Is the Wool Being Pulled Over Israel’s Eyes?

By: Rabbi Josh Wander

We are living through unprecedented historic events, and yet most people are sleepwalking through them. The headlines scream “hope,” “progress,” and “relief.” The talking heads assure us that the nightmare is nearly over. The hostages are coming home. The war is winding down. We can finally exhale and “go back to normal.” And of course, we are told, we owe it all to our fearless leaders—Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, and their global coalition.

But scratch just beneath the surface and the truth becomes unavoidable: this was never about the hostages.

Lessons From History

Israel’s history is littered with moments where leaders bypassed the will of the people, intoxicated the public with illusions of peace, and handed over land in exchange for nothing but bloodshed in return. From Rabin’s Oslo Accords to Sharon’s Gaza disengagement, we have learned three painful lessons:

1. The leadership does not need the consent—or even the support—of the people.

2. The majority of Israelis can be lulled into complacency by the fantasy of peace, no matter how absurd.

3. The outcome is always the same: disaster.

Every time land is relinquished—Sinai, Judea and Samaria, Gaza, Southern Lebanon—the vacuum is filled with terror, not peace. And now, before our very eyes, we are watching the same fatal error repeat itself.

The Hijacking of the Hostage Crisis

The Israeli public has been deceived into thinking this war and its resolution revolve around the hostages. The truth is far more sinister.

The same anarchists who flooded the streets before October 7th—chanting against judicial reform and seeking to strip power from the people—rebranded overnight. Their “Bring Them Home Now” campaign became the new slogan. But this was not born of compassion. It was a cold, calculated pivot.

They knew their earlier agenda had failed to rally the masses. So they cloaked their efforts in the one cause no Israeli could oppose: freeing the hostages. The result? Hundreds of millions poured into a polished PR machine. Kaplanism was born, tolerated and even celebrated, though corrupt at its core.

And here lies the genius of the deception: they have made taking this poison pill palatable by disguising it as sweet candy. Who could resist swallowing it when it comes wrapped in the sugar-coating of compassion, solidarity, and national unity?

The Axis of Evil—Disguised as Peace

The culmination of this scheme is now visible. President Trump, together with Prime Minister Netanyahu, has gathered a coalition of wolves in sheep’s clothing: Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and the European Union. Yes, even Egypt and Turkey—our so-called “peace partners”—are now dictating terms. The deal? End the war, free the hostages, and in the process, strip Israel of all diplomatic power.

But again—it was never about the hostages.

It is about dismantling Israel from within. It is about implanting a foreign entity into our heart. It is about resurrecting the corpse of the two-state solution—this time on steroids.

The Prophecy Unfolding

What is happening today is not random—it was foreseen thousands of years ago. The prophet Zechariah declared:

“וְאָסַפְתִּי אֶת כָּל הַגּוֹיִם אֶל יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם לַמִּלְחָמָה”

“And I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for war.” (Zechariah 14:2)

This very passage, read publicly during the haftorah on Sukkos, is unfolding before our eyes. The nations of the world are uniting against Jerusalem, cloaking their hostility in the language of “peace” and “humanitarian concern.” Yet the prophecy tells us clearly: their true intent is war against God’s people and His city.

But Zechariah continues with the promise of redemption:

“וְיָצָא יְהוָה וְנִלְחַם בַּגּוֹיִם הָהֵם כְּיוֹם הִלָּחֲמוֹ בְּיוֹם קְרָב”

“Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.” (Zechariah 14:3)

And this Shabbat, the haftorah of Gog u’Magog in Yechezkel warns us of the storm to come:

“וְאַתָּה בֶן־אָדָם שִׂים פָּנֶיךָ אֶל־גּוֹג אֶרֶץ הַמָּגוֹג נְשִׂיא רֹאשׁ מֶשֶׁךְ וְתֻבָל וְהִנָּבֵא עָלָיו. וְאָמַרְתָּ כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה הִנְנִי אֵלֶיךָ גּוֹג נְשִׂיא רֹאשׁ מֶשֶׁךְ וְתֻבָל”

“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince, chief of Meshech and Tubal; and prophesy against him, and say: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, Gog, prince, chief of Meshech and Tubal.” (Ezekiel 38:2–3)

And later:

“וְבָאתָ מִמְּקוֹמְךָ מִיַּרְכְּתֵי צָפוֹן אַתָּה וְעַמִּים רַבִּים אִתָּךְ רֹכְבֵי סוּסִים כֻּלָּם קָהָל גָּדוֹל וְחַיִל רָב”

“And you shall come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly, and a mighty army.” (Ezekiel 38:15)

The prophets foretell that before redemption, there will be chaos on a scale the world has never seen. The ugliness of evil will seem to prevail, and much destruction may, God forbid, need to happen in order to awaken us. The storm of Gog u’Magog is not distant—it is upon us.

The Bitter Irony

And tragically, just as with Menachem Begin and the Sinai, Ariel Sharon and Gaza, the so-called Israeli right is once again leading the charge. Netanyahu himself is paving the way for the forced creation of a mythical “Palestinian nation,” concocted in 1964, to be planted inside our borders by hook or by crook.

The heads of this campaign—sitting in smoke-filled rooms, sipping scotch, laughing at our naiveté—know exactly what they are doing. And the Israeli public? Too many are blind, complacent, or eager to believe the illusion.

Wake Up Before It’s Too Late

This is no longer about land or even about lives—it is about the very survival of the Jewish State. If we continue to fall for the manipulation, if we allow the wool to be pulled over our eyes, then the dream of Zion itself will be dismantled before our very noses.

It was never about the hostages. It was always about the destruction of Israel. Unless we wake up to the truth, their sinister plan will be realized, and history will record how we handed our homeland away while celebrating false victories.

But the prophecies of Zechariah and Yechezkel assure us: even as the nations gather against us, Hashem Himself will rise to defend His people.

The end of the story is not despair—it is redemption. Truth will prevail, evil will be banished from our land, and the light of Geula will shine forth from Jerusalem to the entire world.

The storm of Gog u’Magog may yet rage, but beyond it awaits the dawn of Hashem’s eternal kingdom.