In conversation with Damian Thompson, Benedict Kiely discusses the plight of Christian minorities in countries around the world. Best known may be the violence against Christians committed by Muslims from Iraq to Nigeria. But these are not the only cases: Christians have been victims of deadly attacks in Burma, Sri Lanka, and India, as well as brutal suppression by the Chinese and North Korean governments. Kiely argues that Western indifference is sometimes a product of anti-Christian and anti-religious prejudice. In contrast to this indifference, Kiely and Thompson point to the heroic efforts made by Jews to save their brethren around the world, both through philanthropic organizations and by the Israeli government—and, moreover, the leading role Jews have played in condemning the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere. (Audio, 31 minutes. The discussion of Jewish attitudes begins around the 16-minute mark.)

Israel’s goals of freeing the hostages and defeating Hamas (the latter necessary to prevent further hostage taking) are to some extent contradictory, since Yahya Sinwar, the ruler of the Gaza Strip, will only turn over hostages in exchange for concessions. But Jacob Nagel remains convinced that Jerusalem should continue to pursue both goals:

Only consistent military pressure on Hamas can lead to the hostages’ release, either through negotiation or military operation. There’s little chance of reaching a deal with Hamas using current approaches, including the latest Egyptian proposal. Israeli concessions would only encourage further pressure from Hamas.

There is no incentive for Hamas to agree to a deal, especially since it believes it can achieve its full objectives without one. Unfortunately, many contribute to this belief, mainly from outside of Israel, but also from within.

Recent months saw Israel mistakenly refraining from entering Rafah for several reasons. Initially, the main [reason was to try] to negotiate a deal with Hamas. However, as it became clear that Hamas was uninterested, and its only goal was to return to its situation before October 7—where Hamas and its leadership control Gaza, Israeli forces are out, and there are no changes in the borders—the deal didn’t mature.