During his long career in the IDF, Major General Yom Tov Tamir served as a tank officer in the Six-Day War (in which he was wounded), the War of Attrition, the Yom Kippur War, and the First Lebanon War. In 1964, he and a handful of other Israeli officers were selected—at America’s behest—to go to West Germany for training in armor tactics, where they served wearing German military uniforms. He discusses these experiences with John Spencer, an expert on urban warfare at West Point, giving particular attention to his role in the fighting along the Suez Canal in the 1973 war, when an Egyptian surprise attack overwhelmed Israeli defenses. Tamir concludes by explaining the significance of the IDF motto “The tank is iron, but the man is steel.” That is, human capabilities and morale are more important than any piece of technology. (A two-part podcast. Audio, 44 and 27 minutes, respectively.)

How did Qatar, an American ally, become the nerve center of the leading Palestinian jihadist organization? Natalie Ecanow explains.

When Jordan expelled Hamas in 1999, Qatar offered sanctuary to the group, which had already become notorious for using suicide-bombing attacks over the previous decade. . . . Hamas chose to relocate to Syria. However, that arrangement lasted for only a decade. With the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the terror group found its way back to Qatar.

In 2003, Hamas leaders reportedly convened in Qatar after the IDF attempted to eliminate Hamas’s founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, following a Hamas suicide bombing in Jerusalem that killed seven people, including two American citizens. This episode led to one of the first efforts by Qatar to advocate for its terror proxy.

Thirteen years and five wars between Hamas and Israel later, Qatar’s support for Hamas has not waned. . . . To this day, Qatari officials maintain that the office came at the “request from Washington to establish indirect lines of communication with Hamas.” However, an Obama White House official asserted that there was never any request from Washington. . . . Inexplicably, the United States government continues to rely on Qatar to negotiate for the release of the hostages held by Hamas, even as the regime hosts the terror group’s political elite.

A reckoning is needed between our two countries. Congressional hearings, legislation, executive orders, and other measures to regulate relations between our countries are long overdue.