Netanyahu made ‘brilliant move’ to go back to war in Gaza, caught Hamas completely off guard, Rosenberg tells Evangelicals

WASHINGTON, DC — The eruption of full-scale war in the Gaza Strip once again by the Israeli Defense Forces has shocked and angered many in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.

Numerous Arab countries, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia, have denounced the escalation of hostilities, as have China, Russia, and Iran. 

For weeks, the Editor-in-Chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS has been predicting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would do exactly this.

He believes that Netanyahu and the Israeli Cabinet had no other choice, given that Hamas has in recent days twice rejected the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts to extend the ceasefire and release the remaining hostages that the terror group is still holding in Gaza.  

Joel C. Rosenberg — who is currently on a two-month speaking and media tour across the U.S. — was interviewed yesterday on “Washington Watch,” the nationally syndicated daily radio program of the Family Research Council (FRC), a prominent Evangelical Christian ministry based in the American capital. 

ROSENBERG: ISRAEL MUST FORCE HAMAS TO GIVE UP ALL HOSTAGES AND THEN VANQUISH THEM FOREVER 

“We've been warning about this for weeks now on ALL ISRAEL NEWS,” Rosenberg told Jody Hice, an Evangelical Christian and former U.S. Congressman from Georgia, who was guest hosting for FRC President Tony Perkins.

“I've been warning that we were going back to war because Hamas does not want to give us back all the remaining hostages,” Rosenberg continued.

“There are 59 hostages,” Rosenberg explained. “We believe that 24 of them, or so, are still alive. The rest are dead bodies, killed by Hamas.”

“The problem,” Rosenberg noted, “is that we always knew that we were going to get to a point where Hamas would not deal. Why? Because once they give us all the hostages back, they know we are going to destroy them, unless they negotiate some pathway to leave Gaza forever and never come back.”

HAMAS HAS TWICE REJECTED TRUMP TEAM EFFORTS TO EXTEND THE CEASEFIRE

Rosenberg argued that “Israeli Prime Netanyahu and his government want every hostage back.” 

He added that Netanyahu and all Israelis “have been very grateful for President Trump and his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who negotiated the deal that has gotten all the Phase One hostages out.”

“We're very grateful to the President and to Steve Witkoff for this. But Trump and Witkoff have been trying now for weeks to get a new deal — actually, to extend this [Phase One] deal — to get all the rest of the hostages back.”

The real problem is that, ‘Hamas has said no — twice — and Netanyahu said, ‘Look, I’m not going to sit around and just not fight while we continue negotiating and they [Hamas] keep saying no.’”

Rosenberg noted that he thought the decision to go back to full-scale war in Gaza “might not happen for another month or so — after Ramadan, maybe after Passover.”

But it’s clear now that Netanyahu did not want to wait that long.

“Netanyahu decided to take the gloves off and strike when Hamas least expected it,” Rosenberg said, making it clear that he thinks the prime minister is making the absolute right decision, despite the risks.

“By striking now, when nobody expected it — including Hamas — that was a brilliant move,” Rosenberg said.

EVANGELICALS SHOULD KEEP PRAYING FOR THE RELEASE OF ALL THE HOSTAGES

“The critical question is this,” the Evangelical Israeli journalist explained.

Is Netanyahu relaunching the war — with President Trump’s full blessing — to force Hamas to come back to the negotiating table and persuade Hamas to give up more hostages — even all of the live hostages and the dead bodies — so that Netanyahu can say, “Okay, I'll pause fighting if you're gonna start letting people out”?

Or, has Netanyahu decided there's really no other option than going back to full-scale war in Gaza because he’s concluded that Hamas has no intention of giving any more hostages back?

“I don't know the answer to that question,” Rosenberg conceded.

While Rosenberg has urged Evangelicals for 18 months — through ALL ISRAEL NEWS, The Joshua Fund, and THE ROSENBERG REPORT — to pray without ceasing that all the hostages will be released, he said in the FRC interview that he believes a resumption of fighting is necessary, as painful as it is.

“I do believe at some point, whether it's right now or in a few weeks, we're going back to [full scale] war to finish Hamas off, to vanquish them, forever and ever and ever,” Rosenberg explained. 

President Trump has essentially said, "We're going to make Gaza great again. We're going to take it. We're going to own it. It's going to be fantastic. But first, Bibi's got to win." 

He explained that many in Israel are all thinking, “Wow, the President has made a huge commitment to helping us get Gaza right, but it is our responsibility in Israel to win. And President Trump is giving us all the tools that we need.” 

“Former Congressman Jody Hice also interviewed Rosenberg about his new book and the grave and growing threat posed by Communist China.

The following is the transcript of the interview, lightly edited for clarity. 

FORMER CONGRESSMAN JODY HICE: All right, there's been a lot of international news, and the headlines today, and in recent weeks from Israel to Russia, Yemen to Venezuela. And while it may not be on the front pages today, it's no secret that China has also expanded its power and its influence far beyond their own borders. Look, they've asserted control over Hong Kong and  Taiwan. They've used their financial incentives from their “Belt and Road Initiative” to try to gain favor with foreign nations across the world. And the United States remains their primary adversary. But for how long? What if China actually tried to take on the United States? How would that play out? And would they even be able to succeed? Well, these are questions that are tackled in a brand new political thriller novel titled THE BEIJING BETRAYAL. The author, the great Joel Rosenberg, joins me today to discuss this book and more. Joel, of course, is the co-founder and editor in chief of the news organizations, ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS. He also hosts THE ROSENBERG REPORT on TBN. Joel, as always, welcome back to Washington Watch. It’s great honor to have you again. 

ROSENBERG: Thank you, Jody, great to be with you. I appreciate it very much.

FORMER CONGRESSMAN JODY HICE: Well, listen, before we dive into your book, which I absolutely want to, I did want to get your thoughts, your insights on the latest developments on the Israel-Hamas war. The two month long ceasefire is over. Your thoughts on all of this?

ROSENBERG: Well, we've been warning about this for weeks now on ALL ISRAEL NEWS — which you can find at www.allisrael.com. While I do live in Israel — I live in Jerusalem — I'm in Indianapolis right now because I was interviewing and having lunch today with former Vice President Mike Pence. So, I'm not home. I'm on this book tour for THE BEIJING BETRAYAL. But I've been warning that we [Israelis] were going back to war — and the reason is because Hamas does not want to give us back all the remaining hostages. There are 59 hostages. We believe that 24 of them, or so, are still alive. The rest are dead bodies, killed by Hamas. The problem is that we always knew that we were going to get to a point where Hamas would not deal. Why? Because once they give us all the final hostages back, they know we are going to destroy them, unless they negotiate some pathway to leave Gaza forever and never come back. So, this is a challenge. Now, Israeli Prime [Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government want every hostage back — and we have been very grateful for President Trump and his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who negotiated the deal that has gotten all the Phase One hostages out. We're very grateful to the President and to Steve Witkoff for this. But Trump and Witkoff have been trying now for weeks to get a new deal —actually, to extend this [Phase One] deal — to get all the rest of the hostages back. [But] Hamas has said no — twice — and Netanyahu said, “You know, look, I'm not going to sit around and just not fight [Hanas] while we continue negotiating and they keep saying no.” I thought, Jody, that this [decision to go back to full scale war in Gaza] might not happen for another month or so — after Ramadan, maybe after Passover — but Netanyahu decided to take the gloves off and strike when Hamas least expected it.

FORMER CONGRESSMAN JODY HICE: Which is not surprising, coming from Netanyahu. He is just a brilliant thinker in terms of always seemingly getting the other side off-guard. So, let me ask you, Joel, how do you see this latest turn of events impacting the negotiations for peace in the region? You talked about the process moving towards Phase Two, and now we have this interruption? What kind of impact is this going to have, you think? 

ROSENBERG: Well, Jody, it's a little bit hard to say for certain right now. Why? Because…well, let's be clear. [Netanyahu] is a brilliant strategist. In many ways, he sees himself as the Winston Churchill of Israel up against the Iran threat. But let's admit it, Prime Minister Netanyahu was completely blindsided on October 7th, 2023, as was all of the Israeli security and intelligence establishment. So, he's got a serious blemish on his record. But he is trying to fight this war and win it. And President Biden was trying to tie his hands behind — Netanyahu's hands — behind his back. But here's the thing. By striking now when nobody expected it, including Hamas, that was a brilliant move. The question is whether Netanyahu is trying in partner with President Trump to get Hamas to come back [to the negotiating table] and give up more hostages — and that Netanyahu would say, “Okay, I'll pause fighting if you're gonna start letting people out” — or if Netanyahu has decided there's really no other option [because] Hamas has essentially given up any possibility of giving any more hostages back. So, I don't know the answer to that question. I do believe at some point, whether it's right now or in a few weeks, we're going back to [full scale] war to finish Hamas off, to vanquish them, forever and ever and ever. And then as you know, Jody, President Trump surprised us all a few weeks ago by saying, [Rosenberg does a Trump impression], "We're going to make Gaza great again. We're going to take it. We're going to own it. It's going to be fantastic. But first, Bibi's got to win." And so we [in Israel are all thinking], “Wow, the President has made a huge commitment to helping us get Gaza right, but it is our responsibility in Israel to win. And President Trump is giving us all the tools that we need.” We haven't asked Trump to send American ground forces, and we won't. We're going to do this on our own, and I've got two sons that have already served in the Israeli military, and I know the commitment that it takes.

FORMER CONGRESSMAN JODY HICE: Well, I gotta tell you, that was a great impressionation. 

ROSENBERG: [continuing the Trump impersonation] “Well, that's true. And you know, Jody, that your ratings are gonna be higher than Tony's now because it's fantastic that you've had me on. But I'll come on with Tony, too.”

FORMER CONGRESSMAN JODY HICE: [laughing] All right, if we can now — Joel Rosenberg, great insights that you've just given on the Israel-Hamas war — let's shift gears, if we can to your new book, fascinating book, THE BEIJING BETRAYAL, which is listed as a fictional military thriller. Give us the rundown on this story. I think all of us kind of have in the back of our mind why this has come out. But from your perspective, give us the rundown. 

ROSENBERG: Sure, and let me just give a shout-out to Tony. I’m really grateful that he was just in Israel. As much as it's important to stand with Israel, it's really important to stand in Israel, and I really am grateful that he and several other Evangelical leaders were just over there — so, that's fantastic. Look, you know that as a political thriller writer as well as a journalist I've dealt with the Iran issue, radical Islamism, Russia, Ukraine, and North Korea. But I have never actually written a political thriller that has dealt with the Communist China threat. But one of my sons who served in Israeli intelligence, military intelligence, he said, “You know, Dad, look, we get it, you [write about] the threats from other places. But if you're not dealing with the communist China threat, you're missing a major element.” And it took me several years to spend time with major intelligence officials, former CIA directors, and so forth, to figure out what's the right angle, what's the right story. THE BEIJING BETRAYAL tells the story of Communist China being not years away from invading our democratic ally of Taiwan, but just hours away, days away. At the same time, My main character, Marcus Ryker — a former Marine, former Secret Service agent, turned elite CIA operative — he not only comes across this plot of Communist China attacking and trying to devour Taiwan, and thus unravel the entire American supremacy doctrine and alliance in the Pacific, but Communist China is also about to unleash a horrific Ebola-like virus inside the United States before the attack on Taiwan. Why? To paralyze the United States, to kill millions of Americans, and make us unable or unwilling to defend not just Taiwan, but our other allies — South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, Singapore, and so forth. So, thank God, this has not actually happened yet. And I'm not predicting that it will. But THE BEIJING BETRAYAL is a worst case scenario thriller about what could happen if America gets our eye off the ball, or political leaders inside Washington — certainly inside the White House, Pentagon State, Capitol Hill — decide, “Yeah, Taiwan is a nice country, but it's not necessary [to defend it].” We're talking about a total catastrophe if Communist China were to get Taiwan, because it really unravels our entire alliance in the Pacific. No one will believe us, not just in the Pacific, but in Europe or in Israel, that you're going to defend any [American] ally if we don't defend Taiwan. But we'd rather figure out a strategy of deterrence against Communist China than actually have to go into war with Communist China because that would likely lead to nuclear war and that's the scenario that THE BEIJING BETRAYAL worries about and envisions.

FORMER CONGRESSMAN JODY HICE: Yes. and it’s not just THE BEIJING BETRAYAL but many of us have been looking at this for a long on time, recognizing fully that China is a major, major threat not only to the United States but globally. So…is there a way now, as you said, preemptively to prevent, to stop  an invasion of Taiwan from the Chinese? 

ROSENBERG: Yes, absolutely. And I would say that nobody's been tougher on Communist China than President Trump. That was a conversation I was actually having over lunch today — and in my interview for my ROSENBERG REPORT show on TBN — with the former Vice President Mike Pence. Now, obviously, Trump and Pence see the world a little differently today. But on China, they're unified. It was very interesting and refreshing to hear Pence praising Trump that Trump gets the threat from China. The challenge is that last year, during the campaign, Trump said several things like, "Well, Taiwan's a long way away," and, “I don't know [if we would go to war to defend it].” So, it suggested that maybe he was softening his defense and support of Taiwan. I don't know if that's really [still] true and neither does Pence. I mean, one theory is that Trump is trying to get Taiwan to pay attention and start spending more on its own defense. [Taiwan’s defense budget]  was under 3% [of GDP] until recently. Now, [in the last few days], Taiwan has agreed to move it up to 3%. Eldridge Colby, who's being nominated [by President Trump] to be the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy and is a great China expert, told his recent Senate confirmation hearing that they need [Taiwan] to be at 10%. “We can't be more supportive of Taiwanese defense than the people of Taiwan, right?” [he said]. So whether it has to be 10%, 5%, 7%, I can't tell you for certain. But we do have to persuade the people of Taiwan and all of our allies in the Pacific, “It’s cheaper to invest in your defense now than to then to create a perception of weakness, where you're totally depending on the United States and you're not doing your own hard work and spending your own money to defend yourselves. We're with you but we're not gonna just let you be free loaders off the American taxpayer and the American military.” 

FORMER CONGRESSMAN JODY HICE: So, I absolutely think that we've got to help Taiwan and so forth. But [look at Beijing’s] attempts to cozy up, if you will, with other American adversaries like Russia, like Iran. What is the underlying reason that China is making these moves with other U .S. adversaries? 

ROSENBERG: Jodi, that's a great question. I think that's the heart of the right question to ask, and then that's really the premise of THE BEIJING BETRAYAL, which is that it's not just Communist China as a threat to a specific island  — a specific region — that’s the problem. It’s the fact that Communist China wants to, A) supplant the United States as the world's superpower, and B) ultimately destroy the United States. That's part of their central doctrine. They're atheists. They're Communists. They hate God. They hate Christians. They hate anybody that loves Jesus even though there's a great spiritual awakening going on inside China. But because [Chinese President] Xi Jinping has this ambition of first dominating the Pacific and then dominating the Middle East and then dominating the world over time, he’s making strong alliances with the Russians and with Iran is because they hate us, too Just a few years ago, Communist China formed a 25-year strategic and very dangerous alliance with Iran, the most dangerous terror sponsor on the planet against Israel and against our Sunni Arab allies. This is dangerous. It's not just China by itself. It's the “Evil Empire Alliance” that they're building. Literally just Friday — on Friday, Jodi — the leaders, not quite at the top, but just below the top of Russia, Iran, and China met. Where? In Beijing. In China. Why? To strengthen this anti-American, anti-freedom alliance. This is what I called the “Evil Empire Summit” and it's incredibly dangerous. THE BEIJING BETRAYAL is about what happens if we don't pay attention.

FORMER CONGRESSMAN JODY HICE: I encourage everybody get a copy of THE BEIJING BETRAYAL. Thank you so much, Joel Rosenberg, co-founder and editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS, as well as host of THE ROSENBERG REPORT [on TBN]….Thank you so much for joining us today. Hope you have a fantastic day. God bless you. We will see you tomorrow right here on “Washington Watch.”

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