment, President Trump said, “I don’t think there’s anything going to get me in heaven. I think I’m not maybe heaven-bound. … I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to make heaven, but I’ve made life a lot better for a lot of people.”

President Trump wants to be someone who does good for people. With all of the riffing and the comedy that he does, in the end, he wants to be thought of as someone who did good for people. 

And he does. He does it continually. 

That is why he is a unique force.

And all of Israel sees him for the hero that he is.

WASHINGTON—House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has suggested Democrats may be waiting to cave and reopen the government until after this weekend’s “No Kings” protest. Internal rally documents reviewed by The Daily Wire indicate he’s on to something.

On Saturday, demonstrators across the country will gather in what organizers describe as a “peaceful national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration.” That includes a major event outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Johnson suggested on Fox News last weekend that Democrats were holding out for the protest in order to capitalize on anti-Trump sentiment. Some could argue that Johnson’s theory sounds like a conspiracy, but documents obtained by The Daily Wire reveal the group is encouraging hosts to “lock in” speakers such as “laid-off federal workers, like National Parks rangers or veterans.”

The “NO KINGS Oct 18 Toolkit for Hosts” document instructs event hosts to secure “compelling speakers to anchor the agenda” and to “aim to lock in 2-4 speakers who can talk authentically about the crisis we face.”

They also encourage hosts to get speakers who “rely on Medicaid or other threatened services.”

Another sign that organizers expect to focus messaging on the shutdown is found in their “NO KINGS Oct 18 Speaker Guidance” document, which lists “Shutdown” under “Issues and Topics.”

“President Trump and his political allies hold a trifecta in D.C. This shutdown is on them. Time and time again, this president shows us that the only thing he wants is absolute power. Shutting down our government because you don’t get your way isn’t leadership — it’s a temper tantrum,” the guidance document said.

The No Kings documents make clear that there is no grassroots movement. Included in the group’s online asset package are flyers, rally signs, printed materials to distribute, a comprehensive 10-page “Song and Chant” document, safety planning instructions, and various other event resources.

The group has already held multiple trainings and is planning another session for Tuesday, October 14, aimed at messaging and “how to talk about your local No Kings movement, both to reporters and on your social media channels.”

A mobilization call was held on September 18 — just weeks before the government shutdown on October 1.

Organizers said in a prep email that “thousands” of events are planned across the country — according to a promotional materials document — and the interactive map published shows just how widespread the effort is.

A “safety planning worksheet” reveals sign-ups for volunteers to assist with “medical support,” “press support,” and even “jail support.”

Although a core principle of the group is “a commitment to nonviolent action and no civil disobedience,” organizers are already planning and advising in case of potential arrests.

“In the event of arrests, track arrested individuals and coordinate legal assistance. Reach out to the local chapter of the National Lawyers Guild for support or the names of local lawyers willing to offer services (pro bono and other),” the document says.

The group also posted a video on October 7 with “tips” for attendees — including instructions to use encrypted apps, such as Signal.

They are encouraging participants to bring American flags to “reclaim this symbol” and “remind the world that the freedom we stand for is freedom for all.”

This is not the first “No Kings” rally; the group had a similar rally back in June, which brought large crowds to major cities, the New York Times reported.

President Donald Trump was asked about the protest in a clip shared by the White House.

“I don’t feel like a King — I have to go through hell to get stuff approved,” the president joked. “No, no, we’re not a King. We’re not a King at all,” Trump said.

Organizers said on their website that millions of people are expected to turn out for the protests this weekend.